Mr. McGee,
Thanks for sharing your new research with us. I cannot wait to have a look at the new material....
The text of the original is impressive in it's own right. I've battered many a copy and I still haven't absorbed all of the material. Never-the-less, I was awed when I read in Gourmet's most recent issue that your revision took nearly 10 years to complete, while the original text was produced in 3!
- Of all the topics appearing this revision, which one stood out as the most laborious to write (or rewrite)?
- Would you briefly describe your research methods?
Thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
CSR
Please tell us more about the revision process...
Started by
C_Ruark
, Nov 09 2004 03:03 PM
1 reply to this topic
#1
C_Ruark
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- participating member
- 262 posts
Posted 09 November 2004 - 03:03 PM
"There's something very Khmer Rouge about Alice Waters that has become unrealistic." - Bourdain; interviewed on dcist.com
#2
Harold McGee
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- participating member
- 71 posts
Posted 12 November 2004 - 02:02 PM
The most laborious rewrite was expanding the original paragraph or two on fish into a 60-page chapter!
My research for this book had two phases. One was to go through cookbooks and clippings I’ve accumulated from newspapers and magazines, and talk with colleagues, to understand what cooks are working with these days, and the kinds of techniques and issues that they deal with. The second was to immerse myself in the technical literature—food science, biochemistry, whatever was relevant—to understand the basic nature of the ingredients and their behavior. I generally did this by spending a few days per chapter at the University of California at Davis, which has a superb collection of books and journals and online databases.
Then came the part that I enjoyed most, which was to bring the two phases together and try to illuminate and deepen the culinary perspective by incorporating the scientific.
My research for this book had two phases. One was to go through cookbooks and clippings I’ve accumulated from newspapers and magazines, and talk with colleagues, to understand what cooks are working with these days, and the kinds of techniques and issues that they deal with. The second was to immerse myself in the technical literature—food science, biochemistry, whatever was relevant—to understand the basic nature of the ingredients and their behavior. I generally did this by spending a few days per chapter at the University of California at Davis, which has a superb collection of books and journals and online databases.
Then came the part that I enjoyed most, which was to bring the two phases together and try to illuminate and deepen the culinary perspective by incorporating the scientific.
