The Vegan Winter 1954

BOOK REVIEWS Vegetarian Cookery, by Dr. Pietro Rotondi, D. C. Willing Publishing Co., Los Angeles, 1942, $3.00.

Now in its second edition (1948), this book contains over 450 recipes listed under such headings as: bread and rolls, beverages, cakes, cake fillings, cocktails, confections, cookies, entrdes, frostings, gravies, ice cream and sherbets, muffins and gems, pies, puddings and desserts, relishes, salads, fruit and vegetable combinations, raw vegetable combinations, cooked vegetable combinations, salad dressings, sauces for entries, sauces for desserts, soups, vegetables. Not one of these recipes contains dairy products or eggs. Of "animal" foods, only honey occurs in a few of the cakes and confections. Substitution here, of course, is easy. Herbs—savories, aromatics and spices—are freely used. The only foods that are not readily available in England are avocado, squash, corn and egg plant. Charts on vitamins, laxative foods, herbs, flavours, weights and measures, substitutions and acid and alkaline foods are helpful and informative. For its comprehensiveness, imagination, original and wholesome combinations, but above all, for its refreshing freedom from the use of milk and eggs, I do not hesitate strongly to recommend this cookery book to all vegans and vegetarians in this country.

Your Vegetarian Baby, by the same author and from the same company at $2.00, was first published this year. Here is a booklet of 75 pages fearlessly advocating a true vegetarian diet—no flesh, fish, fowl, dairy products or eggs—for mother and new-born child. Dr. Rotondi wisely perceives the deep relationship between true vegetarianism and man's spiritual destiny; and he has here written what is, in essence, a religious plea and the outline of a practical programme for a thorough regeneration of all that attends the conception, gestation and raising of children. Parenthood, pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence are dealt with in one or more of their various aspects: spiritual, psychological, nutritional, practical and so on.

I am not competent to judge upon the various recommendations given, but the nutritional regime for children, which is vegan except for the inclusion of honey, is, I know, supported by the author's experience as a naturopathic adviser. Hence this booklet, though perhaps containing insufficient detail and elaboration, will be of particular interest to vegan mothers or mothersto-be in this country. I do not think the climatic and sociological differences between this country and California seriously qualify the basic theme of "true vegetarianism."

Complete Vegetarian Recipe Book, by Ivan Baker, G. Bell & Sons, Ltd., London, 1954, 9/6 net.

"Vegetarian diet excludes all fish, flesh and fowl. Every other kind of food is used in the preparation of vegetarian dishes." It is a great pity that the connotation of the word "vegetarian" has assumed such a rigid crystallization as is suggested by these words that open the preface to Mr. Baker's recipe book. Nevertheless, such leniency undoubtedly attracts those who eat meat and simplifies their change-over problems: it is not for us to judge or condemn. Vegans, however, should be informed that this is very definitely a lacto-ovo-vegetarian recipe book. They would have to engage in much substitution, dodging and patching in order to avail themselves of the great majority of the recipes. And however much we may acknowledge the purpose and value of this comprehensive range of dishes in a world where semi-vegetarianism is itself a comparatively obscure movement, it is our particular responsibility to insist, tactfully, that such a liberal inclusion of eggs and dairy products glosses over all that is involved in their largescale production. A delicate situation: we respect Mr. Baker's achievement, yet we give our evaluation particularly for the sake of those who feel inspired to share our point of view.

39