My good mates Evan Brown and Ask Wappling have just produced a rather amusing and very timely book titled… “Joy of pandemic cooking.” Both are veteran and very talented Los Angeles Ad Men/Women who have turned their talents during this current fuck-up to something better than Zooming all your wanky mates sat on the couch drinking nuns piss and watching re-runs of Seinfeld.
Here’s the review I wrote about it on Amazon.. The important thing to recognize about “Joy of Pandemic Cooking,” is that is not simply a cookbook. It is a survival book. After all, the last thing we need in these stressful times is another flowery collection of recipes for the perfect “Tripe and Truffles” dish to celebrate your elevation to VP of wherever it is you earn your crust.
The promotion probably being something you got in lieu of a raise. And in the current situation, forget the raise, how about a pay check?
Evan and Åsk are both members of the world’s second oldest profession (no prizes for guessing the first.) And in this great little book display a marvellous combination of culinary skills, good humor and a true understanding of how best to cope with the mess we are currently in.
Apart from a collection of 26 menus that are easy to produce using non-exotic ingredients coupled with straightforward methods of preparation, “Joy of Pandemic Cooking,” does something that very few other cook books do… It provides the reader with an in-depth guide to finding, buying and storing the essential ingredients that you can use now and in the future to create delicious food.
Which leads me to suggest, as and when the pandemic is finally over, continue to use this dynamite little book, which can then be renamed as “Joy of Perspicacious Cooking.” Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Just buy the book. Cheaper than a pint of beer and it’ll never go flat.
