Here are some discussion questions for DCCC’s first potluck on December 5th. If anyone has questions they’d like to add to the discussion, please comment on this posting or drop me an email.

• Entice with Spice started its life as a binder of recipes collected from the author’s mother and mother-in-law. Does that inspire you to try to get your own binder of recipes published?
• Did you find the author’s tone reassuring and her explanations of recipe steps and Indian cooking techniques clear and easy to follow? Is there anything in the recipe instructions that you think could be clearer?
• Did you enjoy the author’s introductory sections and stories about the recipes?
• Was cooking from Entice with Spice your first foray into Indian cooking? If so, do you think it was a good introduction for someone new to cooking Indian food?
• What did you learn about Indian cooking that you didn’t know before using this book? Were you familiar with the terms curry and masala as the author uses them?
• In general, what do you think of the food? Did you enjoy it? How does it compare to other Indian food you’ve eaten, either prepared by you using another Indian cookbook, prepared by other home cooks, or that you’ve eaten in Indian restaurants?
• Have you been to India? If so, how does the food in Entice with Spice compare to the food you ate while there? If not, do you feel inclined to visit after reading and cooking from this book?
• Of all the recipes you tried, including those prepared by others at the potluck, do you have a favorite (or favorites)?
• Do you think you will cook recipes from this book again? If not, why not?
• If the club were to do another Indian cookbook one day, is there a particular aspect or regional style of Indian cooking that you’ve like to delve into in more detail?