May 14, 2005 -- Author Robert Swiatek was recently interviewd by BooksAndAuthors.net. A portion of the interview may be read here, or the full interview may be read at http://www.booksandauthors.net/Interviews/RSwiatek.html
BooksAndAuthors.net: Where did you grow up And were reading and writing always a part of your life
Robert Swiatek: I was born in Buffalo and lived in Western New York until just before my 26th birthday, when I moved to New Jersey. You can read about where I spent the following years in
the cookbook, as it is autobiographical as well as instructive and entertaining.
I read a great deal in high school but also recall one of the joys of life when I got my library card, while in elementary school living on Walden Avenue in Buffalo. I may not remember
the books, but I have always read a great deal. You can't be a writer unless you read a great deal. I wrote for the school paper at St. Mary's High in Lancaster and was sports editor as a
senior. While teaching in Binghamton, New York in 1972, I wrote a computer math book that almost got published. I did use the book as a supplement to a computer course I taught in the
Wappingers Fall School System a few years later.
BooksAndAuthors.net: Why do you write
Robert Swiatek: I write because I am still a teacher, even though I left the profession thirty years ago. I try to help others by instructingmy first three books are really all self-help
books.
BooksAndAuthors.net: The "Read My Lips" Cookbook is a culinary journey through different places in the eastern U.S. that you lived and travelled. What inspired you to create this piece of
work Have you always enjoyed cooking & the culinary arts
Robert Swiatek: By reading it, you might understand why I wrote "The Read My Lips Cookbook." By the time I started it, I had collected quite a few delicious recipes and I had a few
stories to go with my cooking endeavors. At the same time my goal was to create recipes that were healthy, easy to make as well as good tasting and wouldn't cost a fortune. The book was
begun when George Bush was president, the older one. You may remember one of his famous quotes, and hence the title. At that time the country was in a recession, which is tied into the
cookbook since people were forced to stay home and cook for themselves. They really couldn't afford to go out to dinner that much so the money in their wallets was a concern.
I have always and still do enjoy cooking. You can read about the "annual corn roast" in the book on work. Just a few days ago, I cooked dinner for some basses and tenors from the
contemporary music ensemble that I sing in. The main course that night was pecan crusted salmon, which my guests raved about. You can find the recipe on my website, WWW.BOBCOOKS.COM, but not in the cookbook. The entire menu for that night will be featured on my website as a "meal suggestion" in about three
months.
Read the entire interview at http://www.booksandauthors.net/Interviews/RSwiatek.html
http://www.bobcooks.com