HKFE

Mistakes galore-i.e. in one recipe 5 ounces of sliced wild mushrooms makes 2 cups and in another 1/4 pounds(sic) makes 8 cups. The recipe for veal glace is given as page 000, indicates that the vein can be pulled from a cooked shrimp and so it goes.

For variety and interesting dishes, this is one of the best cookbooks I've ever seen. The flavor mixtures are creative, the recipes simple and the ingredients are common enough that they are usually in my frig or cupboard. My husband (a bit of a gourmand) and my 6 year old daughter have loved everything that I've made from the book. I bought a used copy for $10, which turned out to be autographed by the two authors. My only wish is that 1) it was printed in a spiral-bound version, and 2) the authors produce a second book soon.

I love this cook book. I love reading it. I love cooking from it. If you are looking for something different to read or to cook, this is the book for you. The Black Bean soup is the best I have found. The layered meat loaf is wonderful. The authors' commitment to good food and good community is inspiring, and reminds me of the role food - its preparation and its consumption - can play in making the world a better place.

Though I wouldn't call Disappearing Moon Cafe the BEST book ever, I would hardly go as far as to call it the worst. Comparing it to works such as Six Records of a Floating Life is, furthermore, problematic; the distinctions between Chinese literature and Chinese-Canadian literature are far too vast to place in the same category.
I would recommend this book to anyone, though it is definitely a very slanted view of the Chinese-Canadian experience. It does draw out certain important points, however: the divisions between the Chinese immigrant and other races, the effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the role of identity, and both family and interracial relationships. It is DEFINITELY a very intriguing read.

How this book could even be compared to Six Records of A Floating Life is beyond me. They deal with two different issues not to mention era's. Six Records was written by a heart broken widow after his wife's death while this one gives a historical account of the Chinese Canadian Experience in British Columbia. It is the furthest thing from "happy" and describing the story as such leads me to believe that Chris didn't read the book. Personally I would describe this novel as heart wrenching at points. The story is intended for entertainment and does not mean it is "everyone's story". Though even the idea of making a story that covers all Chinese Canadian's experiences during this time period itself is highly problematic.

And I do not understand how the book can be referred to as racist either. He says that the book reads like gossip, and maybe it is the extramarital affairs which offend Chris so much. Surely we are not so bold to say that one race is morally superior to the rest and thus would not succumb to doing this. Every culture has and if this is what upset this reader so much, maybe he should think of what type of stereotypes he started with before opening the novel.

That being said, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a terrific read or the subject.

As a student of the first Chinese Canadian history course offered in any Canadian university (University of Alberta), I found Sky Lee's Disappearing Moon Cafe one of the most profound and intellectually stimulating novels I have come across in my life. Though a background in the history of Chinese Canadians is by no means a pre-requisite to this novel, I believe Lee has thoroughly researched the social and political climate of the Chinese in Canada during the time in which her novel is set. Indeed, Lee's ability to integrate factual history with fiction in her narrative is quite remarkable. That she utilizes the theorized union between the Chinese and Aboriginal peoples to both begin and complete her narrative speaks to her creativity and willigness to move beyond simple facts.

I would recommend this novel to any individual seeking to extend their understanding of the Chinese Canadian experience and especially to those local born Chinese who, like myself, are searching for a cultural identity that combines both our cultural roots in Canada and in China. This novel is poignant, reflective and completely deserving of our attention.

After reading this text I was physically sick in several locations of my local shopping centre. Needless to say, the book needs a lot more editing before it could pass as a script for any high school assessment, and I find it hard to believe that it has sold more than ten thousand copies in the United States alone. Had I been the publisher, as I wish I had been, I would have recommended a total overhall of the story-line as well as the total removal of some of the weak characters that are the basis of the novel. I like death metal.

I was tootaling along in my car listening for the first time to an audio tape of Stuart McLean reading his Stories from the Vinyl Cafe. I almost ran off the road because I was laughing so hard.

Every time I hear the story of the jock strap I start to howl all over again. And so it is with so many of his stories.

I want to send the tapes to my children and friends and particularly, my enemies. I am sure they will not think so badly of someone who sent them such merriment.[...]

I'll admit it, this was the first book by Stuart McLean that I had ever read, and I never put it down. Each short story was a twist of new comedic surprise. What I liked most about this collection of short stories, is that each one stems from the last. I also enjoyed reading about a Canadian family, and about thier hectic lifes in rural Ottawa. I immidiatly beagn reading Home from the Vynil Cafe, by Stuart McLean, after I had finished Stories from the Vynil Cafe. The only draw back I can find with this book, is that it is simply too short! I was devestated when my page turner had no more pages to turn.

