Cheap Eats

Illustration by Luba Hanuschak

A few weeks ago, the House and Home section of the New York Times featured some very creative interior design ideas from students who know how to put a room together, even when money is scarce. But it turns out decorating isn't the only thing students can do well - and cheaply.

In the stacks I found the delightful Cheap Eats: The Art Students Coloring Cook Book, a spiral bound monograph published by the Parsons School of Design in 1976. The book is filled with illustrations and recipes from Parsons students, faculty and friends. The simple black and white drawings invite readers to color in as they see fit.

The introduction reads: For students of art it is the atmosphere, the presentation, the visual temptation of the food that sets it apart from being "just cheap eats."

And while some of the recipes sound appetizing -- except for the MSG I found in a few recipes (hey, it's 1976!) -- the illustrations really steal the show.

Illustration by Karen Scheetz

Illustration by James Glenn

The Library also has an earlier Parsons project called Bread, which was chosen as one of the "Fifty Best Books of Year" in 1975 by the American Institute of Graphic Arts.