Cookin' in the 'Cuse: To Write it Down is to Remember

October 10, 2008

To Write it Down is to Remember

I learned this years ago when I began keeping my first journal back in elementary school--I'm sure that is where my obsession with paper began. Ever since then, I've been taking and keeping notes to help me remember what I've done and remember what I want to do. I've carried Moleskine notebooks since 2001 but have grown to love so many others too. I currently use a Moleskine for my food writing journal--adapting it to meet all my needs for tracking recipes, blog ideas, wine tasting notes, and places I hope to visit. I use Rhodia pads for shopping lists and for keeping track of messages and announcements for church. Imagine my delight, then, when Quo Vadis--the folks who make the planner I use--announced the debut of the Memoriae series of notebooks--"to keep the memories of your life".

Instead of just a blank book with great paper (which can be sublime in its simplicity) Memoriae books have different themes for journaling about those things you love. Books include "My Joys", "My Sorrows", "My Travels", "My Children", and "My Weekends". Needless to say, when I saw that there was one for "My Cooking" I jumped at the chance to review it.

I really do love this book--from its thick, orange faux leather cover, to its size 4"x6" (larger than a small Moleskine but smaller that the regular Moleskine). The chef's toque on the cover denotes the cooking theme. The paper is 80g creamy off-white. The paper seems thinner and more translucent than the birght white Clairefontaine paper I'm used to in other Quo Vadis products but it took my foundtain pens, rollerball, and ballpoint inks just fine--no bleeding through, no feathering, etc. In fact, though I had an issue with being able to see the printed images on the other side of the page--the words I actually wrote didn't show through to the other side.

So what else do I like about this journal?

The cover is somewhere between a hardcover and a softcover which means it will probably hold up to being tossed around my purse or camera bag.
With 224 pages there is plenty of room to keep track of all the recipes I come across in newspapers, the web, etc.
There are blank tabs and pages in the back to create notes for whatever I like--I've made one section into "wine notes".
If the recipe I record isn't too long, the facing page provides room for notes, anecdotes, that I may want to include--related to the recipe or not.

What do I wish was different?

The recipe sections don't leave enough room for listing ingredients--you can see where I overflowed into the instruction space. I often cook complicated recipes with a long list of ingredients--keeping them here might not be as practical.
I could have used fewer pages for "cooking hints"--but since it's "my memories" I'll feel free to use some of those pages for something else.
There are no current plans to sell these stateside. But for those of us in the northern part of Central New York, a quick jaunt to Kingston, Ontario means you can pick them up at the major bookstores there. (I tend to go there on the my day off--I'll look for them next time I go.)

Overall, I think these are great. If I can get some from Kingston I'd stock up because they'd make great gifts.

If you want to see what the "My Joys" journal is like, check out this review.

Thanks, Quo Vadis, for the opportunity to review this journal!

Posted at 10:14 AM in Books | Permalink

Comments

Ooh... paper supply porn. I have been all about Eberhard Faber felt-tip pens and little 5" x 8" legal pads lately. I've been missing a cover though, so I think I need to get back to a more book-like format.

Posted by: Stefanie Noble | October 10, 2008 at 10:26 AM