Behind Closed Doors

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In her latest book, chef Deborah Madison set out to discover what we eat when we eat alone. She answers on page one: “Like shit.” Actually, no. She really writes, “You know what? You people are horrible. Foster Farms Mini Corn Dogs? Christ.” Wait, she doesn’t do that either. She begins by praising our country’s idiosyncratic appetites, detailing how wonderful and varied our tastes are, then explaining what a great, miraculous thing is the unwatched, unhinged American at dinnertime. Still, the first person she quotes says this: “I pour sardine juice onto cottage cheese while standing on one foot in front of the refrigerator.” That may be gross, and maybe we’ll have to try it, but things quickly get tastier in What We Eat When We Eat Alone. Madison even included recipes of the better people among us, who cook specialties like Green Panini with Gruyère Cheese and Roasted Peppers instead of jamming the ingredients one by one into their mouths, alone and weeping. Madison is, of course, the lauded chef and restaurateur who founded Greens and released a string of incredible vegetarian cookbooks with recipes that are not improved at all by adding ground hamburger.
Sat., June 6, 3 p.m., 2009