More than a cookbook, this book explores food and cooking in Buddhist teachings, symbols, metaphors, monastic ritual, and festivals. Well-chosen commentary, meal blessings and prayers, or short excerpts from texts of all Buddhist traditions preface each chapter's recipes. Editor Tonkinson encourages readers to "read them simply as a set of instructions on how to cook a meal or as guidelines on how to cook your life." The loosely themed recipes are not all vegetarian, though Buddhist views on vegetarianism are amply discussed. Some dishes are hearty and plain; others are high in sugar or fat. But who can resist reading a recipe poem by Gary Snyder or "A Recipe for Cleaning the Mind" by an American Zen master, or learning about monastery fare or how to make Tibetan butter tea? All texts and recipes are credited for easy follow-up. A thoughtful cookbook for the ordinary, everyday activity of cooking and eating as an example of the interconnectedness of all life. Penny Spokes
