In general terms these days the whole internet is a textbook and can often provide a more comprehensive and better world-view of food and processes than a course or a particular book. In the midst of a general approach at the beginning, more specifc materials that pertain to your tastes will come to light if you want to narrow down to any particular area of cooking.
Vegan techniqueI posted this on a vegan NG but the activity was so low I didn't get much back. I like to to serve good food that is according...
For example, I was introduced to Morroccan cooking by eating a "Morrocan Stew" at a restaurant. All I could remember was that the recipe contained lamb and olives --I was very impressed by the olives; had never heard of olives in stew. Even with a pretty well-rounded library of western cookbooks I could not find a stew with olives. Until I did research on the internet and was introduced to "tagines" and the rest of Morroccan tastes, I would never have known of anything Morrocan from all the cookbooks on my shelves.
My suggestion is to surf, surf, surf, beginning with foods you know something about, and explore every new thing you come across. Sometimes one Google search can provide a college semester or more worth of material on a subject. I have found that access to rfc and other groups is better than any book.
Lefty -- Life is for learning
