Treason

I stopped at Noah’s Bagels this morning for a snack. It would be easy to dismiss Noah’s “gourmet bagels,” which are bagels with lots of melted cheese on them, but I prefer to think of them as a form of pizza available at 9am. While I was waiting for my six-cheese bagel to heat, I noticed a sign above the coffee station:

> For generations, New York has been at the center of America’s love affair with coffee.

Right, and Milwaukee is at the center of America’s love affair with beer.

I expect protests.

A conversation at Uwajimaya

> **Me:** Let’s get some of those Black Pockys today.

> **Iris:** Yeah! Because Mama said they’re black sesame.

> **Me:** Right!

> **Iris:** So it’s not dirt.

Unfortunately, they were out of Black Pocky, so Iris picked Bittersweet Mousse Pocky, which are probably listed in the Guinness Book under *World’s Most Expensive Pocky*. Twelve sticks for $3. Although in the gift shop they may sell a solid gold Pocky on a velvet pillow. Who knows.

Teen scoop

Want to drop a subtle hint on your teenager? Try the new book Teens Cook Dessert, a collection of dessert recipes for teens written by two sisters and their mom. Only one of the sisters is an actual teen, and even she may have turned twenty by now, but I’m still fifteen at heart, too–except for my sense of humor, which, like the proverbial amp, goes to eleven but not beyond.

Jokes aside, this book (the sequel to Teens Cook) really is good. The recipes are generally simple and familiar, although one of the authors (Megan) has done some traveling in Europe and enjoys making somewhat fussy desserts like White Chocolate-Cherry Phyllo Triangles with Cherry Sauce. Fortunately, most of these are banished to a chapter entitled “Fancy Stuff.”

I’m curious: do any of my readers have kids who like to cook? The conventional wisdom is that the home-cooked meal is going the way of the home-saddled horse, and that’s probably true, but I’m always interested in the exceptions.

If you’re not up for a whole book, here’s a free eGullet class on cooking with kids.

Holiday book recommendation

Best Food Writing 2006 is out now, and the holidays are swiftly approaching. Here’s what people are saying:

* “In this excellent collection, Hughes brings together an eclectic mix of writing by restaurant reviewers, chefs, food writers and food lovers that succeeds in connecting distinctly different writing styles with a common thread of respect for and fascination with eating.” -*Publishers Weekly*

* Of the forty essays in this anthology, all but two are written in first person, a sad commentary on the narrow, incurious, self-centered state of food journalism at a time when eating is one of the few cultural activities to which everyone lustily relates. -*Booklist*

* “I nearly put this book away.” -BostonJen, Amazon review

* “I’m confused–how can this be the best food writing of 2006 if the book was only published in Oct 2006?” -McAuliflower, Powells.com

Featured contributors this year include Frank Bruni, Jeffrey Steingarten, Gabrielle Hamilton, and, uh, some guy from Seattle who writes about burgers. In the first person.