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The ultimate collection of space station cuisine fully authorised by Captain Sheridan.
Contains 43 of the finest intergalactic recipes, with additions by Garibaldi, Londo, Lennier,
G'Kar and Ivanova. Suitable sustenance for dozens of alien races, from the finely tuned
palates of the Centauri to the carrion-eating Pak'ma'ra.
MONICA'S REVIEW:
This is a really hard book to find since it appears that there were not that many made and it
is now out of print. However, I now have the cookbook in my hot little hands and so far it is
a riot! It is a bit difficult to read if you are not British since they use a lot of
terminology that we Americans just don't get. So be sure to check out the
English-to-American Dictionary. So, if
one can translate the British and muddle through all the other languages (Narn, Centauri, and
Minbari which are translated), you will have quite a lot of fun trying out all the recipes.
There are recipes from each of the major races on B5 with introductions by Londo, G'Kar,
Lennier, Garibaldi and Ivanova plus anecdotes from the chef as well. It was great to "hear"
from the gang and see what they share with us cuisine-wise. Many of the recipes are strange
(like Spoo and Flarn) but then again, they -are- alien after all! There are also some "normal"
recipes (like Chili and Beef Stroganoff) as well so it will be fun to try them all.
One other thing that bothered me about the book was that Garibaldi sounded waaaay too British
to believe that it was actaully him who wrote the introduction.
STEPHEN C. SMITH AT RASTB5M SAID:
NOV.24.2003
Another subtle cross-reference ... Page 43, Garibaldi's recipe for
pasta and cannelloni, Garibaldi writes, "Just prepare your filling, and stuff it." Page 91,
G'Kar writing about suggestions that he recognizes Centauri rule of Narn, "I quote another
wise Human who said, 'Stuff it.'"
Nobody ever seems to have caught that. It was a little nod to the growing friendship between
Garibaldi and G'Kar.
OCT.1.2003
A publisher in the U.K. called Boxtree took out a license from Warner
Bros. to publish the cookbook. It was only published and sold in England, because the
license technically was through WB's U.K. wing. They did not have a license to sell it here
in the U.S.
Any copies in the States would have been brought over by fans, or second-hand through
resellers.
It's too bad it never got picked up here. Dell (which published the B5 novels) never showed
an interest.
SEP.3.2001
I can't take credit for the recipes; those were by Gina Galvin. I did
all the text and suggested what recipes might be in the cookbook.
SEP.2.2001
Unless ingredients were specified in the episode, e.g. Garibaldi's
bagna cauda, it was strictly speculation. WB hired a food consultant (someone who develops
recipes for restaurants), and she sat down with me to watch episodes such as this one. She
had no knowledge at all of B5, so I had to back-fill the universe for her.
We also made a conscious decision to try to go "over the top" with the book, since it was a
pretty ridiculous idea to begin with! Someone in WB Licensing came up with the idea; they'd
done a "Friends" cookbook and during a brainstorming session for B5 products they could
license someone suggested a B5 cookbook. To their surprise, someone actually licensed the
idea -- the U.K.publisher Boxtree.
Someone asked if the cookbook was available in the U.S. The answer, unfortunately, is no.
No domestic licensee showed an interest in the book. So you're pretty much relegated to eBay
or a collector.
One other note about the cookbook ... If you watch the fifth season episode "A View from the
Gallery," take a look at the book they're reading while sitting on a cot in the shelter.
It's an early mockup of the B5 cookbook! I had no idea Joe was going to do that, and fell
off the sofa watching the episode when I saw it. If you've read the cookbook, its
publication in the B5 universe was supposed to have been the end of the third season, so
finding it lying around in the shelter in the middle of the fifth season was entirely
plausible. The fictitious author was a bit of a gossipmonger so one could theorize that the
book sold on the station for its tabloid value as much as its culinary value.
JMS AT RASTB5M SAID:
JUL.1.1998
I had mainly just editorial input into it, Steve wrote the thing. It's
actually a lot of fun, and the illustrations are gorgeous.
OCT.22.1997
Basically, I just think it'll be a hoot. The recipes are real, with
substitutions if you can't get the real thing from offworld caterers, and it's set right in
the B5 universe, as if it were written in that time period, with all the usual Chef attitude
that goes into it.
I was kinda doubtful when WB first proposed it, and I still haven't seen the final
manuscript, but I think it could be kinda fun.
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