The Traveling Vegetarian

I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 30 years and for me traveling is still a challenge. Yes, it has gotten easier over the years, however it still requires a bit of work and sometimes it makes me downright grumpy.

My main challenge is twofold - the quality of the vegetarian options in restaurants and the general lack of availability. Why do so many chefs either have too much imagination or not enough imagination? Why do they think that for every item that is removed from their dishes (in this case meat), they have to add another oily sauce or pat of butter. Or, why do they think that a vegetarian can be happy dining on a salad and a piece of fruit? Don’t laugh. I’ve been offered dinners that consisted of one or two canned veggies and a side of applesauce. And on highways that are heavy with fast food joints, the choices are so few and far between. I guess would be fine if I were content to eat a slice of cheese on a white bread roll, maybe topped with some shredded iceberg lettuce, because that’s about all these places have to offer. Most people still don’t understand that vegetarians eat more than just what’s left when the meat is taken away. We really don’t graze along the side of the road.

Since hubby and I travel a lot, we’ve learned to be very creative. We look for places like Panera Bread, Crispers and Whole Foods that have a number of vegetarian options. (Check out the delicious grilled portobello mushroom sandwich in my picture). We look for new “healthier” type of Mexican restaurants that offer burritos with beans, avocado and veggies. We love Italian food and are always happy to fill our bellies with pasta and marinara sauce. Asian restaurants are always an option, too, but only if the staff understand the concept of “no animal broth.” Greek restaurants make me literally jump for joy! There are a number of choices. We just have to try a little harder to find them.

This rant leads me to my first rule when traveling - Never leave home without your jars of peanut butter and jelly!

Bobbie Hinman
http://bestfairybooks.com

"Bobbie and Julia" - The Next Movie?

Along with the hoopla surrounding the opening of the movie Julie and Julia, I am feeling a new respect for one of the true queens of cooking. Her great book, Mastering The Art of French Cooking was, in fact, the first cookbook I purchased as a new bride in 1963. It’s surprising to find out that this revered book was rejected by several publishers before it was finally published in 1961 by Knopf.

It’s also no surprise to find that many other successful authors received their share of the dreaded rejection letters before finding someone who believed in their books. One of those famous authors is John Grisham, who was reportedly rejected by a dozen publishers before his career was launched. (Who’s crying now?) Then there are J.K. Rowling’s famous Harry Potter books which were also rejected by a number of large publishers. Add to the list the authors Stephen King, George Orwell, William Faulkner and Irving Stone. Even The Diary of Anne Frank received its share of rejections.

It’s never fun being rejected. My reaction when I received my first rejection notice was to throw myself a pity party and eats lots of chocolate. After two days, I had to actually pick myself up from my bed, shove the chocolate wrappers aside, slap myself across the face and say, “I’ll show them!” One of the keys for me has been to remember that “Success is the best revenge!” I had to understand what I was doing, do it well, keep my eye on the goal and never give up. And, through it all, I had to promise myself that I would at least try to enjoy myself.

I consider each of my rejection slips as a badge of honor, a ticket to the world of writing, a promise of things to come. Show me an author who has never received a rejection slip and I’ll show you someone who still has a lot of living to do.

As Julia would say, “Bon Apetit!”

Bobbie Hinman
http://bestfairybooks.com

Traditional vs. Independent Publishing

There is a big debate going on in the publishing world today – “Should I consider self publishing?” Here’s my take on the subject -

I am the author of seven cookbooks that were published by a large publishing company, and two children’s books that I published independently. Notice I use the word "independent" to refer to my publishing method, rather than the word "self". Unfortunately, to most of the world, “Self Publishing” often seems to mean poorly edited books with skimpy illustrations, poor story lines and run-of-the mill covers. Unfortunately for all of us, there are some independent books that do fit this description. On the other hand, when I say that I am an “Independent Publisher,” I seem to garner more respect.

When my first cookbook was published by Prima Publishing Co. in the 1980’s, I thought I would just sit back and collect my royalties while happily writing my next volume. However, after the hoopla of the initial book launching began to wane, and the publisher directed his attention to his next featured attraction, I realized that if the book was going to be successful, I would have to step into the arena of marketing and promotion. And I did. I traveled all over the country as a featured speaker and guest on radio and TV shows. I visited schools, hospitals, bookstores and basically any place that I could arrange an event. The result was a total of seven very successful cookbooks and a totally burned out author.

Several years ago, after a break from the book world, I decided to re-invent my career. My degree in education and children’s literature was calling to me to re-enter the book world.

I thought long and hard about independent publishing. I knew that I would be solely responsible for marketing the book. However, I realized that I had to do this anyway with the traditional publishing. I had also learned something along the way that some independent publishers fail to realize: In order to compete in the book world, you MUST produce a high-quality product! So I formed a corporation and launched my own publishing company. I did mountains of research. I studied hundreds (maybe even thousands) of children’s books. I hired the best illustrator I could find. I hired a very talented graphic/cover designer. I hired an editor. I was very choosy about the printer I hired. I invested a lot of time and money so there was no choice but to do it right. Failure was not an option. Two years later, The Knot Fairy was born. Four months later, I was thrilled to order my second 5000-book printing. It’s now two years later and The Knot Fairy is into its third printing and has won seven children’s book awards. I released my second book, The Sock Fairy, in June 2008, and it has received four awards and is into its second printing. The Belly Button Fairy will be released in September. I am sharing this information to let you know that, yes, it CAN be done. And now, the two strong “ifs”:

If you do it correctly.

If you are willing to promote, promote, promote.

Would I recommend independent publishing? Yes, if you do it right. Let’s face it. As independent publishers, our books are judged more critically and held to a higher standard than the traditionally published books. Independent Publishing may be the wave of the future. Therefore, if we’re going to represent ourselves, let’s make our books the very best.

Are You Still Sneaking Tofu Into the Coconut Custard Pies?

Am I? This is a question that just came to me via Facebook from my grown daughter’s college friend. Boy! Did I make an impression or what? That must be all he remembers about me after so many years.

Yes, I’m guilty of raising my kids on healthful foods. Veggies have always been a staple in our house. And yes, I’ll admit that some unusual ingredients have, on occasion, made their way into some otherwise “normal” dishes, however “sneaking” is a harsh word. I simply “placed” them there.

I found that, in the beginning of our lifestyle changes, it was easier to use additions and substitutions in recipes and not announce to the family that the cheesecake was actually half cream cheese and half tofu, or that the pasta sauce had been secretly mixed in the blender with a can of kidney beans. I never considered this to be lying. I just didn’t tell them the whole truth.

I have lots of tips for getting your family to eat more healthfully. Number one is – Don’t ever tell them it’s good for them! As soon as they hear those words, the battle is lost. When my kids asked, “What’s in the lasagna, Mom?” my answer was “lasagna noodles and pasta sauce”. That’s the truth. I just “forget” to mention the tofu and the spinach that are in there, too.

If you are worried about making changes in your family’s eating habits, here’s another important thing to remember – If it tastes good, they’ll eat it. And by all means, please don’t look guilty when you place the whole wheat pasta on the table, or the mostly egg white omelet on their breakfast plate. And don’t ask them how it tastes. (You may not like the answer.) Just smile in a self-assured manner, then sit down and dig in.

In my meatless cookbooks, The Vegetarian Gourmet’s Easy International Recipes and The Vegetarian Gourmet’s Easy Low-Fat Favorites, I feature lots of recipe make-overs.

When you’re feeling brave, give tofu a try. Use it to replace half the cheese in lasagna, or cheesecake, or half the eggs in your omelet or quiche. Maybe someone will remember you for it!