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lamusadelils's review against another edition
3.0
Simpático y muy breve, aunque supongo que tiene que haber un interés en humor judío para leerlo.
pezski's review against another edition
2.0
An odd book, this seems to have grown out of a jokey discussion between Ann and Jeff Vandermeer about the potential Kosherness of fictional beasts. The problem is, it doesn't seem to have grown very much; each entry is a page or a little more and there isn't enough in the description of the animal to server as a bestiary nor enough in the few lines of discussion that follow the either flesh out the ideas, give much in the way of Jewish dietary philosophy or even provide much humour.
A little bit pointless, to be honest.
A little bit pointless, to be honest.
murderfox's review against another edition
1.0
Juvenile.
Inane dialogue trying to be funny. I only smiled (on the inside) at the part about this book never being an audiobook.
That was funny... maybe not VERY funny, but I thought that was funny.
I can't even really say it was informative, as the creature descriptions were also mixed with fact and jest.
You get the gist of what is going to be kosher, or not, after the first few pages.
Ann plays the village aunty, and E. Monkey, the village fool, and together, they make an internet age version of a small foolish village play.
Inane dialogue trying to be funny. I only smiled (on the inside) at the part about this book never being an audiobook.
That was funny... maybe not VERY funny, but I thought that was funny.
I can't even really say it was informative, as the creature descriptions were also mixed with fact and jest.
You get the gist of what is going to be kosher, or not, after the first few pages.
Ann plays the village aunty, and E. Monkey, the village fool, and together, they make an internet age version of a small foolish village play.
tiggum's review against another edition
1.0
An intriguing premise, but it completely fails to live up to it. The descriptions of the mythical creatures are very short and lacking in detail, so as a book about mythical creatures it falls severely short, but the discussion following each falls even shorter.
The authors banter feels forced and overly cutesy, which is not helped by the stupid gimmick of one of them pretending to be an evil monkey - LOL so random! And given that there are some fairly basic and broad rules as to what animals are kosher, most of the conclusions are obvious and uninteresting.
The choice of creatures is also often perplexing, including creatures of human-level intelligence and spirits taking the form of inanimate objects. Is a creature made of books kosher? The question is nonsense because books aren't food.
The section at the end where a chef is consulted about how to cook several of the mythical animals shows one direction this book could have taken to be a bit more interesting. More detail on fewer creatures, sticking to the ones that seem like they'd actually be edible, a discussion of what dietary restrictions might apply, and some discussion of what the creature would taste like and why, and how best to prepare it, could make for a much better book than this.
Basically, this book just seems like a really lazy take on an idea with potential. Apparently it began as a series of blog posts, and it seems like it had about as much effort put into it as the average blog post. It seems like it probably entertained the authors, and possibly their friends, but I can't see any reason for anyone else to read it.
The authors banter feels forced and overly cutesy, which is not helped by the stupid gimmick of one of them pretending to be an evil monkey - LOL so random! And given that there are some fairly basic and broad rules as to what animals are kosher, most of the conclusions are obvious and uninteresting.
The choice of creatures is also often perplexing, including creatures of human-level intelligence and spirits taking the form of inanimate objects. Is a creature made of books kosher? The question is nonsense because books aren't food.
The section at the end where a chef is consulted about how to cook several of the mythical animals shows one direction this book could have taken to be a bit more interesting. More detail on fewer creatures, sticking to the ones that seem like they'd actually be edible, a discussion of what dietary restrictions might apply, and some discussion of what the creature would taste like and why, and how best to prepare it, could make for a much better book than this.
Basically, this book just seems like a really lazy take on an idea with potential. Apparently it began as a series of blog posts, and it seems like it had about as much effort put into it as the average blog post. It seems like it probably entertained the authors, and possibly their friends, but I can't see any reason for anyone else to read it.
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
I grabbed this from one of the StoryBundles a while back and read this during a quick downtime, it is a very delightful little short work that essentially catalogs various imaginary creatures (some more well known than others) and also discusses whether they're kosher.
It pretty much does what it says on the tin, and that's all I was really looking for in the book to begin with, so for a short little diversion, this is actually pretty great.
It pretty much does what it says on the tin, and that's all I was really looking for in the book to begin with, so for a short little diversion, this is actually pretty great.
laurafigueiredo's review
1.0
So you are cooking a banshee stew for dinner, and you suddently realize one of your guests is a Jew. Can you serve him your delightfully cookied mythical creature?
The premise seemed so amusing.
But I'm afraid the book itself did not live up to it.
Some of the descriptions meant to be funny, and I think that even two of them made me smile.
But the dialogs on the kosherness of each animal are just too obvious -and much less silly or surprising or funny than I had expected.
Probably the best part of this little book is the cooking guide itself, which at least was rather funny.
The dialog was not the most suitable style in my humble opinion, but the idea seemed to have a lot more of work on it than the previous parts.
PS:
Those recipes refer to a "Galatian" white wine. This is probably a typo -the Albarino they mention (written Albariño in Spanish or Alvarinho in Portuguese) is a Galician white wine.
Galicia is a region in the North West of Spain, very near Portugal.
Just in case you're tempted to add it to your imaginary dish ;)
The premise seemed so amusing.
But I'm afraid the book itself did not live up to it.
Some of the descriptions meant to be funny, and I think that even two of them made me smile.
But the dialogs on the kosherness of each animal are just too obvious -and much less silly or surprising or funny than I had expected.
Probably the best part of this little book is the cooking guide itself, which at least was rather funny.
The dialog was not the most suitable style in my humble opinion, but the idea seemed to have a lot more of work on it than the previous parts.
