Book Review: Are You Gonna Eat That*? A Collection of Crazy Culinary Concoctions

​With a cover like this, does one really need to read the introduction?  I didn't: I just jumped right in and came to three conclusions:

1. The author must have an issue with combining sweet and salty flavors.
2. He clearly consulted with pregnant women.
3. What's the big deal?  Some of these aren't crazy at all.

Examples and the point of this book after the jump!

Sweet-and-salty examples: 
- Sloppy Joe filling and sautéed onions on a glazed doughnut.  Didn't they have this at the fair last summer?
- Fried-egg sandwich on pancake with maple syrup.  Wouldn't be surprised if this was a special at Original Pancake House or if it appeared in some Guy Fieri find.

Recommendations from ladies with a bun in the oven:
- Grilled cheese with olives and chunky peanut butter. 
- Mashed potatoes, peas and bologna in an ice-cream cone. Dude, that's a food truck waiting to happen!

Stuff that shouldn't even be in this book:
- Rice with hot dogs and soy sauce. That was only because I was too lazy to crack open the Spam.
- Fries in a milkshake. And your point?
- Popcorn with mustard. Taught to me at my first job at Century Theatres. Shake it up. Tastes like gourmet seasoning. You end up with yellow hands, though.

After all this ranting, I finally took a moment to read author Steve Wiley's opening thoughts. This is meant to be a collection of answers from people of all walks of life about what they considered a crazy combination, but loved anyway. None of these combos came from pregnant women, either. What was a food nightmare is now food porn, in the eye of the beholder. Also measured in are brief histories of our favorite snacks such as pickles, peanut butter, potato chips and hot dogs.

The author truly had the best of intentions in writing this, and it's apparent when I read that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his book are being donated to food banks throughout the United States, as "there are literally millions of starving kids across America who would consider any of these concoctions Thanksgiving dinner."

Now that I have a better understanding of his purpose for composing this book, I'm much more inclined to like it, maybe even use it as a reference for the next time I'm looking to try something new . . . although the eggplant-and-chocolate-sauce sandwich sounds yuck.

(*Note: This is in no way associated with Shuji's blog, in case you were wondering.)

Are You Gonna Eat That?  A Collection of Crazy Culinary Concoctions is written by Steve Wiley.  www.areyougonnaeatthat.net