5 comments about Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia.

1. I have been cooking food from Southeast Asia for over 15 years, so I have quite a cookbook collection. I must say that this is one of the best books on the subject that I own. They got it right in the title: hot, sour, salty, sweet---the combination of flavors used all over Southeast Asia. Great information for beginner or seasoned cook. And, wonderful, authentic recipes to boo! A must have for anyone interested in cooking food from this area of the world. ---Rev. Jeff, www.revjeff.com



2. Of the dozen cookbooks I own, this remains my favorite. Mr. Alfrod and Mrs. Duguid bring the sights, sounds and smells of the Mekong river alive with excellent prose, assisted by photos from their travels. I have made about half the recipes in this book, and they are excellent. As the authors mention, their children love it, and I can believe it. Some ingredients and techniques are unusual, but the detailed instructions and indexes make it easy to get into SE Asian cooking. Some days I end up reading a few dozen pages when a just meant to pick a simple recipe. It is as delicious to enjoy in the study as in the dinning room!



3. `Hot Sour Salty Sweet' by husband and wife team, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid is a troublesome book to evaluate. Its biggest problem is its relatively high list price ($45) for no more than average culinary content. Much of that inflated price is based on its oversized heft and the fact that it mixes cooking content with comments on culinary regionalism and pure travelogue in text and pictures.
   
   I confess that this is a very attractive book, very similar in appearance to their later volume, `Home Baking' that I enjoyed and very favorably reviewed. And, since the authors have just come out with a new book with similar heft, price, and subject, I figured it was time to attend to reviewing this volume.
   
   Aside from the price, I have one major problem with this book. While its focus is the culinary world of Southeast Asia, the text is far more anecdotal and personal than it is analytical. After reviewing many excellent books on the regional cooking of France, Italy, and other parts of the Mediterranean, I really find this book very thin on substance. Part of the problem for me may be that it tries to cover far too great an area. In 324 pages of material, they cover Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Yunnan Province of China. Thailand alone has required a 675 page book (`Thai Food') from David Thompson. And, on the ingredients of Asia, you can get a far more comprehensive coverage in Bruce Cost's classic `Asian Ingredients'.
   
   In contrast, the books on Italy's regions all include great insights on the origins of culinary mores in these relatively small venues. And, while Arthur Schwartz' book on Naples may include 50 detailed recipes for pasta in Campania, this book gives but 10 for a much larger region. On the other hand, I give the authors extra credit for providing a recipe for fresh, homemade rice noodles. You may have a bit of a problem wrangling this big book around your kitchen and making a decent photocopy of the oversized page, but it is still a good recipe.
   
   If you have no interest whatsoever in acquiring any OTHER books on Southeast Asian cuisine and you have the budget for it, this is a very nice book. I just think that if you are serious about learning about food, you look for books with greater depth and less fluff.
   
   I find it very interesting that none of the blurbs on the back of the book refer to this volume and none are from culinary notables. All refer to the authors' earlier book on flatbreads and most come from general publications such as `The New York Times' and `The Globe and Mail'.
   
   I can really appreciate all the nice things other reviewers have said about this book, as I was impressed with it when I first looked at it 300 cookbook recipes ago. Since then, I find it just a bit too light for the price.
   
   Recommended as a good coffee table book. Look for it at a steep discount!



4. Pondering on whether to return book or not. Purchased for Cambodian recipes, having a hard time finding a Cambodian cookbook, this was the best bet = and it does have dishes for things we ate like Khmer soup, pumpkin curry and a similar version to Amok. (oddly i have the amok recipe in my New York Cookbook, a favorite standby)
   
   But as an avid photographer and traveler and cookbook collector, i have to say the travel writing is amateurish, the photos are not great (a mini picture of Angkor wat and i don't think i saw many pictures of places i'd been to in thailand or vietnam - just street scenes - what kind of travelogue is this?) and never seem to match the right page (you would think there would be a photo of what you are reading about next to it) and the pictures of dishes are far and few between. For the huge irregular book format of the book there are not that many recipes. Compare for example "the Cook's Book" for the same heft has 685 recipes.. Compare with Nobu Now for the difference in food photography capability..
   
   if many of these reviews didn't say the recipes are good they are part of daily repetoire, i'm tempted to return. it really is way to big for the content inside.



5. This was given to me by a good friend. I love to cook, and over the years have struggled with South East asian, Thai in particular, cooking. But this book lays it all out in such a way, and has such clear instructions that, in combination with an asian grocery store, it is foolproof. As a bonus, the travelogues and side bars are wonderfully interesting. Even if you don't cook, you will be taken away on a wonderful culinary journey through the region.

