YumSugar Gift Guide: The Hipster Foodie

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:00:52 -0800

A friend of mine, who fits the classification of hipster to a T, also happens to love all things gourmet. Initially, I was at a loss for what to get her, but I quickly discovered that there's an array of niche gift items that converge at the juncture of food, music, and cutting-edge cool. Case in point: I have to get her this book about underground dining, and because she loves to push the envelope, I know she'll flip for this shopping bag.

Want more gift ideas? Browse the selection below or check out all the gift guides on HolidaySugar.

The Sneaky Chef Sues the Seinfelds

YumSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 08:27:11 -0800

I don't know if you've been paying attention to the war of the crafty cookbook moms, but things between Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica, author of Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, and Missy Chase Lapine, author of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies For Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals, have really escalated. Yesterday, Lapine formally sued the famous couple for defamation and plagiarism.

For those of you who haven't been paying attention, it pretty much boils down to this: While Lapine was touring her book in May, she learned about Seinfeld's similar book. She warned them of the similarities, but Jessica published anyways. Lapine claimed plagiarism. Jessica denied it. Jerry made fun of Lapine on Letterman, and it's been a cookbook war ever since.

To be honest, I'm not actually sure what to think about the whole thing. I can see how both of these books were made. Tricking kids into eating healthier food is a hot topic at the moment, and I think the cookbook shelf is big enough for two books with similar subjects. After all, if a lawsuit came out every time there was a cookbook that was "too similar" to another cookbook, wouldn't that mean there would only be one baking book? One quick-suppers book? One book on bbq?

So what do you guys think? Does this lawsuit have any merit, or is Lapine trying to drum up publicity for her own book?

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