Rita's
Culinary Trickery
How to Get Dinner on the Table Even If You Can't Cook
by Rita Konig
What’s
a modern girl to do with another little pink book? If you’re
the kind of person to eye these sassy-looking efforts littering
the promo tables of big-chain bookstores with disdain, stop,
relax and take a deep breath. You’re not the target
audience, my high-brow friend. You’re not supposed
to pick up this rosy stocking stuffer for yourself but for
the “new nester” in your life: your niece, little
sis or young coworker—basically, gals who have just
graduated from the kids’ table.
How
to Get Dinner on the Table Even If You Can’t Cook
aims to please the Ritalin-riddled “me generation”
of youngsters who want everything cheap and fast. Of course,
deep down we think you’d be better off giving the
budding hedonists in your life something, anything, by M.F.
K Fischer or a subscription to Saveur, but the
latter are neither sassy, nor pink, nor hip, nor fast and
furious, as this little chick-lit volume is. (Actually it’d
be much faster if it were organized and laid out better,
but we won’t go into that.) What we will tell you
is that author Rita Konig (a Vogue regular) is
all about the perfect roast chicken, “how to be an
easy guest” (don’t ask for herbal tea; arrive
with something in hand), hand tossing salads, Campari cocktails
in tall glasses, shepherd’s pie from leftovers, curry
on Sundays and Stilton in winter. We agree that anyone could,
and everybody should, try some simple arugula with shaved
Parmesan, but we draw the line at Thai trickery (pick up
take-out for the in-laws and dispose of the evidence). Maybe
we’re just not that sassy. But we bet you know someone
who is. 
Reviewed
by Sylvie Greil
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