This book was not the best that Gary Paulsen has done. He just went through the book to fast. The end was a kind of dissapointment because it just stoped..."grabbed the mace from her purse and started shooting, but got the lawer instead of Al...then the court room really exploded." The End. I would have liked to know how the court room exploded, did the lawer sue, what happened with Al and Tony. Did they stay, did they leave, what happend. In the epiloge all we learned is that they got money out of court and that his friend wants to patend new rollerblades. I would have liked it better if we had I learned more.

This book is a quick-read that is packed full of interesting and thought-provoking situations. The author's wit and unique style of writing pulls the reader into the story, while keeping interested in finding out what happens to the characters.

The "stream of consciousness" writing style presents some challenges that can initially confuse the reader. Gary Paulsen fans will have a difficult time recognizing his style of writing from this text.

The book left us wanting to know more details about what happened to the characters possibly from a different character perspective.

Overall, a good choice for a read-aloud, independent reading or novel study.

" I think this book is great! If you read a chapter of it you'll have to keep reading because this is a pageturner and this is the best book I ever read. I think everyone my age (10) should read this book because it's so exiting and interesting and Tony (the main character) is a good artist and I like to draw also so I chose this book not knowing that I would finish it so quickly. I loved this book!"

Buscando un regalo para mi abuela de 89 años, me recomendaron "Aroma de Café Amargo" como una lectura amena capaz de entretener a cualquier lector. Lo compré, lo envolví y después decidí regalarle a mi abuelita unas deliciosas polvorositas y quedarme yo con el libro. Mi egoismo fue castigado. La primera sorpresa fue que "Aroma..." a pesar de su tema: Tres generaciones de mujeres en el Salvador en un pais donde las grandes diferencias sociales y económicas son las que hacen la historia; a pesar del nombre de su autora: Sandra Benitez y a pesar de su portada que asemeja un cuadro de Diego Rivera; "Aroma ..." está escrito en inglés. ¡Cual es el problema?, confieso mi total ignorancia sobre el español salvadoreño, pero esta traducción hecha en Argentina, tenía un definitivo aroma a pampas que resulta bastante incómodo al resto de los hispanoparlantes. Una vez superado el schock idiomático nos encontramos con una historia muy por el estilo de las que escribe Isabel Allende y Angeles Mastretta sobre mujeres latinoamericanas, en este caso salvadoreñas. El libro tiene un principio bastante prometedor cuando dos mujeres indigenas: madre e hija, encuentran una cabeza y deciden enterrarla para evitarse problemas pero no pueden evitar la gran matanza indigena de la cual ellas sobreviven milagrosamente. Pero lo que pudo ser una interesante historia sobre el latifundismo latinoamericano se queda en una simple historia de mujeres de pocos matices. Tengo entendido que esta novela ganó un premio cuando salió en inglés, creo que el Book award, debe ser porque La Mastretta todavía no ha logrado cruzar el Rio Grande

Respeto a los que comparan cualquier cosa que leen con las novelas de Isabel Allende, pero les recuerdo que la Allende escribe basicamente sobre Chile aunque su influencia se deje sentir en las novelas femeninas del resto de latinoamerica. Hay que leer sobre otros paises tambien! Esta novela sobre El Salvador esta bastante bien.
Cuenta la historia de una familia, al estilo La Casa de la Laguna de Rosario Ferre, pero el hecho de que la historia transcurra en un pais centroamericano, cuya economia gira alrededor del cafe, le da sus diferencias.
El lenguaje es sencillo y claro, de facil lectura.

The correct title of this book is Aroma de Cafe Amargo.

No "n" on Amargo.

I had a hard time finishing this book. It has one good point: suburbs, by design, destroy the cohesion of communities. The author repeats this point (in my opinion) ad naseum throughout the book. He also idealizes community meeting places (the tavern, the drug store, main street) from the past. Nonetheless, I still think that we should all read this book. It gives at least a few hints about why we never see some of the people who live only two doors down form us. His solutions also might help us break down the isolation and anonymity of the 'burbs.

When was the last time you walked to your friendly, neighborhood tavern to shoot the breeze with the regulars? Oh, that's right. There is no such place. Find out why you'd be happier if there were.

Expecting a rehash of many of the now famous concepts of the "New Urbanism", I delayed actually reading this book for a long time. When I finally did it knocked me for a lovely, dizzy, exciting loop! Oldenburg may have put his finger directly on the reason why life in modern America has such an un-balanced, edgy, distressed feel to it. Bad planning! 50 years of letting officials and corporations extinguish our corner taverns, drugstores and other hang-outs has resulted in the extinguishing of our public lives. Something that work and family simply cannot compensate us for. And Oldenburg makes his surprisingly compelling case for these humblest of structures in a refreshingly brash, cranky tone. I began reading this book because of a certain technical interest and ended with my view of American life being, perhaps forever altered.

