Brian Watson

Vegan Fast Food by Brian Watson
Copycat Burgers, Tacos, Fried Chicken, Pizza, Milkshakes, and More!

Feasting on the photos was a delight and made me drool…would love to have picked up a burger ready to eat right from one of those pages but instead hope to make one at home in the future, if I can find the ingredients here in Lebanon.

What I liked:
* The gorgeous photos with every recipe
* Concise recipes that are easy to follow
* The ingredients are probably easy to find in the West and sources and products are recommended
* Reading about variations on how to grill the burgers
* That there was one bean burger I can probably find the ingredients for locally
* That there were alternatives offered for basic “not-meat” ingredient
* Safety tips
* Kitchen tools, tips, and suggestions
* How closely the vegan recipes resembled the real fast foods
* Recipes I’d like to try: rice paper bacon, vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe and other condiments, actually… a lot of them!
* Kind of wondered about the nutritional information on the recipes but perhaps it is better NOT to know ;)
* The variety of recipes provided

What I didn’t like:
* That many of the recipes are ones I probably cannot make locally as many ingredients are not available in Lebanon and if they are, they are prohibitively expensive due to the current local economy.

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I give it as a gift to someone? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (altro)

Judo has been a regular part of the Olympic Games since 1972 and is practiced in nearly every country throughout the word, but very few people know much about its founder, Jigoro Kano.

Kano was born in 1860 near the end of the Japanese feudal era, when the country was ruled by the samurai class. He grew up in a period of rapid modernization, as Japan, having thrown off its isolationist past, was strugging to overtake the leading countries of the idustrialized West. A bright student, Kano had no difficulty with his studies, but he was bullied by older students because of his small size. When he learned that some of the traditional martial arts, particularly those known as jujutsu, enabled a smaller person to best a larger one, he decided to look for a teacher, overcoming his father's initial objection that a modern young man should not waste time on studying fighting arts from the feudal past.

Ignoring the unspoken rule that a student should practice just one martial art under one teacher, Kano sought out the best techniques from all the jujutsu schools. In the process, he became more than strong enough to defend himself, and soon he began to develop a following. In 1882, at age twenty-two, he founded the Kokokan school of judo, which was the beginning of the sport as we know it today.

Kano wa more than a reonowned practitioner of the martial arts. He graduated from the most prestigious university of the day, became at twetny-five a professor at a school for the scions of the Japanese aristocracy (and whch he felt should be opened to commoners), and was later the principal of the Tokyo Teachers' Training College. In addition to his own private English school, he estabished a school for students from china. He served as chairman of the Japan Amateur Sports Asociation and was the first Asian to be elected to the International Olympic Committee.

In creating judo, Kano sought to provide a means of leading a more meaningful life, both physically and mentally. He himself exemplified that type of well-rounded life. His story, as narrated in The Father of Judo: A Biography of Jigoro Kano, is sure to inspire all present and future practitioners of judo.

Brian N. Watson was born in Middlesbrough, England, in 1942. He trained in judo at the Renshuden and the Budokwai in London, gaining a 2nd dan, and later at Chuo University, Tokyo. He was formerly a Special Research Student at the Kodokan, Tokyo, where he gained a 4th dan. A university lecturer and translator, he is English correspondent for the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, and is married with two daughters.

Jigoro Kano was small as a child which gave rise to his determination to study jujutsu. In his early twenties, he combined the best of what he had assimilated and founded modern judo. A professor at the age of twenty-five, he played an important educational role in transforming Japan from a country ruled by the samurai into a modern nation.

Contents

Foreword by Yukimitsu Kano
Preface
Chapter 1-Jigoro Kano's youth
HIstorical setting
Early life
A growing interest in jujutsu
Master Fukuda
An education begins
Master of the dojo
A new direction
Jujutsu research
Chapter 2 Establishment of teh Kodokan
Gakushiuin
Eishoji Dojo
Kodokan judo
A strict training regime
David meets Goliath
Judo's rise to prominence
Chapter 3-Travels
Climbing a pyramid
Judo at sea
School principal in Kumamoto
Return to Tokyo
Chapter 4-Education
Expanding educational horizons
An enthusiastic welcome
A respected educator
A warm-hearted teacher
College to University
Chapter 5-Japan joins the olympic movement
Judo beyond Japan
The road to the olympics
Japan's olympic debut
Tokyo's oympic bid
Final mission
Death at sea
Chapter 6 Judo around the world
Internationalization of Judo
Major Judo competitions
All Japan Judo Ckhampinoship results (1948-2000)
World Judo Champoinship results (1956-1999)
Olympic games judo results (1964-1996)
Conclusion
Events in the life of Jogoro Kano
Events following the death of Jigoro Kano
Extract from The Times
Glossary
Bibliography
Index… (altro)