Good Frug/Bad Frug

I was seriously affronted by both Anne Mendelson’s review (Dec. 19) of Jeff Smith’s latest book, “The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas” and also by the two letters later published, which support her stand. I think she is approaching the books with a Scrooge-like, bah-humbug spirit.

Having been a cook and home economics teacher for 20 years plus, I find Smith’s approach to cooking light-hearted, forgiving, even a little foolish perhaps, but far more appealing than the hardened, written-on-stone attitude of some haute -cuisine aficionados.

While he may not be as precise in his measurements or culinary etymology as a Waverley Root or James Beard, for the beginner, and certainly youngsters, his playful attitude gets us to try ethnic cooking, novel ingredients and techniques that would often put us off.

Finally, regarding his theological and historical conceptions of Christmas trivia, it is just such “looseness of interpretation” that builds on legend and tradition. Lighten up already!

SYLVIA DOHNAL, Arcadia