We had a good time going through the recipes and eating stories in Street Food, the new book by wunderkind Tom Kine - that is, when we got over the insane jealousy. He got a book contract to travel for three months and eat all he could! How do we get something like that? We're excited to try his takes on bolani (Afghan flat bread) and Kadu (roast pumpkin paste), which he got from Bilal, who runs a stall at the Kaiser Farmer's Market in Oakland. Kine even includes party ideas at the end...fun!

We also enjoyed some of the essays on cooking and eating alone in Jenni Ferrari-Adler's Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, particularly Steve Almond's hilarious anti-snotty take on how to make a quesadilla. That led us to add Almond's Candyfreak to our online reserves and spend a happy day wondering at the chutzpah and skill of indie candy makers. Did you know that the Big Hunk is made in Hayward? We didn't either, but we were pleased to learn that the Annabell Candy Company not only makes the Hunk, but the Abba Zabba and U-No bars as well!

If you're looking for a Labor Day grill-book recommendation, don't look here. The cool kids now go whole hog in a rock-lined fire pit.