The Occidental Tourist: More Than 130 Asian-Inspired Recipes

I caught this guy on the PBS TV show "Chefs A' Field" harpooning a giant Bluefin Tuna and thought "that dude rocks!" Yes, it sounds odd to harpoon something, but it's cool and very good for the environment...go figure. Anyway, I looked into him and found this fabulous book. The recipes are execllent as well as his philosophy. Anyone who likes a little asian influence in their dining experience will love this book! P.S. I also picked up another book he is in, the Chefs A' Field cookbook (from the tv series), and really like that as well - he shares the spotlight with 12 other chefs in this one.

This is a great cookbook for the home cook. It gives the home cook the opportunity to cook using Asian ingredients and techniques readily available to most. The simple instructions are refreshing and encouraging. I have been quite pleased with the recipes I have tried, and I consider myself quite a "Food Snob", not that you have to be a snob to appreciate the food, my ten year old enjoys the recipes almost as much as I do.

Just reading the recipes makes my mouth water. The first chapter describes the basic ingredients and gives tips on stocking your pantry. I especially like the little blurbs on special ingredients that are interspersed with the recipes throughout the book. One of my favorite dishes at Salamander is the tea-brined chicken, so I was especially pleased to see the recipe was included in this book.