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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
As a person not accustomed to reading books about foodies, this was a new experience. The authors know quite a deal about the history of food, particularly pertaining to French cuisine, as well as other European countries. If you want to know about different types of wine, and about possibly different restaurants to dine at in France, this book is a good reference. It also has a collection of recipes to make some foods connected to historical figures or events. The book is supposed to be read on one day for all 365 days in a year, but reading it all at once is equally enjoyable, at least for me.
Be prepared to get a ton of unfamiliar information thrown at you, unless you, unlike me, are more educated when it comes to the historical aspects of food. The only thing I disliked about this book is it randomly tells the reader the ending to Anna Karenina. I think books shouldn't give away endings or important events in other books, especially such a well known novel as Anna Karenina. They should have given some sort of "spoiler alert" to the reader, in my opinion. Otherwise, this is quite a fascinating book when it comes to learning about the history of food, and how the authors figured this out for themselves in their own lives.
Be prepared to get a ton of unfamiliar information thrown at you, unless you, unlike me, are more educated when it comes to the historical aspects of food. The only thing I disliked about this book is it randomly tells the reader the ending to Anna Karenina. I think books shouldn't give away endings or important events in other books, especially such a well known novel as Anna Karenina. They should have given some sort of "spoiler alert" to the reader, in my opinion. Otherwise, this is quite a fascinating book when it comes to learning about the history of food, and how the authors figured this out for themselves in their own lives.
This book is really just a series of anecdotes more or less related to food, organized like a calendar, one per day for an entire year. It reads a bit like a dinner conversation with the most interesting guests in the world.
Some of the bits are better than others, but on the whole, they're quite good. It makes for an unusual book to read start to finish, but I was captivated.
Most sections are authored by both James and Kay (herself an accomplished writer) but there are several that are signed J.S. or K.S. James Salter was probably the greatest wordsmith alive for much of his life, but his minimalist, pointed prose isn't to be found here. This is a much more conversational tone, even in the sections specifically attributed to him.
It's a weird book, but a good one. I share the Salters' love for fresh, simply prepared food, and also their love of travel, so this was pretty much in my wheelhouse. I even made one of the recipes in this book (the spaghetti carbonara) and it was indeed quite good. I recommend this for the foodie in your life.
Some of the bits are better than others, but on the whole, they're quite good. It makes for an unusual book to read start to finish, but I was captivated.
Most sections are authored by both James and Kay (herself an accomplished writer) but there are several that are signed J.S. or K.S. James Salter was probably the greatest wordsmith alive for much of his life, but his minimalist, pointed prose isn't to be found here. This is a much more conversational tone, even in the sections specifically attributed to him.
It's a weird book, but a good one. I share the Salters' love for fresh, simply prepared food, and also their love of travel, so this was pretty much in my wheelhouse. I even made one of the recipes in this book (the spaghetti carbonara) and it was indeed quite good. I recommend this for the foodie in your life.