another meme

i've been tagged by obachan to participate in this little cookbook meme. i'm supposed to tell you all a little bit about my cookbook collection and the like. but first the disclaimer: with one or two exceptions, i've never bought a cookbook anywhere other than at a thrift store. which means that most of my culinary guides were deemed garbage by someone else. the notable exceptions would be some of my vegan cookery guides, which, this being san francisco and all, don't very often end up at the goodwill or whathaveyou.

total number of cookbooks i've owned: hmmm, about 35 not including the little booklets.

last cookbook i bought: beard on bread (and i paid only two dollars for it!)

five cookbooks that mean a lot to me: well, none of them mean all that much to me but they all tickle my fancy for one reason or another.

1. cookin' with dr. pepper

by the fine makers of dr. pepper: this little guy i found on the street. inside recipes for such haute cuisine as dr. pepper spareribs and dr. pepper minute steak await the gentle reader.

2. the now and zen epicure

by miyoko nishimoto. this cookbook blows my mind. it's a vegan cookbook written by a japanese woman emulating french dynasty-style (as in the tv show) late eighties cuisine. there's a rockin' glamour shot of the chefesse on the back with full-on perm and wind-machine action. crazy stuff. if you don't believe me, just look at this:

drool over this lovely, um, non-gelatine gelantinous mold of i'm not sure what, but it looks scary in a 1950's sort of way. note that i paid only three dollars for this book and have yet to muster the huevos, the ganas, the....well, let's just say it....the male testosterone producing sacks, to try any of the recipes.

3. nonna's italian kitchen

by bryanna clark grogan: full of delicious vegan italian homestyle recipes by one of my all-time favorite vegan cookbook authors. the recipes never fall short on flavour and she's provides lots of options for those looking to avoid soy or gluten and such things.

4. the ultimate uncheese cookbook

by joanne stepaniak. okay, we're getting kinda' weird here, right? yeah, but as long as you don't really expect these "uncheese" recipes to really replicate the taste and texture of cheese you're gonna be alright. take a deep breath and repeat that, "i'm gonna be alright". the dishes are the ultimate comfort food in a cold and cheeseless world. plus, it's better for you.

5. little foods of the mediterranean

by clifford wright. i love the concept of this book. hundreds and hundreds of little dishes from all around the mediterranean. lots of recipes for everyone.

which five people would you most like to see fill this out in their blog?
i don't know five people who live on my block, much less five people out there in the blogosphere, so here goes:

madeater.blogspot.com
shewhoeats.blogspot.com
asianvegan.blogspot.com
thelazyvegetarian.blogspot.com