4 comments about Frommer's Europe by Rail (Frommer's Complete).

1. Not a safe bet, this European rail guide offers a strange mix of up-to-date and completely out-of-date information. It also tries to do too much, providing page after page of hotel, restaurant and museum listings by city but only a page of two of specific rail tips by country. The guide pushes Eurailpasses, as is to be expected from a publication endorsed by Rail Europe, the main stateside pass vendor.
   
   Points to watch out for...
   
   The guide is too optimistic about reservations and supplements. As the various continental railways move toward inevitable privatization, more and more premium services are being introduced. Most of the trips that tourists are likely to take will require reservations and supplements, in addition to Eurailpasses.
   
   The guide doesn't give point-to-point tickets a fair shake, listing full prices and only the most basic discounts. For example, SNCF's "Prem's" specials (advance purchase online tickets to French and international destinations) aren't mentioned. For many tourists, these specials would make point-to-point tickets cheaper than Eurailpasses.
   
   The guide lists only expensive, tourist-class hotels. I didn't see a single listing below 100 Euros in Paris, for example. There are many excellent, if humble, hotels throughout Europe. Use the Web to get current hotel information.
   
   My favorite example of out-of-date information in the guide has to do with the regional express train ("RER") from Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle aiport to Paris. The guide lists both first and second-class ticket prices, even though the first-class designation disappeared years ago.



2. I found this guide very useful in plotting out where I wanted to go, how to get there, and what to visit. It was also nice to know about the student discounts at various attractions. I didn't use it for the hotel recomendations, and I used a few of the restaurant ideas, which were usually excellent choices. I traveled all over Europe (12 countries) using this book, the maps provided, and my Eurail. It was helpful in figuring out the ferry options to get from Western Europe to Scandinavia as well. I definately recomend this book to anyone traveling to Europe, as I found it very easy to use as well as useful.



3. I paid half of what I normally would pay for this book in our school book store. Didn't even notice that is was slightly used. Received it quickly.



4. A very well written guide for anyone traveling in Europe. The "Fast Fact" sections are very helpful for getting a feel for the different countries and places of interest. The maps are great, especially, if your knowledge of European geography is weak.
   This book is fun and easy to read.

5 comments about National Geographic Road Atlas - Adventure Edition.

1. This is the best atlas I have ever owned. My husband and I travel out West every year and camp, so this atlas will come in very handy.



2. I last bought the National Geographic Road Atlas in 1998 for a road trip in the USA/Canada and found it to be excellent. I recently purchased the current version and it is even better with a section devoted to top adventures and national Parks in the USA. I have looked at other road atlases and they don't even come close. For anyone looking at travelling to the USA, Canada or Mexico and hiring a car, this is the atlas to get!



3. This Atlas lived up to expectations and more! It is beautifully detailed and easy to read. A little large to handle but small price to pay for good detail.



4. I have used the 1999 edition on road trips for nearly a decade. It is the first thing I pack. Beautiful, accurate, informative, and reliable, it has made the going easier through many strange cities to many remote places in North America. Although I rely more and more on Google Maps now, I still wouldn't take to the highway without this atlas, and I am glad I can replace it with a newer edition. I've never found my copy dated, but it is getting a little tattered.



5. Just as good as the first edition. Most all states are in fact on two pages, so the maps are larger. This edition comes with a protective front and back page that hopefully will keep the atlas looking good and flat till the next new edition comes out. Great Product!

2 comments about Top 10 Dubai and Abu Dhabi (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I got this book as a guide for a five-day trip to Dubai, and it was extremely helpful. It is a small and skinny 128-page book, which meant it fit in my purse and could easily be brought out for quick reference to all of the remarkable sites of Dubai. It is easy to read with great facts and helpful travel tips. I highly recommend it for someone going to Dubai for a shorter stay - if you are going there for a long (over two weeks) time, you will probably want something that digs a little deeper. If I had one complaint, it would be that the maps of the Deira souqs (bazaar) area were not detailed enough. Dubai is not a walkable city, but the souqs of Deira can really only be explored on foot. If you get lost or turned around, it can be rather disorienting. That one portion of the city map could have had more streets listed to assist with that.



2. Great compact book about what and where to go in Dubai. Wonderful for the quick stop over trip to Dubai. Easy to read.

