Friday, July 26, 2013

Dinner Served With Ideas

Good dinner conversation is hard to come by.A good dinner party is an even rarer bird.However there 's a new book out there that can help.Yes, you too can have interesting dinner parties with provocative ideas and tasty recipes thrown into the mix.It's guaranteed to make dinner parties how they should be - sparkling and as memorable as the food eaten. The book is The Philosopher's Table (Tarcher/Penguin) written by Marietta McCarty.Ms McCarty is not a chef or cook byanymeans.She is a philosopher who as written books on the subject for both adults and children.Yet she does something truly creative.she combines deep thoughts with deep dishes.It creators those types of dinner parties we only read about in classic books.Every month ,from January to December, has a theme for a potential monthly party.Every philosopher,from Immanuel Kant to Lao Tse is featured.Different isms are also explored,from what about love to the ecology to simplifying one's life.There are not only recipes but suggestions about what to read and listen to while eating and conversing. What about the recipes themselves?Ms.MCarty takes her recipes from other books(and gives them credit at the end of each chapter).Each reflects the idea of that month's philosophy.All corners of the globe are covered,from Kenya to Kentucky, from England to Iraq. The recipes are easy to follow and they are made to feed eight( the typical number for a successful dinner party).There are also suggestions for what type of alcohol and desserts to have handy. Guests should love each month's menu ,filled with all sorts of surprises and tasty dishes. The old fashioned dinner party is not a thing of the past.It can be revived, thanks to Marietta McCarty's new book The Philosopher's Table.Buy it to enjoy good food and good conversation.