Old Boyfriend Buffet one of many yummy 'recipes' in new book by Nava Atlas

Author Nava Atlas is probably best known for her vast selection of family-friendly vegetarian and vegan cookbooks.
I love her collection of recipes — simple, hearty vegetarian and vegan fare made with fresh ingredients always seems to satisfy.

When her latest book came across my desk at work, I had to do a double take: “Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife” was unlike any of her other tomes.

Oh, there are recipes in this book as well, but ones that are highly flavored and peppered with Nava's trademark humor and sly wit. They are a commentary, so to speak, after she observed the marital woes of some close female friends.

The book also shows Nava's artistic flair and fondness for the book arts. Paired with retro food photos from the 1950s, “Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife” (Fireside/Simon and Schuster; April 7, 2009) also offers a taste of the sweeter side of matrimony and child rearing.

“All the dishes you’ll need to make from the day you say ‘I do’ until death (or divorce) do you part,” the book’s subtitle reads.

Today's Lifestyle feature in the Poughkeepsie Journal is a Q&A with the prolific author about her new book. I thought I'd share it here, because, after all, this is a blog about food with sprinklings of observations on life and love.
All photos are courtesy of "“Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife” (Fireside/Simon and Schuster).

If you'd like to meet Nava and buy a copy of this book for yourself or any number of girlfriends (personally, I know a few for whom this would make a great gift), she has a couple of booksigning events coming up in the Hudson Valley:

May 2, 2-4 p.m. — Inquiring Minds, 6 Church St., New Paltz (845-255-8300). Pre-Mother’s Day booksigning event with five local authors: Nava Atlas, Durga Bernhard, Patricia Carlin, Ione and Lee Reich.

May 9, 3 p.m. — Barnes & Noble, 2518 Route 9, Poughkeepsie (845-485-2224). Reading from “Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife.”



What inspired this quirky book on matrimony?

I had just finished my master’s degree in art studio at the State University of New York at New Paltz at the end of 2007 (I returned as an older student) and was ready to use my newly updated skills in design and the book arts.
At the same time, I observed several of my friends were going through divorce. After listening to their stories, I concocted them into metaphorical “recipes” I paired with the ghastly images of food from the 1950s. This became the early version of “Secret Recipes,” a small, limited edition book, of which I printed only 100 copies.
My friends found it so funny — even those enduring painful divorces — that I was encouraged to expand it and try to find a publisher. The original version is now in the collections of numerous university and museum artists’ book collections; and the newly published trade edition is off and running.
The newly published edition still has a divorce component to it; after all, that’s very much a part of the marriage culture of the times. But it also has a chapter of happier endings, about endurance, love and even the promise of happiness (I myself have been married to the same man for 3,000 years). After all, we’re now living in the age of hope!
But even the sweeter pieces still have an edge to them.

The book certainly has a retro look — where did you find all the artwork that looks like something you’d find at Ward and June Cleaver’s house?

I’ve always loved those iconic images of the 1950s and have long collected magazines, books and other ephemera from that era. I especially enjoy finding such treasures in antique and junk shops, but I admit if I was looking for something specific, I would search on eBay.

Did the old-fashioned photos inspire your “recipes” for the “modern wife?” Describe your creative process.

I know from reading about the ’50s that things were not exactly as presented on the surface, that those “happy housewives” and perfect children in the magazines, especially in ads, didn’t represent the reality. There were then, as there are now, secrets beneath glossy veneers; everyone knows at least a few couples who seem firmly bonded until you hear they are “suddenly” splitting up. In “Secret Recipes,” I also wanted to explore, in ironic fashion, all those cultural norms that make women crazy: overblown weddings, unrealistic expectations brought into marriage, the shock that sets in when you realize that real kids are nothing like the ones on TV and in movies, etc.
As for my creative process, I made a running list of some of the universal issues and experiences common to contemporary marriage, then chose a slew of evocative 1950s food photos to pair them with, and then cooked up metaphorical “recipes.” Even more fun was altering old ads, which, ridiculous as they were to begin with, I made even more ridiculous. Like one that promotes tapioca pudding as a way to put the “mmmmmmmm ... back in your marriage!”




As a vegetarian, you probably would never eat any of the actual recipes in the book, judging from the photos, so what is it about Gender Role Casserole that strikes your fancy?

Yes, and as a vegan, I can’t even eat the Psychotherapy Pie or the Sweet Cakes of Hope — they surely contain butter! I can’t literally eat the actual recipe upon which Gender Role Casserole is based, either, but like most couples, my husband and I fell into certain roles, especially as parents. It really interests me to reflect on gender roles and why they are so intransigent in our culture. I admire people, men and women, who can break out of those roles. There are plenty, but still not enough.

What kind of feedback have you received from female readers? What about the guys?

I’ve had great feedback, though I would say a lot of readers who are only familiar with my vegetarian/vegan cookbooks were a bit surprised at this side of me. But people who know me personally know I’ve always been involved with art and that I have what has been described by one of my oldest friends as a “wicked sense of humor.”
My husband was a little nervous when I was writing the expanded edition of the book, but when he saw the finished product, he realized I was skewering the institution and that it was not about us! I think husbands of friends have enjoyed it, too, as it’s not a man-bashing book (with the exception of a few of the recipes in the divorce section that reflect the rage and sorrow women feel when a marriage is ending); many of the “recipes” are a reflection of what women put upon ourselves, such as one called Way Too Much on Your Plate.



Do you have a favorite recipe?

A lot of women I know relate to the aforementioned, as well as Completely Fried Wife. The one that cracked me up the most as I was writing it is Old Boyfriend Buffet, even though I don’t indulge in this one (really, I don’t!) — I’ve heard a few friends talk wistfully about old boyfriends after having tiffs with their husbands, wondering what their lives would have been like had they married the One That Got Away.

What’s the next project on the horizon for you?

I love the idea of altering or subverting familiar forms of media as a way to comment on contemporary culture, so I have a few projects already in the works along those lines. In addition to books coming out via mainstream publishers, I’m also planning to continue with limited edition books. Recently, I’ve also started to exhibit more regularly and hope to continue in that direction as well.