5 comments about Alaska & Canada's Inside Passage Cruise Tour Guide: City Maps, History, Native Culture Plus a 6-Foot Fold-Out Map of Cruise Route from Puget Sound to (Cruise Tour Guide).

1. When I received this item, I thought they had forgotten to send me the book and had only enclosed the maps. They sent it to me again and then I realised that this flat map was the whole thing. Very dissapointed. Not much info for the price.



2. when i read the description in amazon on this "book", i thought it would make a pragmatic addition to my small library on the inside passage, its history and peoples. this is nothing more than a non-detailed not-to-scale map with information printed on the back which anyone who has attended high school would know. this is not a book. at $2.00 i would not have written a negative review (my first), at $3.00 i would have felt cheated, at $10.36 i feel tricked and outraged.



3. I was surprised at some of the other reviewers who expected this to be a book. It is a 6-foot long by 12-inch fold out map of the inside passage from Glacier Bay to Seattle. It does have some basic facts and information on the reverse side as well as basic road maps of most of the towns along the passage. I'm looking forward to tracking my entire cruise route on this relatively detailed map. If you're looking for more detail, I think you'd have to get a topo or a nautical map.



4. I thought this was an excellent map of the inside passage. Because it is a six foot fold out map it shows the details of the little passes and islands you don't normally get in guidebooks and complemented the book I bought, Alaska By Cruise Ship. What do you for ten bucks nowadays anyway?



5. My wife and I are preparing for a cruise to Alaska in August. We wanted to research the ports we will be visiting on the cruise. The books we ordered have been a great help. We received them promptly and they are all in great shape. I recommend these types of books for anyone planning a vacation.

3 comments about Portugal (Country Guide).

1. This guide excels in the ins and outs of
   travel by other than rental car and plush
   hotels. The public transportation information
   is useful.



2. We always use Lonely Planet because they tell it like it is---good, bad and ugly !
   
   This latest book on Portugal is no exception.
   
   Wonderful !



3. After having tried a few other guidebook series, I am back to Lonely Planet, as these are simply standard-setting in terms of travellers' reference.
   
   But this is the exception that confirms the rule (along with Lonely Planet Iceland & Faroes). Though published last year, so much of the basic information is not up-to-date - and several recommendations seem like an absolute mystery as they in no way live up to Lonely Planet's usual criteria.
   
   Just too many times I found myself planning according to the book's information and recommendations, and ended up finding nothing or not finding the expected. The examples are too many to be ust coincidence and 'because things change'. I will therefore get rid of this one, and try Footprint or The Rough Guide next time I go to Portugal.
   
   Yet, my critical rating of this guidebook should also be seen in the light of my high expectations, as Lonely Planet - mostly - does set the standard. Try again - new edition.

3 comments about Sundays in America: A Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith.

1. "Sundays in America" is not only a wonderful book, it is a soulful pilgrimage that lifts you up, causes you reflect, makes you laugh, moves you to tears, even leads you to pray. In the end, I felt as though my life was transformed in the same way Suzanne Shea's was as she traveled the country in search of heartfelt faith. Treat yourself and those you love to a heartwarming journey that will change your life and bring joy to your world. Buy this book.



2. The best spiritual stories are the stories of people all around us -- what journalists like to call "real people," as if media professionals normally exist in a realm of plastic replicas. And, perhaps that's the problem with a lot of what passes for American media, these days, isn't it?
   
   Writing as a journalist for more than 30 years, as someone who has circled the globe and also poked around America's most obscure corners -- I understand how rare this kind of book project truly is. As much of American media shrinks, resources to undertake major projects like this year-long pilgrimage through our quirky religious landscape are growing scarcer with each passing year.
   
   And yet -- this kind of pursuit is what defined our greatest writers.
   
   I'm not arguing that Suzanne Strempek Shea claims Mark Twain, Walt Whitman or Jack Kerouac status with this book -- but she's a fascinating memoirist in that noble tradition. This book takes us from New York to Hawaii -- and from Texas to the last holdout of Shaker worship in Maine.
   
   Truth be told -- I didn't have time for this book, but I opened the morning mail and was lost for the next 2 hours! I kept coming back to this book, again and again, as a first choice among a stack of urgent reading.
   
   Here's an easy way to make your choice about this book. If you're a fan of NPR, enjoy Bill Moyers, occasionally chuckle along with Garrison Keillor -- and, especially, if you recall Charles Kuralt with a smile -- then buy this book.
   
   A final tip: It's a great spring read as you're planning your summer, because you may find yourself jotting down details about some of her more intriguing stops.



