The way to the heart is through the stomach - and perhaps this also applies to intercultural
understanding. Most of Julia Goodman's ancestors were Eastern European Jews who emigrated to
the USA at the beginning of the 20th century. Gabriele Edlbauer on the other hand grew up on an
organic farm in the predominantly Catholic Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria. While gnawing
on chicken bones together the two women came to chat about the significance of certain foods
in relation to their own identity. After all chickens feature in Julia's most important life
memories. Since her family always had a chicken recipe at hand for every holiday including the
weekly Shabbat it was no surprise that the bird eventually became Julia's favorite dish.
Gabi's most prominent childhood memories of chickens are less culinary: the hens on the family
farm mainly served an economic purpose. Through sharing their stories they both soon realized
that their connections with chicken and their respective artistic approaches were entangled in
strange ways. In the process of cooking together they developed a fascination with the idea of
how certain dishes can convey or trigger very specific feelings. The result is a humorous
artistic attempt to expose complex feelings and hard truths in chicken recipes. This book is
filled with emotional recipes - accompanied by creative serving suggestions - and invites you
to express yourself through chicken.
