A. LaBan

Fifteen springs ago, I graduated from college and embarked on a summer-long trek through Japan and China. It was just me, off to the Land of the Rising Sun and the Middle Kingdom, equipped with a small duffle of clothes, a sandwich bag of laundry detergent, four years of Mandarin Chinese and my Lonely Planet guidebook. It was enough. (OK, I could have used more than a Baggie of Tide, but shampoo made for a good backup.)

As we once again approach that time of year when hordes of college students and their backpacks are poised to flock to the far corners of the global village, I think back fondly on memories of my travels -- the wonders I saw, the less-than-sanitary places I slept, the oddities I consumed, the days spent recovering from oddities consumed.

I owe the success of my solo Far Eastern travels to Lonely Planet, and I have since used the publisher's other guidebooks on numerous trips (although, I now prefer to pay more and avoid the recommended budget "finds" previously experienced). Still a fan, I was pleased to see Lonely Planet publish a new series of books, Lonely Planet World Food. Out just in time for summer adventure, the books offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy exotic travel that don't necessarily have to be experienced in a hostel jam-packed with backpackers who haven't had a real shower in weeks.

Targeted at people who "live to eat, drink and travel," the series was launched in March with books on Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam. The handy, pocket-sized World Food guides offer complete gastronomic coverage, including important food facts like the history and evolution of the country's cuisine, staples and specialties, local kitchen philosophy, recipes and the info necessary to shop for ingredients (including maps and, in some cases, bargaining tips), as well as a quick reference glossary, a comprehensive dictionary and, last but certainly not least, practical advice on staying healthy.

Like all Lonely Planet guides, the books are loaded with pithy background information. The Thailand book, for example, uses Thai idioms and proverbs to illustrate the role food plays in Thai life, and offers homilies like "before the peanuts are done, the sesame will burn" (an admonition to do things in the proper order) and "coriander leaf sprinkled on top" (a dismissal of a deed done for appearances only), as well as the flattering title for a VIP, "big noodle."

World Food Italy offers a multi-page account of a day in the life of Luigi Vanone, a cheesemaker who specializes in latteria, a cow's milk cheese, as well as a comprehensive overview of Italy's wines by region. Mexico discusses food's role in national art and describes how Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, one of the art world's most famous couples, embraced Aztec culture in both their paintings and perhaps their diets, citing a story of how Diego once allegedly suggested serving "stewed human flesh a la Azteca" at a dinner party. The book also reveals a history of the Caesar salad, which was reputedly invented in the 1920s by the young owner of a hotel in Tijuana, who had nothing to serve a group of hungry Californians at the end of a busy day but romaine lettuce, a few eggs, some stale rolls, garlic, lemon, parmesan cheese and olive oil.

Personal anecdotes from the authors and other travelers are entertaining, and each guide's author is a regional expert on the covered county's cuisine and culture. For example, Richard Sterling, the author of guides on Vietnam and Spain, is also the author of "Dining with Headhunters" and "The Fearless Diner."

For restaurant recommendations, you'll have to combine your World Food guides with another Lonely Planet series, Out to Eat, which is city-specific and currently covers Melbourne and Sydney, with San Francisco due in September, and London and Paris on the way. There's some overlap in the two series' content, and it would be nice if, at some point, Lonely Planet could somehow combine the two lines into one. Lonely Planet plans to introduce additional World Food guides throughout the year, including Ireland (May), Turkey (June) and France (October). Future culinary adventures will include the Deep South, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, South India, North India, Portugal, California, East Africa, Lebanon and Japan.

Lonely Planet books are available at bookstores or through www.lonelyplanet.com. For more information, call (510)893-8555 or contact info@lonelyplanet.com. (04/06/2000)


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