Cook the Books!

What did you do this Saturday afternoon? Watch a little t.v.? Do a bit of shopping? Snuggle up on the sofa in your jammies with a good book and a bowl of hot tea? After grabbing a chocolate chocolate cupcake and a latte from Cupcake Royale, I headed up to Capitol Hill for a scrumptious literary feast. Where? Why, to the 1st Annual Seattle Edible Book Festival, of course. When I mentioned to friends where I was going, they all basically gave me this “huh” look. “So do you eat…the books?” Well, kind of. I had actually never heard of this before March 20, so I had no perfectly brilliant explanation of what it was. O.K., so now, been there, done that. The consensus? How imaginative these people are, and what a great and fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Normally, this would take place on April 1, but due to another event planned at the Richard Hugo House, Seattle’s first was destined to happen on April 2. And why April 1, you may ask? As books2eat.com explains it, “April 1st is the birthday of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), famous for his book Physiologie du goût. April fools day is also the perfect day to eat your words and play with them.” And there you have it.
I walked in, paid a $5 suggested donation, and then continued on to snap photos of some absolutely fabulous masterpieces. Marzipan? Squid Ink? Wonton Wrappers? Gummi Bears? You name it, if it’s edible that is. Nobel prize winners? O.K., maybe not, but Edible Book Fest winners, but of course. After perusing the sweet & savory works of art, we all sat around for nibbles on the scholarly creations. Of course, as you’ll see by my plate, reading my edible notes was completely out of the question, so what could I do but eat them. O.K., enough of the clever little puns. It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and I really hope this continues. Everyone should join in, and no fancy chef experience necessary – just a really imaginative way to have fun. Don’t forget to check out their site to learn more (http://frybooks.typepad.com/) or (http://www.books2eat.com/), and check out some of my new photos right here on my very own blog.