Books To Read A Cook’s Life

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 152, 24 March 1938, Page 5

Books To Read A Cook’s Life

No Drudgery In The Kitchen For Miss White "A Fire in the Kitchen,” by Florence White (London: Dent). FLORENCE WHITE, in the 74 years of her life, has been an artist, a journalist, a social worker and a cook. Her latest book, “A Eire in the Kitchen,” is the story of her life and she describes it as “The Autobiography of a Cook.” After all her experiences, she believes that there is no better vantage ground for viewing life and studying one’s fellow men and women than the. kitchen. A childhood accident left her blind in one eye, but the other has done her brave service, for in her book Miss White tells of social life in England during three-quarters of a century of journalism in England, Scotland, Brussels and Paris; and of domestic service which she has discovered to be an art. Through the medium of journalism, Miss White has done much to raise the status of cooks to its true level in the community. She has discovered romance, fun and even glamour in a profession that unthinking people have classed as drudgery. In he r travels she discovered that the French are more appreciative of their culinary artists than the English are. In their country she found a memorial tablet to the inventor of Camembert cheese. “Why the devil don’t w e write up our men and women?” she asked. “Who invented Stilton cheese? Why isn’t a memorial put up to her?” After this piece of straight talking, Miss White went home and unearthed the story of Stilton, and gave it to the world. She did the same thing for Sally Lunn, and spurred on by the discovery that every place has some local delicacy she made a gastronomic map of England. Miss White calls her book “a strip of everyday life out for an airing.” She has under-estimated her own achievement. Her book is not only a splendid saga of domestic service and a romantic tale of English cookery, it is the story of a woman who battled against a great physical disability and much hardship and ill-luck, and found that life was a splendid adventure, full of fun and possibilities for achievement. If Miss White believes that this is everyday life she has a marvellous faith in her fellow-men.

“Camp Cooking,” a Girl Guides’ Association handbook (Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs).

rpHIS ig an attractively set out little book on camp cooking, and would be an invaluable aid to any camp quartermaster. It does not confine itself wholly to food, but suggests sensible hints, camp routine, and several ingenious “gadgets.” A useful appendix is the list of necessities for a hospital tent medicine chest, which goes farther than merely stating requirements, adding to each its individual use. The dishes included in the cookery section are very well adapted to camp conditions, and all the ingredients are to be found in the camp larder. To any quartermaster unduly worried over providing variety in eamp foods, the suggested menus are a delightful surprise, and some of the new departures in dishpskinsure against that bugbear of all campers, monotonous meals.