"Guac Off" news and stories

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'Guac Off: Rules & Recipes for Becoming Guacamole Champion of the World'
by Nathan Myers
Photographs by Jeremiah Webster
Chronicle Books 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Making that beloved standby, guacamole, is a simple enough task when fresh avocados are on hand, relying only on the chef's personal whims and a dash of imagination.

In the case of Nathan Myers' "Guac Off," however, we are reminded of the limitations of imagination when it comes to a classic recipe. A loving ode to the avocado, the book is comprised of three parts: a history of the fruit, guidelines for hosting a "Guac Off" competition and a selection of recipes ranging from the tried-and-true to the dangerously exotic (hard-boiled eggs and cranberries, anyone?).

The background info is fascinating, delineating the dip's roots as what the Aztecs called "testicle sauce," for its purported fertile and aphrodisiac powers. Tips are downright dopey, advising cooks that "Silly hats should be worn on an 'as needed' basis," or that a culinary task should be approached "with the wily ferocity of a cornered tiger."

What we tested and whether the book's worth buying, after the jump.

As we head into the end of August, things are slowly grinding to a halt in my office. Half of my department is out on vacation and the halls are eerily silent most of the day as people wilt from the heat or the desire to be sitting by a pool. However, one office in Philadelphia is beating off the summer doldrums with a little friendly competition. Food competition that is.

Red Tettemer, a Philly-based advertising agency (they're the ones who got so excited about the premiere of Mad Men that half the office dressed up and posed for a vintage-style picture) is having a take-no-prisoners guac off this Friday. They're so excited about the prospect that they've made a short stop-motion film clip of two avocado halves approaching each other, preparing for spoon to spoon combat.

This is not the first guac off I've heard about this summer, I also have a friend who works at a local medical school who planned one for some of her students. So if your workplace is feeling a little sluggish this summer, ask everyone to bring in some guacamole and a bag of chips. You'll have things perked up in no time.

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