PS:
Those recipes refer to a "Galatian" white wine. This is probably a typo -the Albarino they mention (written Albariño in Spanish or Alvarinho in Portuguese) is a Galician white wine.
Galicia is a region in the North West of Spain, very near Portugal.
Just in case you're tempted to add it to your imaginary dish ;)
rickklaw's review
4.0
Food fascinates Jews. Nearly every holiday and celebration centers around food (or in the case of Yom Kippur, the absence thereof). The stereotypical Jewish mother constantly tries to get her children to eat. Even in the afterlife, Jews are promised a succulent banquet of Leviathan, Behemoth, and Ziz, all three created for just this feast. This fixation exists even though (or perhaps because) Jewish Law dictates fairly stringent dietary restrictions: Pork, shellfish, anything that eats other animals, some birds, and most insects are forbidden. As with many biblical dictates, the exact interpretations and applications have changed over time and depending on whom you ask. Which animals are considered Kosher has long generated debate among layman and scholar alike. In this spirit, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer approach this heady subject in their lighthearted book The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals: The Evil Monkey Dialogues. As Ann VanderMeer explains:
This short (92 pages) compendium of mythical creatures - ranging from the abumi-guchi to the Ziz - features illustrations by designer John Coulthart and short descriptions followed by a humorous discourse between Ann VanderMeer and her husband’s blogging alter ego, Evil Monkey. Written in a conversational style, the occasionally self-referential entries often site “experts,” such as [a:Jorge Luis Borges|500|Jorge Luis Borges|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1260167972p2/500.jpg] and [a:Gustave Flaubert|1461|Gustave Flaubert|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1198541369p2/1461.jpg], as well as texts including the Old Testament and the Etz Hayim. Each account concludes with symbol
denoting the creature’s potential kosherness. For example:
The volume concludes with an entertaining conversation between Ann VanderMeer and [a:Duff Goldman|2933290|Duff Goldman|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg], star of the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes. The pair initially discuss the proper preparation of and best wine selection to serve with the kosher creatures before things devolve into even more amusing topics regarding testicles, [a:Clive Barker|10366|Clive Barker|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1200469782p2/10366.jpg], and Goldman’s dictum that anything served in a Chinese restaurant is kosher.
With two page entries for each beast and a compact size, the delightful The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals makes for some delicious bathroom (or busstop) reading for Jews and gentiles alike. And for the uninformed out there, cholent is a traditional hearty Jewish stew that simmers for 12 hours or more. You’ll thank me later.
This review originally appeared in the San Antonio Current, March 31, 2010.
Two years ago, my husband and I were taking a hike in the woods. I don’t know how it came up, but at some point we started talking about the “kosherness” of certain animals. With Passover fast approaching, what you can and cannot eat was on my mind. The subject led to the silliness of trying to figure out what imaginary animals might be kosher. As we bantered back and forth we decided that we were having too much fun, which meant it might be fun for our readers, too. So we did a blog post in honor of Passover.
This short (92 pages) compendium of mythical creatures - ranging from the abumi-guchi to the Ziz - features illustrations by designer John Coulthart and short descriptions followed by a humorous discourse between Ann VanderMeer and her husband’s blogging alter ego, Evil Monkey. Written in a conversational style, the occasionally self-referential entries often site “experts,” such as [a:Jorge Luis Borges|500|Jorge Luis Borges|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1260167972p2/500.jpg] and [a:Gustave Flaubert|1461|Gustave Flaubert|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1198541369p2/1461.jpg], as well as texts including the Old Testament and the Etz Hayim. Each account concludes with symbol
denoting the creature’s potential kosherness. For example:BANSHEE
Originating in Irish mythology, the banshee is a frightening female spirit, often considered a bad omen. But how much of a bad omen? Specter-ologists are unsure. Messenger of death or the cause of death? Perhaps the two roles are interchangeable, for many people with bad tickers have had heart attacks upon encountering a banshee. The provenance of the banshee has also been the cause of some debate. Some consider the banshee a prophetess who can see the future. Others (among them heretics, drunks, and rebels) consider the banshee to be a fallen angel. A mournful wail is the calling card of the banshee, who when seen will be wearing a gray hooded cloak, not unlike a rain poncho. Dr. Jorge Luis Borges’ theory that the banshee is a form of elf should be ignored as ridiculous.
EVIL MONKEY: “Would it be wise to try to eat a messenger of death? Wouldn’t that be like eating death? Is eating death kosher?”
ANN: “Depends on what you mean by death. If death is a guy in a black robe, no. If death is a strawberry, then, yes.”
EVIL MONKEY: “So she’s not kosher?”
ANN: “No. Any ‘creature’ you can call ‘he’ or ‘she’ is probably not kosher. But why are the evil ones always women?”
EVIL MONKEY: “Nothing I can say here will save me.
The volume concludes with an entertaining conversation between Ann VanderMeer and [a:Duff Goldman|2933290|Duff Goldman|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg], star of the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes. The pair initially discuss the proper preparation of and best wine selection to serve with the kosher creatures before things devolve into even more amusing topics regarding testicles, [a:Clive Barker|10366|Clive Barker|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1200469782p2/10366.jpg], and Goldman’s dictum that anything served in a Chinese restaurant is kosher.
With two page entries for each beast and a compact size, the delightful The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals makes for some delicious bathroom (or busstop) reading for Jews and gentiles alike. And for the uninformed out there, cholent is a traditional hearty Jewish stew that simmers for 12 hours or more. You’ll thank me later.
This review originally appeared in the San Antonio Current, March 31, 2010.