Byron Ayanoglu

(2003 Gourmand Cookbook En İyi Akdeniz Kitabı Ödülü)
İstiridye Üstü Girit

Mick Jagger’ın da aşçılığını yapmış Kanada’nın ünlü yemek yazarı, düşlerini süsleyen Girit sahillerinde, küçük bir lokanta açmaya kalkarsa neler olur?
Kanada’nın “Süper Şef”i, “Yemek Tanrısı” bu sıfatlarını geride bırakarak, tarihinin ve köklerinin izinde, sakin bir tatil için Girit’e gider.
Ancak Yunan tragedyalarındaki gibi, kader herşeye galip gelir. show more Havaalanında rasladığı dostu Theo ile sohbeti, bu tatili bambaşka bir sürece dönüştürür.
Giritlilerin kültürü, ince yaşama zevki ve karmaşa yaratma kapasitesi, kuzeyin soğuk ülkesi Kanada’dan gelen Ayanoğlu’na bir keyif evreninin kapısını aralar.
Acı-tatlı lezzetiyle yolaradiko, püsküllü papoules; Vorizia’nın keçi peyniri, Anogia’nın aromalı yoğurdu, Sitia’nın yasemin ve portakal kokulu sızma zeytinyağları ve Akdeniz’in en leziz balıkları, Ayanoğlu’nun aktardığı bu Girit hikâyesine lezzet katan yiyeceklerden sadece bir kısmı…

Crete on the Half Shell is a fascinating hybrid of a book, part travelogue, part culinary adventure, and part personal odyssey for the author. Byron Ayanoglu is a food critic and writer with an intriguing resume. He has written such well-received cookbooks as The New Vegetarian Gourmet and Simply Mediterranean Cooking , more than a dozen plays, a novel ( Love in the Age of Confusion ), served as the personal chef for Mick Jagger, and been the restaurant critic for Toronto's NOW magazine and The Montreal Gazette . Yearning for a quieter life, he decides to retreat to Greece, the land of his ancestors, but one he left behind for Canada at an early age. The richly historic island of Crete is his destination, though he's more attracted by its culinary than archaeological "In Chania, one never questions the purpose of life, one simply eats it." Ayanoglu's retirement plans are put on hold when long-time friend and master chef Theo decides the island's cuisine desperately needs the pair's talent. In what could be called Byron and Theo's Excellent Adventure (or perhaps Big Fat Greek Feast ), they scour Crete for new taste treats and opportunities to dazzle the locals. Ayanoglu's aromatic descriptions of the ingredients and cooking will leave the reader literally drooling on the pages. Freshly caught fish, organic vegetables and meats, raw goat cheeses, local honey and yoghurt, and the omnipresent olive oil are all given loving treatment in the kitchen and in the book. Additionally, descriptions of the island's history, culture, and inhabitants are nicely integrated into the text. It is a pity more photographs could not have been used, especially as some of the best stories involve the author's photographer friend Algis, but that shortcoming is amply compensated for by Ayanoglu's breezy and colourful prose style. Chances are that the first call you make after happily digesting Crete on the Half Shell will be to your travel agent. --Kerry Doole show less

This was such a fun book to read. Byron's adventures with the new restaurant were hilarious!