Eli over at the aadl uncovered this gem of a recipe from the Ann Arbor Cookbook, 1904:  ”The following is all I know about cooking squirrels. First catch your squirrel. Skin him, etc. Parboil in a little water in a kettle, add salt, pepper, and enough butter to fry it brown. Then eat. If the animal is tough parboil a little more till he is tender”  -Contributed by: F. A. LYMAN

I’m totally inspired and looking forward to our next IT Dinner, 1904 style.  You can view the scanned original of this recipe and other historic Ann Arbor cookbooks at the Ann Arbor District Library’s Cookbook Collection.

We’ve had some issues agreeing on our next book to read so today in our weekly meeting we set some rules to guide us on choosing the next books.

• topic should be related to our work
• ideally <500 pages
• should not need a dictionary on hand to read the book
• 1 book per quarter
• should be readily available
• should be affordable

Finally, we decided to rotate who picks the book, if criteria is met it would take the other 4 remaining geeks to block the book. Billie is first.

Russell Simmons, known as a hip-hop media mogul, has written a book, “Do You!”, that focuses on Laws that he has discovered in his life that “access the power in you to achieve happiness and success.” We’re talking one of those books that goes through and illustrates basic laws of the universe with personal stories and thoughtful prose.

What I found particular interesting about Russell’s book is that he comes from a cultural background that I have no familiarity with and that his laws are many of the ones I live with and that I believe Zingerman’s does a good job communicating to staff. What really worked for me is that he comes from a position of humility and allows that people will come with different experiences.

I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants to think entrepreneurally (is that a word?) or even take control of their lives. It’s good advice written in an accessible and lively way.

As readers will know from past posts, the IT team took a trip to NYC a few months ago and were fortunate to be able to dine at Union Square Cafe, one of the restaurants started by Danny Meyer. It was a wonderful experience.

I have just finished reading his book, Setting the Table, and want to recommend it for anyone interested in understanding service/hospitality and the entrepreneural experience. It’s all from Danny’s experience and is a fast and casual read.

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