It's not Dan. It's Dana.
Feb 08 '07
The Bottom Line The Writer's Corner needs a general food and cooking section, not just recipes.
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Review of Dan A. Black - Kau Kau Kitchen
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Pros
You can get it for under $3 at Alibris.
Cons
There are probably better ways to spend your $3
The Bottom Line
Definately for the specialty market. Need a breadfruit recipe?
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To start with, my English name is Dana, not Dan. Now, understand I haven't used that name in twenty years. But, at least you now know what the "D" in "D. Leilehua Yuen stands for. "Black" is my ex-husband's name. I ditched both the name and the husband some 20 years ago.
Starting with the cover: It somehow manages to be busy and boring at the same time. I never liked it. I still don't. I think it's one of the reasons the book never did well on the shelves. Plain white, printed in blue and a strange orange-beige with a sort of grid-work of hand-drawn road-sign-like symbols representing various kitcheny items.
Inside, you'll find the collected recipes of the first year (1983-1984) of Kau Kau Kitchen Cooking Columns which were printed in the Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. In book format, this takes about 107 pages.
Many of the recipes include history or anecdotes of their origins. I guess I haven't changed. But, hopefully, my writing has improved in the past 20 years.
The chapters are:
Drinkables - A lot of coffee recipes plus juices and slush.
Salads - So who needs a cookbook for salad? Actually, I'm still pretty pleased with myself over the Princess Salad, named for Princess Pupule, cuz get plenty papaya.
Soup of the Day (or Night) - Lots of beans. You might find the Deacon's Chowder, which uses textured vegetable protein, interesting.
Breads - OK. THIS chapter makes the book worth buying. Two recipes for traditional Hawaiian-style Portuguese Sweet Bread. You don't know what it is, Portuguese Sweet Bread? Do you like sweet rolls? Imagine a reaaaaalllllyyyy big extra eggy one. Now butter and toast it. You waaaant the book.
Not Fish, but Fowl - Terribly broke at the time I was writing this book, I fed my family a lot of game. the Pheasant en Creme and Burgundy Stew recipes were frequently used. You can also use them with domestic birds.
Fish, not Fowl - Mahimahi was cheap, not gourmet in those days. We ate a lot of it, as reflected in the abundance of mahi recipes.
Neither Fish not Fowl - A few odds and ends. Canned ham was cheap then, too.
Veggies - The islands used to be abundant with breadfruit trees. You will never go hungry if you have a breadfruit tree. During the leanest times, we ate breadfruit in every way imaginable. The recipes are here.
Desserts and other Diet Breakers - Not bad, a nice assortment of pies. Except for the Green Mountain Apple Pie. Skip it. In fact, glue a sheet of paper over that recipe and write in something else. Anything else.
Preserves, etc. - From `ohelo berry sauce to fruit leather to assorted pickles, not a bad little collection.
Miscellaneous Grinds - You'll find recipes for a thick tempura batter, a thin batter, and a variety of sauces, including my favorite teriyaki sauce, which is excellent for alleviating the "gamey" taste of wild meats.
Index - If you get this book, be sure to appreciate the index. I built it back in the days before we had computers which did that kind of stuff for you.
In summary, It's not my best book. But it is my first one. I would not bother buying this book unless:
A) You are a fan of D. Leilehua Yuen and want to collect all of her works.
B) You reeeeaaaallllllyyyy want a good teriyaki sauce, tempura batter, or Portuguese sweetbread recipe.
I'll be grateful in either case.
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Epinions.com ID:
hularider
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Member: Leilehua Yuen
Location: Hilo, Hawaii, USA
Reviews written: 69
Trusted by: 8 members
About Me:
HulaRider is an author, artist, and educator who specializes in Hawaiian culture and arts.
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