Spies, Black Ties, & Mango Pies: Stories and Recipes from CIA Families All over the World 
asked by titanium7 on November 1, 2006 10:18 AM
Cozy picnics in a CIA safe house; an official dinner party with the head of SAVAK, the dreaded Iranian secret police; a romantic dinner interrupted by mortar fire on the Mekong Delta--even meals can be cloak-and-dagger if the cooks happen to be connected to the Central Intelligence Agency. In Spies, Black Ties and Mango Pies CIA employees and their spouses share the recipes that got them through the hard times, and the good. Along with a delectable recipe for West Indies Paella, you get a hilarious account of a linguistic misunderstanding that resulted in this dish being served with tin molds for tart shells instead of mussels; the recipe for Chicken with Tofu comes garnished with an anecdote about life in Laos during the Vietnam War.
The recipes range from homey to exotic, but it's the stories accompanying them that make this book special. Read about serving the Soviet Ambassador's wife cui (a South American rodent) as you prepare the recipe for Soft Fried Chicken; contemplate a hasty exit from Libya as you nibble Sweet Onion Rings in Beer Batter; imagine eating Langouste a la Maison as shells fall all around in Vietnam. And if you're wondering whether spies can really cook, just remember--Julia Child got her start with the Office of Strategic Services--the forerunner of the CIA.
Reviews
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I didn't realize this book was listed on Amazon until just now, or I would have put comments here years ago. It was published in 1997 on the 50th anniversary of the CIA, and is an informal collection of employee family recipes, and anecdotes. Some of them, indeed, unusual. It's more notable for the novelty and for the bits of first-person history than for revelations of recipe secrets. For instance, Patricia (Mrs. Admiral Stansfield) Turner learning, after entertaining an unpleasant official from pre-revolution Iran, that he was the notorious secret-police chief, whom she characterized as "a butcher;" thereupon furiously sterilizing the dishes he'd touched. Such details are more memorable than their menu that night.
reviewed by shagdag on November 6, 2006 2:03 AM
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I had not realized that Julia Child had served in the Office of Strategic Services (the CIA) during WWII. In fact, there is much that I had not realized prior to reading this fascinating book. But wait! It's also a cookbook! The authors were often challenged with new and foreign ingredients and their collection of recipes from around the world is excellent. It seems that our intelligence officers and their families like to eat, and well! Highly recommended.
reviewed by bricktop on November 7, 2006 1:29 PM