Taste of Thailand

Scott, a cookbook writer, and Inwood, a British expatriate who lives in Thailand, have combined talents to produce a saucy guide to Thai cooking and culture. Inwood expands on the celebrations of the joys of the body for which the Thais are famous, alluding regularly to Thai women's beauty and Thai men's preoccupation with potency. As for the food, there are chilies and lemongrass, mangoes and coconut, cool salads and spicy fish. The recipes form a well-wrought, basic collection, carefully adapted to ingredients available in the West. All in all, this is a diverting, light-hearted introduction to a cuisine that has become popular in the U.S. in recent years. (September)