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Loading... Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Sensesby Isabel Allende
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No one author has ever done more to introduce me to the sensuality of food. And rice pudding, no less. There were many, many other foods mentioned, but that one will always stand out. This book is a biography, with interspersed recipes. Forget an island getaway - my idea of the perfect romantic weekend may involve this book, Laura Esquivel's Like Water For Chocolate, and a few recipes from Nigella Lawson. Ok, that's not ALL it would involve, but the way to the human heart is through the stomach, isn't it? That saying isn't just for men. (Or for people with a very poor grasp of anatomy - thanks, Terry Pratchett). Mmm, food....Figs, and oysters, and champagne, and a night under the stars... you should read this book. You won't be sorry. (  ) annie1378 | Oct 28, 2009 |  Very enjoyable and perfect to dip in and out of. (  ) iamseagoat | Jan 6, 2009 | Recipes, stories and fantasies - sensual and anecdotal fun... ( ) estellen | May 7, 2008 | Although subtitled as a memoir, this is really more of a part cookbook, part anthology. Allende wrote this after "Paula," a memoir that ended with the death of her 28-year-old daughter after a year in a coma from a genetic condition at the end of 1992. A grief-stricken Allende thought she might never write again, but creating this lighthearted book helped restore her. It’s a lovely blend of recipes and research on food and drinks that have erotic properties or aphrodisiac power, mixed with folklore, a pinch of history and literary excerpts, and some of Allende’s own experiences. Most of the recipes were developed by Allende’s mother and are grouped into sections on appetizers, salads, soups, main dishes, sides, and desserts. I learned some … interesting things about some foods that I can’t repeat here! (well, okay, here's one suggestion from page 59: "Try long, firm asparagus served with two new potatoes at the base of the stem...") This was a fun read but probably not very practical as a cookbook, unless you are a cookbook collector. (  )2  riofriotex | Oct 1, 2007 | Luscious and frothy...just a fun book all around to read. It features recipes that supposedly stir the senses (and other things besides). It's a great thing to read immediately after finishing the equally quirky and ethereal "Law of Love" by Laura Esquivel. Or maybe that's just me. (  ) noumenon | Jun 4, 2006 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com (ISBN 0060930179, Paperback)There is something about reading suggestive material that awakens the senses--too often ignored in the fray of modern life--and fires the imagination. Perhaps it brings us back to those breathless, palpitating moments from childhood when puberty was a rosy smudge on the horizon and sex was an abstract term. Aphrodite is a long, savory, enthralling ode to sensuality.In this bawdy memoir-cum-cookbook, Allende has put together an apothecary of aphrodisiacs, from snake's blood and rhinoceros horn to the more commonplace and more palatable oysters, "those seductive tears of the sea, which lend themselves to slipping from mouth to mouth like a prolonged kiss ... can be purchased in bottles, but there they look like malignant tumors; in contrast, moist and turgid in their shells they suggest delicate vulvae--a prime example of food that appeals to the eye." Chapters such as "Alligators and Piranhas"; "Supreme Stimulus for Lechery"; "Bread, God's Grace"; "Forbidden Fruits"; and "The Saucy Way to Foreplay" offer categorical listings on the aphrodisiac qualities of meats, spices, fruits and vegetables, and alcohol. A few chapters into the book, one begins to wonder what foods aren't considered erotic: "the shape of the wheat head is considered phallic, which proves human imagination knows no limits." Wine (no surprise there) is recommended because "it lessens inhibitions, relaxes, and fosters joy, three fundamental requirements for good performance, not only in bed but at the piano as well." However, as in many situations, moderation is key: too much and you may find your guest asleep in the soup. Allende dismisses nouvelle cuisine in favor of earthier foods and more satisfying portions. More than 100 recipes are provided, from sauces and soups to hors d'oeuvres, supplemented with her voluptuous commentary. Recipes such as Mykonos Sauce, with walnuts, pistachios, basil, garlic, and milk; Widower's Figs; Filet Mignon Belle Epoque; and Alicante Cream Soup, with leeks, shrimp, oysters, paprika, and cream will have you in an apron (and perhaps not much else) in no time. "If cookbooks make up part of your library," Allende notes, "books on eroticism should, too." And what more delightful combination of the two than Aphrodite, which provocatively underscores the relationship between sustenance and sexuality, and the aphrodisiac qualities of watching a man cook: "[Women] suppose that if he can remember how many minutes frog legs can tolerate in the skillet, how much greater reason he will have to remember how many tickles our G spot demands." Spiced with litanies of lust and longing from Anais Nin, W.B. Yeats, Pablo Neruda, and Lady Onogoro, and enriched with Allende's warm humor and lusty joie de vive, Aphrodite will tantalize your senses and engender lascivious grins. Recommended in delicious but moderate doses, this book is not for the faint of ... er, heart. --Jhana Bach (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:24 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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