Leslee Becker was my professor at Colorado State where I studied creative writing. Her writing is poignant, witty, and often touching. She has a knack for bringing characters to life in her teachings as well as her own writings. I hope others have the pleasure of reading this as well as learning from her at CSU.

The Sincere Cafe is a pleasant surprise. If you don't know anythning about the author Leslee Becker, be prepared for introductions to some very quirky characters. Leslee uses ordinary people and situations to construct extraordinary circumstances. Her work is reminiscient of the author Raymond Carver, so if you like his work, you will definitely like The Sincere Cafe.

I was fortuate enough to have Leslee Becker as a professor my freshman year of college, and because of this I picked up her book, not really knowing what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I really enjoyed The Sincere Cafe. Leslee creates very memorable characters who are all very mysterious and quirky. She puts ordinary people in ordinary situations and somehow ends up with extraordinary, unusual circumstances. The Sincere Cafe was also very reminiscient of Raymond Carver's work, so if you like him, you will definitely like this book.

A grotesque human triangle in a primitive Southern town...A young boy learning the difficult lessions of manhood...A fateful encounter with his native land and former love...These are [arts of the world of Carson McCullers - a world of the lost, the injured, the eternal strangers at life's feast. Here are brilliant revelations of love and longing, bitter heartbreak and occasional happiness - tales that probe the very heart of our lives. It was a good story. she was not a very good person - nor was he. He a sponge who only cared about himself and she was a niggerdly woman, although the town really needed her.

Carson McCullers is a wonderfully compassionate author and this novel showcases the best of her abilities.

Sure some of the pictures were nice, and some of the designs were inspiring. But a few of the pictures were fuzzy, and some of the featured locales just didn't seem to fit with the title. For instance a sports bar? or bar/kiosk at a stadium? And heck, some of the cafe's were nearly ugly. I guess I was just expecting more...

Not a day goes by that I don't look at this book on my bookshelf and get inspired on the next design of one of our restaurants. Great photography, great resource directory. A must if you own or or going to be in the business.

I am a sucker for diners, diner food and those great 1940's-1950's color postcards of diners all over the USA.

Part 1 of "Where Have You Gone...?" collects some of the best of those postcards in full page, full color reproductions and then explains the history of each place and its current(if still standing) location, staff, specialties, etc. Parts 2 and 3 examine, in photographs and text, the diners of today and the final entry celebrates the re-opening and re-vitalization of the Palace Diner in Biddeford, Maine, a 70 year-old dining landmark.

The text is colorful, but verges on the mundane. However, the photographs and reproductions are first rate: We'll unfortunately never again see the beauty of the Art Deco design for the Court Cafe in Albuquerque, New Mexico or the main dining room/gas station and smaller cottages that made up the Dutch Mill Village of South Glasgow, Kentucky---They were all shaped like perfect, tiny windmills. Where but at Hick's Drive In on the Dixie Highway in Louisville, Kentucky would you find a circular building, a horseshoe shaped counter and an interior constructed entirely of glass?

My personal favorite postcard is of the Victory Cafe in Mattoon, Illinois--not that it is the most glamorous, but simply because it reminds me of my childhood, Saturday lunches at Baumgart's in Hackensack, New Jersey.

When/If you go antiquing, do you wander over to the bins of yellowing postcards? Then this book is for you.

The first thing I saw in this book was Hicks Drive Inn Restaurant in surburban Louisville, Kentucky. I grew up near this restaurant have many fond memories of it. It was as wonderful as the book indicates. Next I spotted Stebbins Grill in downtown Louisville on Chestnut Street (before it was Mohammed Ali Boulevard). The author refers to it as the most upscale restaurant in the book. So upscale that I recall being able to afford only to look longingly at it from the outside! On the front cover is Pete's Cafe in Boonville, Mo, which I remember from a family vacation--one of those places advertised for miles in advance along the highway. And the pork chops were wonderful!

However, I want to tell the author that he missed the REAL Starlight Cafe--still operating, and under that name--in Terlingua, Texas (in the Big Bend area). Wonderful food--the shrimp-kabob tacos and cold beer are gifts from heaven in this beautiful remote hot and arid area. The decor is that of an ancient theatre--the original function; but it really more closely resembles a funky cave!

No, there's no fiction in this lovely book. Many of the illustrations are from old post card, very nicely reproduced. The Pete's Cafe illustration was from an earlier, destroyed incarnation of Pete's Cafe.