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agate
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 Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:59 pm Post subject: Marie-Annick Courtier, COOKING WELL: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS |
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I've pasted my comments on this book from my books blog:
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COURTIER, MARIE-ANNICK
COOKING WELL: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (2009)
This cookbook is part of a series called Cooking Well, with each cookbook intended for a specific disorder (osteoporosis is one). I haven't looked at any of the other books in the series and so don't know if some recipes are repeated in other volumes.
The Foreword is by Vincent F. Macaluso, MD, who is a neurologist specializing in MS who also has MS. Dr. Macaluso is also listed as being on the BiogenIdec National Faculty, and he takes Tysabri. The author's credentials are less clear, but she dedicates the book to two friends who have MS.
A paperback book of 150 pages for about $9.00--not a bad deal, you say? Maybe for some it will be a treasure, but I'm returning my copy for a refund.
I was hoping for some helpful recipes. I am glad that the nutrition information for each is included, but I'm not sure how accurate some of it is. A granola recipe calls for "muesli cereal" without specifying what kind--or even what ingredients go into the muesli--leading me to question the nutrition information for the granola because there are so many varieties of muesli out there, and many people use their own muesli recipes, which can differ widely in their calorie counts and other nutrition information.
The first 38 pages of the book are taken up by general advice and nutrition information--mostly of the standard sort that is widely available. I'd have welcomed more suggestions on how to open jars and bottles safely, how to avoid getting burned or over-exposed to kitchen heat, and how to do basic tasks with fumbling hands, dim eyesight, and general unsteadiness.
The recipes should please vegetarians as there are over 35 recipes that do not involve meat, poultry, or fish.
However, many people with MS don't have the money for the kinds of ingredients called for in these recipes--and often they don't have the means of visiting the places that sell some of the more obscure ones: anchovy fillets, cilantro, wild rice, Portobello mushrooms, almond meal, flaxseeds, ginger root, wild smoked salmon, Pecorino cheese.
Nor can it be assumed that someone with MS has a blender, a food processor, a microwave oven, as many of these recipes assume.
The 6x9-inch format is a handy size, though I'd have preferred a spiral-bound book that could lie flat. Also, many bits of important information are set in black type against a fairly dark gray background, which is difficult to read.
Some of the recipes seem so slight that I wonder why they were included--except perhaps to bulk up the book. Cottage Cheese, Raisins, and Walnuts (1 serving) is an example. And there is no index--a big shortcoming, in my opinion. If you want to see if the book includes a recipe for chicken cacciatore, for instance, you can find out only by leafing through its pages until you find it.
And though the author knows the meaning of "brunoise," I had to look on the Internet to find out what it meant. It was in no print dictionary I own. I've read a few cookbooks over the years and never encountered this term, but I'm not a gourmet cook. It would have been nice if the book had included an alphabetical glossary of terms like brunoise and bouquet garni. Bouquet garni is defined in the thirty-five pages of informational text preceding the actual recipes, but it's hard to find. Every cookbook that uses the term seems to have a slightly different description of what a bouquet garni is.
Many of the recipes are for 4 servings and are usually simple enough for a mobility-impaired person to manage, given the right ingredients and equipment. And that's the problem.
All too often material about MS or for someone with MS seems to assume that the person with MS is fairly prosperous. It's time to put an end to that idea and recognize that this disorder isn't limited to people with high incomes. Unfortunately, this book doesn't serve the needs of everyone who might have MS, and that is a great shame.
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Marie-Annick Courtier, Living Well: Multiple Sclerosis (Hatherleigh Press, 2009) |
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agate
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Joined: 17 May 2006
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Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:21 pm Post subject: Blowing my own horn... |
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I posted these comments over at MS World--in the Book Nook section and later with a link in the nutrition section.
MS World suggested that I ask to have it appear in the Books and Media section on the Website. To my surprise, they're going to run it there--even though it's a critical review.
I'm really pleased about this. I dislike criticizing a book when those who put it together probably meant well and made an earnest effort to help others with their book, in this case.
On the other hand, maybe it's good to let people know what they won't find in a book before they go out and buy it--or order it online.
More and more bookstores are exhibiting books that have been sealed up so a customer can't look into them first. Or at least they were doing this the last time I was in one--which was a while ago, I'll admit.
Maybe spreading my critical comments around to more people will be of some use at least in preventing people from spending money on something that might not be what they wanted. |
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