Rating: 
Summary: Living kosher and liking it....
Review: This book is a lot of things. It's a cookbook (although I will take a previous reviewer's warning to heart and be careful about following the recipes); it's a reminiscence of sorts (the memories of Ehrlich's mother-in-law Miriam and others about European/American/immigrant Jewish life in the era of World War II); and finally, it's a book about a certain way of Jewish living. All three of these books are wonderful.The chapters with recipes in them put me in mind of the movie "The Big Night" (that's the one where you saw all that marvelous food being prepared in Stanley Tucci's restaurant in preparation for Louis Prima's visit). These parts of the book are the print equivalent - my mouth watered just reading about the preparation of those dishes. The other parts of the book describe a world that's fast becoming extinct. There is a new wave of religious fervor in Judaism, but it's just not the same as the religion my grandparents observed. That was a meeting of the Old World with the New, and I don't really think that will happen again. I do hope that Ehrlich writes a sequel (or some columns for distribution in newspapers or magazines). I'd like to know how she and her family are continuing to reconcile their version of religion with secular America. I'm sure it will become harder once Miriam and Jacob, her in-laws, pass on. They have been her teachers and guides (Miriam more so than Jacob), and I would like to know if she's truly acquired their commitment as well as their recipes.
Rating:
Summary: Living kosher and liking it....
Review: This book is a lot of things. It's a cookbook (although I will take a previous reviewer's warning to heart and be careful about following the recipes); it's a reminiscence of sorts (the memories of Ehrlich's mother-in-law Miriam and others about European/American/immigrant Jewish life in the era of World War II); and finally, it's a book about a certain way of Jewish living. All three of these books are wonderful. The chapters with recipes in them put me in mind of the movie "The Big Night" (that's the one where you saw all that marvelous food being prepared in Stanley Tucci's restaurant in preparation for Louis Prima's visit). These parts of the book are the print equivalent - my mouth watered just reading about the preparation of those dishes. The other parts of the book describe a world that's fast becoming extinct. There is a new wave of religious fervor in Judaism, but it's just not the same as the religion my grandparents observed. That was a meeting of the Old World with the New, and I don't really think that will happen again. I do hope that Ehrlich writes a sequel (or some columns for distribution in newspapers or magazines). I'd like to know how she and her family are continuing to reconcile their version of religion with secular America. I'm sure it will become harder once Miriam and Jacob, her in-laws, pass on. They have been her teachers and guides (Miriam more so than Jacob), and I would like to know if she's truly acquired their commitment as well as their recipes.
Rating: 
Summary: A lovely book about expressing love through everyday chores
Review: This book is mesmerisingly honest and artfully structured. Ehrlich's mid-life spiritual awakening in the kitchen resonates with my own--although I'm a midwesterner of Irish Catholic descent. Anyone who knows that suffering teaches us to cherish and nurture life will find affirmation in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite and Poignant Memories Across The Generations
Review: This book moved me as few have in a long time. Ehrlich draws vivid portraits of people, places, and mouth watering recipies you can almost smell. The stories of her childhood and those of her husband, parents, and in-laws are told in an effectively simple, straightforward manner both engaging and enthralling. As a first generation American of Holocaust survivors, I related page after page to Ehrlich's details of life in The New Country where immigrants clung steadfastly to customs - and foods - from their homelands while trying to fit in and assimilate. I cried as often as I laughed, recognizing my own family in this wonderful book, and bought copies for all my friends. It was hard to put down, and even harder to put away at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite and Poignant Memories Across The Generations
Review: This book moved me as few have in a long time. Ehrlich draws vivid portraits of people, places, and mouth watering recipies you can almost smell. The stories of her childhood and those of her husband, parents, and in-laws are told in an effectively simple, straightforward manner both engaging and enthralling. As a first generation American of Holocaust survivors, I related page after page to Ehrlich's details of life in The New Country where immigrants clung steadfastly to customs - and foods - from their homelands while trying to fit in and assimilate. I cried as often as I laughed, recognizing my own family in this wonderful book, and bought copies for all my friends. It was hard to put down, and even harder to put away at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: This book was a joy to read. I loved reading a book about cooking, celebrating and raising a family. I feel that so often the importance of what women do as homemakers is undervalued. Its nice to read a book that honors this work. Miriam's is both funny and warm. I recommend it to anyone who dearly remembers their grandmothers.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational...
Review: This book was the most pleasant surprise of my summer. It was so much fun to read, and I also learned a great deal about keeping kosher and other aspects of Judaism. I am Jewish, but of the "secular" sort Erlich frequently mentions in regard to her parents; thus there was much I did not know. It is true, as other reviewers have commented, that the parts about the difficulties of keeping kosher become a bit redundant by book's end. Still, this was one of the best reads I've had in a long time, and I'd recommend it to anyone, Jewish or not, who wants to connect with the (VERY different, though by the clock not that long ago) time in which our grandparents and great grandparents lived. I only wish my Grandma were alive to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational...
Review: This book was the most pleasant surprise of my summer. It was so much fun to read, and I also learned a great deal about keeping kosher and other aspects of Judaism. I am Jewish, but of the "secular" sort Erlich frequently mentions in regard to her parents; thus there was much I did not know. It is true, as other reviewers have commented, that the parts about the difficulties of keeping kosher become a bit redundant by book's end. Still, this was one of the best reads I've had in a long time, and I'd recommend it to anyone, Jewish or not, who wants to connect with the (VERY different, though by the clock not that long ago) time in which our grandparents and great grandparents lived. I only wish my Grandma were alive to read it.
Rating:
Summary: A rich and luscious welcome into a Jewish Family
Review: When I opened this book, the author opened her front door and welcomed me into her family, her home, and the treasures of her heritage. Miriam's Kitchen gives being a Jew a warm cozy feeling. As Ehrlich describes the homes of her parents, grandparents, and in-laws, the reader sits at the kitchen table with all of them. We see the development of a contemporary, observant Jewish home through the kitchens and traditions of two generations. When you read it, you go home for a visit, or a holiday, or a celebration. Miriams Kitchen is Judaism passed on through the hands of its women. You can almost smell the luscious aroma of the Jewish Kitchen. This book is now in my personal library, my mother's and my mother-in-law's. It is to be shared, like a glass of tea. I cannot wait to try the few special recipes which are included. A Great gift for the women you love!
| 
