Ruth Fankushen Kunkel wrote An Alien Robot’s Cookbook for her boys who were picky eaters; she needed to find a way to engage them in eating and making wonderful food. It begins:
“Due to a random mechanical error, I traveled to Earth without warning…I finally
crash-landed in a North American backyard. ”
So it was the Alien Robot Model #4U82 came to write a cookbook as a gift for an Earth boy named Eddie.
The book has the friendly feel of a homemade cookbook made by a thoughtful mom to engage her young kids in the kitchen. (Why not make a cookbook for or with your kids?)
Kunkel’s son Gabriel drew the wonderful illustrations. Though I wish there were more, the recipe titles and descriptions are evocative and charming, imbuing kid’s food with a big space fantasy. I wouldn’t mind being served some…
…Portal Toast…
…Routine Robocakes from the Pancake Galaxy…
…Pigs in Spaceships…
…Chocolate Spaceballs…
…Realistic Corn Fritters…
The recipes are real, mostly from scratch and do-able; many came from Kunkel’s restaurant the Delta of Venus Coffeehouse and Pub in Davis, California.
I’m gonna give An Alien Robot’s Cookbook to my friend’s kid.