Musicians Who Cook? Really? Sign Me Up For Xmas

December 7th, 2007

When I thought about what rock bands eat, emptiness came to mind. Beer, whiskey, gas station pit stops. But let me excuse myself. After following this topic for a while, I’ve learned almost all creative people – yes even rock stars – are creative about what they eat.

And some musicians are what they eat in a sense: politically conscious ones tend to be just as biased when they choose their dinners. Just listen to the Halifax music & vegan baking show Let’s Get Baked With Mat & Dave. Radio hosts bake with bands and play the band’s music while prepping: You Say Party We Say Lasagna or New Year’s Eve Golden Dogs.

My friend Nobu Adilman created an interesting Food Net program Food Jammers. Nobu is a producer/host but he’s also a musician (Mr. Nobu, Rick of the Skins). In Food Jammers, Nobu & two pals make all the cooking instruments for the chow they cook (they even made a Hot Tub/Japanese Hot Pot). For the soundtrack, they used tons of indie bands. Music and meals: the two things mix together so well.

I’ve also been really intrigued by a book published this year: I Like Food, Food Tastes Good. You know when ads say “a gift for the music lover on your list?” This is it for real. It’s a compilation of recipes by bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Belle & Sebastian, The Violent Femmes, Franz Ferdinand, The Decemberists, The Mountain Goats and so many others.

As part of her interviews, Brooklyn music journalist Karen Zuaro collected the recipes in the book after noticing the music/meal trend. At first, she planned to photocopy them as Xmas gift handouts. Instead, she published a book I think totally rocks – in the truest sense. I love it especially because you get insight into your favourite band through their bellies. It’s a peak into their private lives; essentially number one on every groupie’s Santa list.

The book breaks the devil-may-care / too-busy-to-cook stereotype you might associate with some rockers. The Decemberists have a recipe for: Pork Loin With Poblano Chilies, and Crooked Fingers whip up a little Seared Tuna With Wasabi Coconut Sauce. You learn that complicated recipes actually offer a good distraction from the musician’s drawing board. Of course! A contemplative and conceptual band like The Decemberists would settle for nothing less than Poblanos.

But there are also fun recipes:
* Life Of The Party Chicken On A Stick
* Rock ‘N’ Ramen (this recipe costs 50 cents)
* Swanky Mac And Cheese
* Eddie Vedder Stew (by a band that hates him, therefore eats him for dinner)
* Dirty Snowflake (a festive drink)
* Chocolate Worm Pie

Bands who are notoriously thoughtful, preachy or political submitted recipes like:
* Vegan Sausage and Peanut Butter Sandwich (Death Cab For Cutie)
* Semi-Raw Everyday Pasta (Ted Leo & The Pharmacists)
* Thai Grilled Marinated Tofu (Superchunk)

One group suggested using “last night’s forty bottle” instead of a rolling pin. A drummer handed in a recipe that called for a “crap-ton of M&Ms”.

I will leave you with the star of all recipes in the book. If someone dares to try it, please let me know how it tastes.

Strawberry Pop Cake*
1 box white cake mix
4 eggs
2 cans of strawberry pop (3 1/4 cups)
1 stick melted butter
1 box of vanilla instant pudding
1 box strawberry Jell-O
1 large tub Cool Whip

1. Combine cake mix with eggs, 1 1/4 cups of the pop, butter & pudding.
2. Mix on low for 3 mins.
3. Then bake at 300 degrees F in 9 x 13 inch cake pan for about 35 mins or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
4. Poke lots of holes in cake with fork hitting the bottom of pan.
5. Combine 2 cups of the pop with Jell-O & dissolve on medium heat.
6. Pour pop concoction over holey cake.
7. Refrigerate for an hour.
8. Spread Cool Whip over top.

* Adapted from I Like Food, Food Tastes Good by Karen Zuaro.

Posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 11:22 am by Hannah Simone and is filed under Concerts & Events.