HOW TO BOIL AN EGG AND OTHER COOKING MYSTERIES

SOME pictures from yesterday! Here I am in the cookbook section at Parga bookstore in Larnaca. I collect cookbooks, but don't think I can cook. I can hardly boil an egg! To boil an egg I have to read the instructions -- thanks WikiHow and About.com!

Apart from boiled eggs, the one dish I can do is pasta boiled in half water half milk. Pasta boiled in milk is a very old, if not nearly ancient, Cyprus delicacy, called trin (τριν) as a friend who is a dedicated amateur cook reminds me. He is also the friend who took these pics, thanks!

Eventually, I bought not a cookbook, but a Greek historical romance called Η Πριγκιπἐσσα Ιζαμπώ, The Princess Isabella, if I translate the name correctly. This is an early twentieth century novel, by classic Greek writer Angelos Terzakis (Άγγελος Τερζάκης). It's very famous, and I bought a nice, scholarly edition. Here it is:

However, I must also say that I rarely read Greek literature, apart from the ancient classics. I can't vouchsafe for the quality of the novel, therefore. It seems to me to be in the tradition of Sir Walter Scott, and I loved the edition. Some illustrations are ugly, but the paper, fonts, edition are very pretty, and so are the small illustrations which illumine the start and end of each chapter.

More about this novel later! xxx