Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany is a snapper-up of unconsidered culinary trifles. What other book will tell you the best way to cook a swan (and why you aren't allowed to); the arcane methodology of the Japanese Tea Ceremony; the menu for JFK's famous forty-fifth birthday party; and how Hemingway liked to mix his Martinis?" "Which other food guide will tell you how to read your tea leaves; the best way to blow smoke rings; the reason asparagus makes your urine smell; and what a giant waterbug tastes like?" "Where else will you stumble across the foods that make Homer Simpson drool 'Mmm...'; why Zeus slept on a bed of saffron; which celebrities owe their lives to the Heimlich Maneuver; and the fantastical contents of Captain Nemo's larder?" Schott's Food & Miscellany is a juxtaposition of tidbits offering food for thought (as well as thoughts on food) - whether you're a glutton, gourmand, greedy-guts, or gastronome.

FROM THE CRITICS

William Grimes - The New York Times

Like its predecessor, Schott's Original Miscellany, the book is pointedly pointless, intentionally aimless and endlessly entertaining … The information age spews forth a tidal wave of facts every day. Mr. Schott has made it his mission to ensure that nothing unimportant gets lost.

Publishers Weekly

By now, readers may have finally gotten around to reading every last drop of trivia in last year's oddball bestseller (here and in the U.K.), Schott's Original Miscellany. Just in time, the London "miscellanist" returns, bestowing upon hungry readers every random thing they've ever wondered about the culinary arts and then some. It's just as addictive and enlightening as the first book, as Schott uses his signature objectivity to relay such obscure facts as "The Romans developed a taste for the edible dormouse (Myoxus glis), which they fattened in special cages (gliraria) before stuffing and roasting." Servants' wages, rates of digestion, blessings for wine and bread, dining times for monks, cognac nomenclature, Laotian cooking measures, ways to ask for the bill in 22 languages, microbial count in raw meat, Latin names for herbs-Schott addresses all these subjects and more, hopping between completely useless (though always fascinating) information and eminently practical tidbits. The "Some slang for drunkenness" entry (which lists, among other terms, "got a crumb in his beard," "wankered" and "sniffed the barmaid's apron") makes the book a wise choice for placement on the coffee table, while the "Measuring spaghetti" diagram suggests it is an indispensable kitchen reference. (Aug. 23) Forecast: Schott's quirky book will take off, bolstered by a radio satellite tour and ads in the Wall Street Journal and the New Yorker. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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