Book Title Itaria no fudan no gohan ("Ordinary Italian Food") Author Nariko Taguchi Synopsis and Review Nariko, the author of the book, has decided to stay in Italy for a year to learn about real Italian home cooking. She introduces a variety of Italian dishes, each with its own heartwarming story. This book doesn't have colored pictures of dishes, but with Nariko's stories of how she got to know the food and the friendly people she met along the way helping you imagine the taste or look of each dish, you'll never miss them—and you will definitely want to try Italian home cooking yourself. Publishing Company Chikuma Shobo Place Introductory books on various countries (EUROPE) Date of Publication 1998 Call Number 596/ITA/タ Book Title African Kitchen Author Afurika Rikai Purojekuto Synopsis and Review Fascinated by the title, I picked up this book, entitled African Kitchen. "What kinds of foods do African people eat in their daily life?" I wondered. This book thoroughly answered my naive questions with a variety of recipes and a number of enticing color photos. I recommend the "West African-style seafood salad," featuring pineapple and shrimp. Serving this salad?in a pineapple, of course?is sure to spice up any weekend dinner party. Becoming familiar with the gastronomy of other cultures is a very simple first step that we can take in learning about foreign countries. Some countries may seem quite distant when only seen in the newspapers and on TV, but I think that food culture really has a way of bringing them closer to us, and broadening our interests. By the way, before getting started, be sure to refer to the book for the African way to tie on your scarf! This book is a charming introduction to things African. (Reviewed by Mayumi Shiiba) Publishing Company Akashi Shoten Place Introductory books on various countries (AFRICA) Date of Publication 2005 Call Number 596//ア Book Title Dave Barry Does Japan Author Dave Barry Synopsis and Review This book was written more than 10 years ago, and the story starts from how the author met to Japan for the first time when he was young, which was in 1953. Some parts might be exaggerated but it is quite interesting for me, one of an ordinary Japanese. It tells us how the American people had felt and thought when they first met with Japanese culture and first visited here Japan. His experiences with Honda, sunglasses, Rock music scene in Japan or Nintendo, back in 1950s to 1980s show us the change of Japanese society. Even so, we can easily imagine some of the situation-those are still same as present. If you come to Japan from overseas, you may agree with him! Or may say, "Objection!" raising your hand. And if you are a Japanese, you can see our own culture and history through American eyes. Publishing Company Ballantine Books Place Japanese introductory books Date of Publication 1992 Call Number 291ENG B