Well, I perused Square Foot Gardening (the updated version), and read 3 autobiographical books of food critics (Ruth Reichl, Mimi Sheraton, and Moira someone), none of whom I had ever heard of before this year. I read them all at the same time, so I think I have a pretty firm understanding of a food critic's world now, though I have all their personal histories all jumbled up. They all traveled extensively and speak other languages and know how to cook well themselves.
I could never be a food critic. When I considered going on a mission, my biggest fear was not knocking on doors or walking up to perfect strangers and sharing the gospel. No- it was that I would have to eat what I was served! I will confess now- I am a picky person. I don't like tomato-based sauces (i.e., ketchup, marinara), I don't like cheese (especially melted) or chocolate or soda. I'm not a mushroom or olive fan, I can eat lemon-flavored stuff, but don't particularly care for it...etc. And believe me, I'm better than I was. This may sound a little strange, but for not liking so many things, I don't have a very discerning palate. I can't tell what spices are in things by taste or what's missing, or what would go well with a certain food. For all that, I am a pretty decent cook. Not inventive or superb, but I turn out quality food pretty regularly. But what I would really like is to understand the chemistry of cooking better (and I have read a book on it- I just need to do it 5 more times and with ingredients in hand as I do so). I want to understand what ingredients to change in order to make certain desired results occur. I want my gravy to thicken nicely every time, instead of about half the time.
Even though I'm picky, these food critic books make me want to taste authentic ethnic cuisines or to try a black truffle or caviar (on an expense account, of course). Some sound positively revolting though: steak tartare? foie gras? rotten shark? Not me.
But I guess my favorite book I read on food this month would be "Plenty" about the couple who started the 100-mile diet, eating only things that grow within a 100 miles of them. It makes it kind of hard to find some normal staples, and the winter months get a little lean on the veggies, but it does give some food for thought (pun intended). I don't know that I would try it though. I could go without lots of things, meat included (although I don't know that I could ever fill up Nathan's hollow legs on a veggie diet), but I don't think I could do without bananas or grapes or tomatoes in the winter. (I had a tomato this week that was from Canada- how in the world is it more cost effective for the store to get a tomato from Canada- it's colder and further away?!?!)