In collaboration with NC State, Wake County Public Libraries is hosting a “Read Smart” Book Discussion, led by University professors, at Cameron Village Library on Thursday at 7 p.m . The discussion, which is part of a series, is free and open to the general public.
The event will highlight “Blood, Bones & Butter,” a memoir by Gabrielle Hamilton, which talks about her journey from her mother’s kitchen to her own at her acclaimed restaurant, “Prune,” in New York. On the way she passes through kitchens in France, Greece and Turkey, all of which offered their own unique lessons, from hospitality tactics to facing challenges with grit.
Marian Fragola , the NCSU Libraries director of program planning and outreach, helped to organize the event. She said her goal was to join University scholars with other scholars who do not necessarily have access to school resources.
“The event is cool because the N.C . State community and the general public can come together to discuss the book,” Fragola said.
The “Read Smart” book discussions consist of a presentation and discussion, according to Fragola .
“The professor usually begins with a short presentation that introduces or explains the themes of the book, puts the book in historical context, and he or she talks about the critical and popular reactions to the book,” Fragola said.
The professor who moderates the event will typically show a few short videos, like snippets of interviews with the author from television or other types of media in order to spark discussion, according to Fragola .
Sarah Ash, professor in nutrition sciences, will be the moderator, a position which she said must require a solid handle on the subject matter discussed in the memoir.
“I’m preparing for it by reading reviews of the book, watching video interviews of the author concerning both the book and her restaurant, and by exploring her restaurant’s web site,” Ash said.
In order to get attendees involved in the discussion, Ash said she has put aside some of her time as a moderator in order to get people to relate to the book, including students interested in nutrition.
“I’m developing an activity designed to get people thinking about their own relationships with food since that is a central theme of the book,” Ash said.
The event also highlights the nutritional science department at N.C . State, housed in the Schaub Food Science Building, which contains kitchens in which students can receive food service industry training.
Students involved in the training said they had varied kitchen experiences.
Neeraj Dalal said he likes to cook different cuisines in his kitchen, including Mexican, Spanish, French, Indian and American cuisine.
“The major difference is in the spices, flavors and techniques that go into preparation of these cuisines. If it’s French, then we put more cream, butter, onions and carrots; if it’s Indian food more quantities of garlic and onion is required,” Dalal said.
Alyssa Worf , a junior in nutrition science cooks chicken and eggs, but likes savoring sushi. Essentially, Japanese cuisine has two major differences from American food: flavors and the frequency raw fish is used, according to Worf .
Unlike Hamilton, who has had the opportunity to cook in kitchens around the world, none of the students interviewed for this story said they had cooked internationally.
Kendra Stallings, a senior in food science, said she would love the opportunity.
“Given the chance, I would love to travel and cook all types of food,” Stallings said. “I have cooked various styles of dishes but never cooked in an alternative food kitchen either in this country or otherwise.”
