Mouth Wide Open or Hongas Lotus Petal

Mouth Wide Open: A Cook and His Appetite

Author: John Thorn

Ever since his first book, Simple Cooking, and its acclaimed successors, Outlaw Cook, Serious Pig, and Pot on the Fire, John Thorne has been hailed as one of the most provocative, passionate, and accessible food writers at work today. In Mouth Wide Open, his fifth collection, he has prepared a feast for the senses and intellect, charting a cook’s journey from ingredient to dish in illuminating essays that delve into the intimate pleasures of pistachios, the Scottish burr of real marmalade, how the Greeks made a Greek salad, the (hidden) allure of salt anchovies, and exploring the uncharted territory of improvised breakfasts and resolutely idiosyncratic midnight snacks. Most of all, his inimitable warmth, humor, and generosity of spirit inspire us to begin our own journey of discovery in the kitchen and in the age-old comfort and delight of preparing food.

The Washington Post - Linda Kulman

John Thorne's Mouth Wide Open is a journey around his own kitchen. His exhaustive essays, most of which were previously published in his food letter, "Simple Cooking," tackle all manner of dishes, including some, like fried eggs, that might seem beneath consideration. Thorne deconstructs each recipe until he understands not just how it evolved but what each ingredient contributes. In an era marked by celebrity chefs and mundane microwavable meals, the amiable author takes pleasure in "the laying of hands on real food," a process he makes approachable to others through both his commentary and recipes. "Cooking is about doing the best with what you have...and succeeding," he writes. Thorne succeeds masterfully.

Publishers Weekly

This cornucopia of previously published pieces by James Beard Award-winning food writer Thorne, from his newsletter, "Simple Cooking," along with a few from other publications, showcases his relaxed, unfussy attitude, refreshing in this age of cookbook and food-personality overabundance. That casualness comes through on subjects from bagna cauda to pepper pot. It's all foodstuff to him, and his affection for foods of all kinds is boundless. Some of the most intriguing suggestions, reprinted from a regular feature of the newsletter, reflect an awareness that the avocado-green electric range is as legitimate as the Viking. Thorne likes to delve into the source and cultural history of individual dishes, and many spur-of-the-moment concoctions, whose recipes are given, were prepared out of a sense of what-the-heck invention and appetite. He fervently promotes his belief that in every foodie lurks a cook capable of doing wonders with prepared foods, that the opposite also holds, and that the ultimate authority on food is the person eating. (Dec.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Book about: Finding the Light in Cancers Shadow or Understanding Depression

Honga's Lotus Petal: Pan-Asian Cuisine

Author: Honga Im Hopgood

Sample the delicious flavors and eclectic Asian fare of Honga's Lotus Petal. A local favorite, this venerable restaurant serves up fresh Asian-influenced cuisine from an American skiing mecca. Honga's menu combines flavors from Thailand, Japan, Bali, Korea, China, Vietnam, India, and even Polynesia to create a truly unique culinary perspective. Whether it's the sushi, curry, or vegetarian fare, the focus here is organic, natural, and hormone-free.

Honga's menu defines creative. Favorites include Blackened Tofu, Asian Pumpkin Soup, Coconut Curry Mussels, Spicy Poke, and Grilled Salmon and Bok Choy. From the tofu to the fish dishes to Honga's exquisite sauces, this book includes recipes for soups, salads, appetizers, main dishes, sushi, drinks, desserts, and more. The easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions guide you and the luscious full-color photographs inspire you to bring the simple elegance of Honga's Lotus Petal into your home.

Honga Im Hopgood has visited the kitchens of chefs in Korea, Thailand, Japan, Bali, Bhutan, Nepal, and Hawaii, which have all influenced her cuisine and philosophies on food. At the age of twenty-six, she opened Honga's Lotus Petal in Telluride, Colorado. Sixteen years later, her restaurant has evolved into a popular, thriving establishment, loved by locals and tourists and touted by many national publications. She lives with her husband and young daughter in Telluride.