A Bit of History
Oct 26th, 2009 by MPC Press
Why write a book? I don’t really think of my writing as “writing”. My books aren’t novels. My vocabulary never really grew and a novel or even a long story is not what I am about. (Normally, I try not to end a sentence with a preposition in case my English teacher mother reads this, but this form of grammar seems standard these days.) Instead of writing, I like to think that I am working on projects and the goal of these projects is to make adults and children smile and to force them to consider a moral or two.
The real reason—trying to get into business school. Before the children’s books, it started with a cookbook. Had I always wanted to write a bachelor’s cookbook…and in rhyme? Was Chicken Cordon Orange a recipe that really needed to be in print? Would Chicken Zucchini Spaghetti appeal to anyone? Do Chocolate Chow Mein Noodle Cookies really count as dessert? For the true answers, feel free to order “No More Mac and Cheese (A Bachelor’s Guide to Cooking with Ease)”. Click Here to order. Below is a clip (cooking afficionados and the Pulitzer staff will recognize it from page 23) and in case you are wondering, the book will note the names and quantities of ingredients:
Spaghetti is a dish that’s impossible to hate.
With chunks of hamburger it always tastes great.
Now with chicken and zucchini you have an alternate plate.
Try making it first, then make it for a date.
Begin frying the sliced onions with a little oil or butter.
Chop the raw chicken and zucchini with some sort of cutter.
Add these to the onions. Fry till the chicken begins to brown.
The meal may not be better, but you can never frown,
Because it’s cheaper than the cheapest restaurant in town.
Pour spaghetti sauce in the frying pan. (Use however much works best.)
Warm, and add salt, pepper, any spices, let your mouth take the test.
When your sauce is hot, you’re now well prepared.
Pour it on the cooked spaghetti, it’s ready to be shared.
I know what you’re thinking: beautiful prose. About 5,000 of these 56-page bachelor’s cookbooks in rhyme have sold. Some consider it one of the greatest rhyming, wire-bound, bachelor cookbooks of 1990 (despite the hideous green cover). Orders come in regularly on Amazon. My family and close friends don’t seem to believe that anyone other than family and friends are showing interest. But, I honestly don’t know from where these orders are coming. (Notice no preposition at the end of the sentence.)
In 1990, I was a struggling commercial real estate broker, a couple of years removed from college. My days were spent walking into San Francisco office buildings and asking receptionists to let me speak to someone who could tell me if that company had a lease expiring and if there was interest in looking at places to move. I would be paid only if that company worked with me on securing a new lease. Business was competitive. In one instance, I “cold called” a company and was ushered in to see the office manager, who was just hanging up the phone after a conversation with the person that sat in the cube next to mine, who was cold calling this same office manager by phone. Neither of us ended up winning the business as this potential client was just bored and had time to talk. Anyway, the 1990-1991 recession put leasing on the back burner for many businesses, further dampening my hopes of near-term success as a commercial real estate broker. As I examined my career, an MBA seemed a viable option. But how could I be accepted at a good school with average grades and a GMAT score that I was pretty sure would be middle of the road at best? I was told that one needed to “be different” to be taken seriously. This was a challenge as my averageness dated back to at least high school when I was featured in the yearbook as the “Typical Senior” along with Debbie K (I didn’t have a chance at Best Smile with due to my acne). I don’t remember my line of thinking back in 1990, but the book idea came to light. During the opening ceremony at Kellogg in 1992, Dean Jacobs discussed some of the interesting applications in front of the 500 first year students. He noted that “someone in the room was crazy enough to write a bachelor’s cookbook in rhyme and submit it with his application.” For those with a 3.0 GPA, don’t give up. More later on putting together No More Mac and Cheese.