3. This was a book I had to keep reminding myself to slow down and savor - it's so engaging and so delicious - yet I kept wanting to read on and discover more. After all, this could not be a more timely topic. At a point in history when we are surrounded by spiritual starvation - people leaving churches in droves - and faced again and again with religious fundamentalism at home and abroad, Suzanne Strempek Shea's response is a personal one - she goes out and actively samples church services around the country, experiencing what they have to offer and asking herself if this is what it is all about, truly.
   
   By the end of this book I felt I had not only traveled roads to outlandish and inspiring places, but I also felt I had reached a personal revelation of what spirituality could be, whether or not it was tied to a religion, a creed, or a parcel of dogma. As I read I was amused, astonished, and sometimes shocked by the types of worship she observed, and ultimately I had to admit I was profoundly moved by what she showed me about faith and belief. For when we witness others' faith, we allow our own to grow.
   
   I cannot think of a book that is more relevant to spirituality today in the USA. I shall be giving copies to those friends I know who are sampling churches and chapels, looking for something that feels genuine.
   
   We should be profoundly thankful for this book.
   
   Allan Hunter
   Author of "Stories We Need To Know: Reading Your Life Path in Literature'
   www.allanhunter.net

1 comments about Ideo Eyes Open: New York (Eyes Open).

1. Not just an unusually thoughtful collection of places you'll want to eat, shop, and play. IDEO's keen observations and photos spark curiosity about how our improvisations and adaptations shape public space. A hip crash course in the cultural anthropology of modern NY.

5 comments about Thailand Fever.

1. This book is informative on a number of different levels. It helps to identify key differences between the Thai culture and western culture, and gives you the information you need to speak with your significant other about on these differences. My fiancee and I wrote and talked for months before reading this book. I could not figure out why she did not have an opinion on many things I thought were important, and kept saying "up to you". The answer to why she said this so often alone was worth the price of the book, but it gave me many more answers, and an understanding of the Thai culture you only start to glimpse if you read the internet. My fiancee also read the book (in both Thai and English), and said it gave her a much better understanding of some of the things I did where she thought I was being rude or pushy. If you have a significant other who is Thai, BOTH of you should READ THIS BOOK! It will save you hours of frustration, and give you an understanding and a basis of discussion you may never arrive at otherwise. The Thai culture is WAY different than Western culture, and their culture deserves understanding at the very least, and respect for many of their customs. They have a way of dealing with people that I personally find refreshing.
   
   On the down side, I thought the Western lifestyle was a bit too generalized, but it did give the basics for understanding so you could talk with your significant other about those differences. It also assumes that your significant other is in the Thai sex industry, which is not the case with me. It does not really discuss how Thai people deal with that industry, nor how a different background might mean different rules apply. However, again, it provides you an excellent foundation for understanding and discussion, which is about all a book can do.
   
   If you are reading this, then I wish you luck on the journey you are about to undertake. With patience and understanding, you will be rewarded with a wonderful, smart, funny and warm companion who would give their life to you. The key is patience and understanding, and this book goes a long way towards starting that process. Read it! Highly recommended, from both the Thai and Western points of view.



2. Bought 2 copies, fast read. Sent it to friend in Thailand to hear the other side of the story and to discuss when I get there. I learned a lot and hope she can too.



3. This is an interesting read but there are better publications out there such as `Money Number 1`, and `The Fool is Back`..I found the information in the book useful but i didnt care much for the format in that each side of a page was written in both English and Thai. The book is therefore aimed at a very small market.



4. A friend of mind gave this book to me and my husband (who is also Thai) as a gift along with the book Thai Law for Foreigners. He thought that it would be fun for us to read because it's in Thai. Even though the book is for Western - Thai relationship, it's good for us because there are things that we can learn about ourselves. Being in the U.S. for along time (15 years) makes me forget some of my culture and adopt many western cultures. It's clever to have the book written in two languages.



5. I was hoping that this book would provide insights into the Thai culture itself, but it was more like a guide to women in general, which I personally think is too broad of a subject to have a guide too!
   
   There are some bits of information that could prove helpful to a Western man trying to understand his Thai girlfriend, I'll admit, but in my opinion this book won't save a relationship with one foot in the grave... maybe just smooth over an already good one.
   
   One positive thing about this book though is it's a great language learning tool as the whole thing is written in English and Thai. So you can go through and try to translate the Thai with the answer key right there!

No comments about Banff, Jasper and Glacier National Parks.