THE MEAT CLUB COOKBOOK: For Gals Who Love Their Meat!
By Vanessa Dina and Kristina Fuller and Gemma DePalma
Illustrations by Caroline Hwang
6 x 8 in; 136 pp; 35 color illustrations. Hardcover. Published in March, 2006. ISBN 0811845257. $18.95
Several months ago I was attending a luncheon in New York, and when the man seated next to me learned I was a food writer, he told me all about his daughter and her two best friends who were working on a meat cookbook.
Apparently these gals had never published anything before. They did not have chef training nor any professional food industry background. They were not cooking teachers, and had in fact, no special knowledge whatsoever about meat, nor even any particular cooking skills before they started research for the book. They were just three young San Francisco housewives who had married well and were looking for something “fun� to do with their time, and this was the project they came up with after a night marinating in Cosmopolitans and reruns of
Sex and the City.
Without even knowing that they needed a book agent first (maybe you don’t need one if you belong to the right tennis clubs), they approached one of the most highly sought after publishers in the US with their concept, and not only did he accept it right away, he nearly leapt over his desk to present them with a big, fat advance cheque.
So what was their big idea! …. A kind of powderpuff “how-to� on meat cooking for girls. The authors, Vanessa, Kristina and Gemma, were sick of the high testosterone tone of all the other meat and BBQ cookbooks out on the market and wanted to create something that would appeal to women. Something that would be a cross between the
Oprah Winfrey show, a Tupperware party and the sort of conversation you might have with your best friend on your cell phone the morning after a hot date.
Oooo - kaaaay….. at this point I had to remember to close my mouth and keep chewing on my lamb cutlet. I was picturing barbecue tools covered in pink Swarovski crystals, tips on how to debone chickens without ruining the perfect manicure, what smoker kettle drum colour coordinates best with this season’s line of Ralph Lauren Safari wear.
And maybe I was being about as much fun as a dietician at a high school cafeteria, but I was thinking too about the poor schmoos I knew who had put years of dedicated research into preparing heartfelt cookbooks that publishers didn't even want to hear about, let alone pony up enough cash keep them in Botox through the next social season. Sure, some people not only get the filet cut in life, they get all the good condiments too.
Anyhow, I had forgotten all about this conversation until I saw the book newly published in the Chronicle Books catalogue. And now those grillin’ girls not only have their book front and centre in all the nation’s bookstores, they also have
the mandatory blog, a spin off line of barbecue rubs, and a podcast too.
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/podcast/04-01-06.mp3
And did I mention that the time they have been having on the book promo circuit has just been AWESOME!!!!
Here’s the review from
Publishers Weekly:
"Although cutesy vintage fabric trimmings illustrate the pages of this cookbook written by three young women, don't call it a "girls' guide to meat"—because it's much more than a guidebook for women who need to cook for their meat-eating guys. Dina, Fuller and DePalma are carnivorous and proud of it, and give chicken Caesar salads and other chick-fare a run for their money with enthusiastic, in-depth information on beef, pork and lamb. The authors share advice on finding and building a relationship with a butcher, explain how to buy meat and unveil 60 classic recipes. Busty Burgers, Beef 'n' Beer Stew, Easy-Bake Spareribs, and Lamb Chops and Turnip Mash are just a sampling of the offerings; many recipes begin with anecdotes like "Every summer, Kristina attends a family picnic" or "Vanessa's Korean aunt, Janette, is the inspiration for this dish." Indeed, there's a friendly feel to this work, which brims with kitsch. It looks like a 1950s sewing catalogue of sorts (cuts of beef, for example, are shown via a lovely image of a pink embroidered cow wearing green, ankle-tie pumps, divided into chuck, rib, short loin, etc.). A spiral binding adds to the book's utility."
