Cookbooks, Bringing Singles Together Since 100AD.

Being rather preoccupied with drafting my book proposal, I suppose I shall keep tonight's posting brief.

Did you know that a recent (recent as in sometime during the past decade) American Express survey of 1,003 New Yorkers between the ages of 25 and 35 identified Barnes & Noble as one of the city's best places to pick up chicks/studs? It's true! Apparently, a bookstore is a nonthreatening place, where single people of at least reasonable education can meet, make small talk (most likely over a cup of coffee provided at one of the convenient in-store cafes), swap contact information, and kick off that something special (be it longterm or otherwise).

And it is my belief that the best place to meet that special someone à la bookstore is in the cookbook aisle. Let's face it, everyone likes a partner who can cook. So why not find her/him while she/he shops for cookbooks (or at the very least, pretends to shop for cookbooks in the hopes of attracting you)? Really, I think bookstores could stand to benefit from this trend. Perhaps they could create a sort of singles bar and serve cocktails while people flirt over copies of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I would certainly go to a place like that. I think lots of people would.

But before any of you singles rush out to your local bookseller in search of that next hot date, let me first give you this word of warning: Be sure to look at the titles of the books before picking any of them up. Nothing kills the mood of love at first sight like The Guide to Cooking with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.