Normally, I do not judge a book by its cover.

But when I got The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics by Jessica Porter, I felt the need to really reach for my inner femininity.

And since I do not really know how to do that, I thought, "WWCBD?": what would Carrie Bradshaw do? So I fixed myself a cosmopolitan, put the New York skyline on my desktop and thought about the idiocy of males.

However, lo and behold, all that was really unnecessary because it is ridiculously titled for the actual content of the book.

Macrobiotics might just be a craze in the States right now, but it has been around in Asia for centuries. Combining food with health, the student is supposed to achieve spiritual, physical and intellectual enlightenment. Lucky for me, and everyone else, Porter is a realist and wishes you take only a morsel of the five-course meal that is macrobiotics. And that's really what makes it "hip," right?

The biggest downfall is that Porter writes it, and she is far from a doctor in the field. But her self-reflexivity throughout the book allows you to end up really connecting with her. For example, she reveals, in great hilarious detail, her trials and tribulations of being an overweight stress ball before stumbling on this ancient philosophy.

The philosophy is the ubiquitous ying and yang. However, bringing balance is more than ancient brouhaha; you get to chow.

The food in this cookbook really should be taken seriously in the age of genetically modified foods and burgers containing the parts from hundreds of cows. It boasts whole grains, tofu, fruit and vegetables. Something we all need more of in our as-fast-as-possible diets at college.

And really the only thing that makes the cookbook for women is the commentary by Porter, which is written in a Sex and the City fashion. Good philosophy, good writing, good eats, just a little to chichi for me. Take a look-see.

-- Reviewed by Brad Groznik