Reading so many recent comments from fans of Anthony Bourdain's books, I was glad I'd ordered two books by Ruth Reichl because I was obviously a latecomer to food writing. But then I remembered all the cookbooks I read in the car while we drove from NYC to our weekend house in Pennsylvania in the 1960s. Those cookbooks contained way more than recipes. I read of Myra Waldo's travels, James Beard's comments on fish, Elsie Masterton's experiences running a B&B in New England, and much more. And as I said in an earlier post (I think), by the time we reached the supermarket in New Jersey, I knew what we'd be eating that weekend.
I've finished one of the Ruth Reichl books—
Delicious! A Novel. I enjoyed it. Great characters, a strong NYC vibe, and lots and lots of talk about food. The other book I bought by her is one of her memoirs,
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table. I haven't started that one yet.
![Delicious!: A Novel by [Reichl, Ruth]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51g%2B8gllbuL.jpg)
I think the last book group I went to was last year, when we read Gabrielle Hamilton's Blood, Bones, and Butter, which I mention in part because some of it takes place in Pennsylvania.
ReplyDeleteI looked it up, and it sounds good. I probably would have rejected it because of the title. The blood and bones don't bother me as much as the butter. Because I don't process animal fats well, and have had to be strict about not eating them, I've developed a real aversion. This is a problem with reading food writers, and also with watching cooking shows. By my standards, they overdo the good fats too. I like olive oil, but I always cringe when they finish a dish and then pour a shitload of it over the top.
DeleteI'm going to mention (briefly) one of her books too! I think I need to search this one out.
ReplyDeleteWe read her book with apples in the title (we=bookgroup) and while we loved the recipes*, none of us liked her.
ReplyDelete*I hosted and served about 4 recipes from the book.