284 Recipe Testers From All Over the World.
Just like many other things in this project, I had no experience with recipe testers. I didn’t know if people would cook the recipes or if their feedback would be useful. Plus, the devil on my shoulder kept taunting, “Who cares about your recipes and who would bother cooking them?”
People from Australia, Mauritius, Japan, Ukraine, Canada, United States, Brazil, Scotland, Iraq, Turkey, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, India (and the list goes on), lined up to try the recipes. Among them were professional chefs, bakers, brewers, and food scientists. History teachers, history students, and people with a genuine interest in food, history, and Table of Gods.
I felt nervous sending out the recipes in mid-April. But only a day later, I received the first submitted feedback forms. People were actually cooking recipes from Table of Gods! Two weeks later, with about 200 submitted forms, I can now say that the feedback has been invaluable. And that the devil on my shoulder can return to he** :)
I’ve spent my nights reading and responding to recipe testers with a smile. I’ve smiled the most when I’ve got feedback that I know will improve the recipes. But also when some of you have mentioned how much you enjoyed cooking the recipe, and that you will do it again.
But more than anything, I feel grateful that so many people genuinely want to see Table of Gods published.
I plan to spend the entire summer improving the recipes. I hope it doesn’t delay the release of the book. But even if it does, it’s worth it. My goal is to complete the book in 2024, pre-sell on Kickstarter in early 2025, and then print and distribute it.
Photos from the recipe testers.
Updated tableofgods.com
After the second photoshoot in January, I felt it was time to update tableofgods.com. The start page now has more recipe photos, including beer :) I also expanded the about page with the story of Table of Gods, from 2019 when I got the idea, and onwards.
Manuscript
Another thing I’ve been working on daily the entire month is the manuscript. After all, Table of Gods is more than just a cookbook. I’ve organized the book into eleven cities (chapters) during specific time periods. The journey starts in Eridu 3512 BC, and ends in Babylon 566 BC. Every chapter starts with a city travel guide, followed by recipes from that city.
My vision is to craft the first time machine that takes you to the cradle of civilization through all your senses.