Review: PLEASE FEED ME: A PUNK VEGAN COOKBOOK – NIALL MCGUIRK

PLEASE FEED ME: A PUNK VEGAN COOKBOOK
NIALL MCGUIRK

Soft Skull Press
Street: 11.15.04

This cookbook is just as much a photographic and historical tour of punk in Dublin as it is a collection of delicious vegan recipes. Why punk? As author Niall McGuirk explains, “Together, we would change the world. We saw music as a means of getting across a message through fun.” McGuirk has been involved in the Dublin punk scene since 1984: booking gigs, playing in bands, and working with the Hope Collective, a group of DIY friends who got bands like Fugazi, The Membranes, Bikini Kill, Bis, Team Dresch and Quicksand (to name a few) to tour Ireland. McGuirk recounts many of the events leading up to gigs during and after the fading of the Hope Collective. He says, “I gave up eating meat in 1984, at a time when many others were doing so, as Morrissey had encouraged.” With over 120 pages, each headlined with performing bands, the date they played, and photos and stories about who helped make it a success, Please Feed Me will entertain even the most knowledgeable punk rock aficionados. Recipes were contributed by band members, and are organized by the date of their performances in Ireland. The meals are easy to concoct, and are comprised of easy-to-find ingredients like steak sauce, molasses and tortillas. “Nut Burgers” (from Saru Vegetarian Guest House), is one particularly quick and delicious dish. Next, I plan on preparing “Artichoke Casserole with Pine Nuts,” a recipe submitted by Luke Sutherland of Long Fin Killie and Mogwai. Mmmm … vegetables. –Jennifer Nielsen