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Title: Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations
ISBN: 1599212862
Author:
Chris Fair
Publicate Date: 2008-08-03
Publish: 2008-08-03
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $14.68
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $12.49
Amazon Merchant Price: $16.47
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Libraries strong in international cuisine and humor will find it an enticing pick
Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations provides a very different kind of cookbook. Author Chris Fair has dined with soldiers in Afghanistan and prostitutes in India, and even had Taliban tea in Peshawar. His cookbook specializes in recipes from the 'axis of evil' countries of the world, while his stories blend culinary insights with cultural observations and a heavy dose of humor. Any who would 'know thy enemy' must know what they eat and CUISINES OF THE AXIS OF EVIL covers it all. Libraries strong in international cuisine and humor will find it an enticing pick.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
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2: Fun but inaccurate
The book gets two stars for being fun, if you can get past it's politics.
My biggest gripe about this book is it's ridiculous contention that the popularity of dishes such as falafel, hummus and baba ganouj has anything to do with Israel's possession of disputed land claimed by both the Palestinian Arabs and the Palestinian Jews.
First of all, as noted in Claudia Roden's book, "The New Book of Middle Eastern Food," chickpea falafel is a purely and uniquely Israeli dish.
Secondly, the popularity of other Middle Eastern foods can be clearly traced to the fact that approximately 50% of the Jews in Israel are Arab Jews who are either refugees or descended from refugees from countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yeman, etc..
Does my wife's family, who are Jewish refugees from Morocco, like hummus because of the Palestinian Arabs or because they are native Middle Easterners who lived in Morocco for 2000 years after being forcibly expelled from their homes by the Romans?
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3: A smart and evil grouse for dinner.
Unique is an understatement. What other book full of carefully selected, international recipes includes a no-holds-barred "dossier of perfidy" for the 10 countries from where they originate and a bibliography richer than many doctoral theses? A cookbook with "Beer Butt Chicken" AND Zhen Qie Zi? Powerful and insightful critiques of Pakistani AND Israeli policies?
In her analyst-world, the author is well known for being direct and honest; someone once called her unvarnished, but that's far too simplistic. Read the book and you'll see she's also incredibly passionate about important things, creative in her approach to understanding and explaining them, sometimes pornographic, amazingly well-informed, often skeptical, and always brings along her 800lb vocabulary.
Everyone who reads this will learn something. Perhaps it will be about food and politics or just some new words for the NYT crossword or your GRE. Maybe you'll be inspired to know more about some of these places. I certainly am. Regardless, you won't read another book like this, I promise. Yes, I'm an "insider", but that doesn't make me wrong.
Hate the policies, like the people, love the food.
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4: Terrific Book!
Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations
This book was terrific. Hilarious. Informative. A fun and interesting read!
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5: Come for the shrill, leftist-corrective sensibility; stay for the fesanjan.
Like some unholy hybrid of Rachel Ray and Fareed Zakaria, Ms. Fair uses her extensive knowledge of the world's hotspots and her love and talent for cooking to undertake the heretofore little-attempted mission of helping the reader actually learn something of use outside the kitchen whilst preparing to strap on the feedbag. The result subjects international relations, American foreign policy, and a sizable majority of the non-human animal kingdom to a healthy skewering.
Based on my own personal experiences with the author's cooking and rapier wit (she once helpfully explained to me the difference between "Northern Alliance" Afghan food and "Taliban" Afghan food), I believe you can safely assume that, in the end, you will be entertained, a little smarter for the effort, and in any event well fed.
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