cover image A TASTE FOR ADVENTURE: A Culinary Odyssey Around the World

A TASTE FOR ADVENTURE: A Culinary Odyssey Around the World

Anik See, . . Seal, $14.95 (232pp) ISBN 978-1-58005-065-4

Canadian cyclist See travels off the beaten path and returns with exotic recipes in this tale of adventure and exploration. As she bikes, often solo, through Malaysia, Georgia (Russia), Patagonia, Argentina, Iran and half a dozen other countries, she does so with the belief that one can come to know a culture through its food. Her respectful and forthright approach to travel in different lands pays off in the eating department. Charmed by the lone cyclist, people around the globe press local delicacies upon her, sharing glimpses of their ways of life along with their meals. Each chapter finishes with a selection of recipes for dishes See has eaten along the way: Rosita's Pozole from Mexico, a creamy hominy dish; Tkemali, a pungent sour plum sauce from Georgia; Bubur Injin, a rich Balinese black rice pudding. Although some recipes include somewhat exotic and perhaps difficult-to-find ingredients, the preparations are straightforward and the results delicious. When See writes that "realizing in places where culture is celebrated vivaciously, fear simply dissipates… the world is much more opened-armed than we think," it may be hard for the reader to hold back a wistful, rather melancholy smile. Yet it's equally difficult not to be charmed by her sunny and disarming narrative, which is full of vivid details and telling moments. This is a hopeful and fascinating book for armchair travelers with a taste for exotic adventure. (Jan.)