Just this morning, lying in bed on my day off being lazy and reading a book (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, seen the movie more than once but this is my first time reading the book) I had a thought....How long is it going to be before no one OWNS books anymore? They are heavy (being an 'in bed' reader this often is a problem for me), expensive, they wear and (Justin's main complaint) they take up boxes and boxes or shelves and shelves worth of space in the home. It seems so quickly that letters became a thing of the past (when was the last time you got a handwritten letter... or wrote one yourself?) and emails replace this.... to further support my ramblings there was a segment on a crappy morning show this morning about how people are using social media like facebook to announce important life events (births, deaths, proposals) so much so that a beautiful invitation or that first picture of the new baby are less of the norm.
And then tonight, as I am looking online to find a picture to upload to this blog of one of my favourite cooking books I find this:
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Mdfacqx2UaQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=charmaine+solomon+complete+asian+cookbook&hl=en&ei=HE3iTJ3gMcfXcbiwnIcM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
I am a little deflated.... My favourite cook book, all 512 beautifully presented A4 pages of it are available online from a quick google search. I guess this is great - no need to spend the money on the book, a quick key stroke or two brings you to the recipe you want and you're away!
I guess my point is I would rather have my turmeric stained, sticky paged, dog-eared tangible book than a quick download...
But then I guess my other point is I'm tired of reading heavy books at night in bed and really would love an iPad.
I'm torn.
So anyway you can all quite clearly see what I am having for dinner tonight - in the Malaysia section - page 231; Gulai Kambing. Made with beef because we didn't have any mutton and almond meal because we didn't have any candlenuts but we had everything else in the cupboard.
And its delicious!
Served with rice and sliced cucumbers and chilli sambal. And Gula Melaka for desert (its on page 237 but I cheated and mine came out of a jar.....SHHHhhhhhhh)
It's the same with old clocks, Jess...
ReplyDeleteI don't know....I too am enamored with the new e-book readers. BUT. Nothing can replace your favorite books, there is something wonderful about holding on to a much-loved paper copy that I think will never be lost entirely. I read a lot of cooking blogs and e-zines but I still buy cookbooks. I love to buy used ones with someone else's notes in the margins and delight in making my own. As for novels, I like being able to share books with friends and relatives (something hard to do with an e-book), paper books are also much harder to break than e-readers. And they don't run out of batteries or need upgrades.
ReplyDeleteHere in the U.S. there has been a resurgence of interest in the 'old' way of doing things....making your own cheese, hand canning, keeping chickens, and baking breads etc. I think books will be the same, I think there is a place for both. I know I would like to have an e-reader, (but really we need 2, less arguments that way!!) but it won't replace my love for paper books!