8th out of 469 books
—
977 voters
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
by
Ruth Reichl
At an early age, Ruth Reichl discovered that "food could be a way of making sense of the world. . . . If you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were." Her deliciously crafted memoir, Tender at the Bone, is the story of a life determined, enhanced, and defined in equal measure by a passion for food, unforgettable people, and the love of tales well told....more
Paperback, 282 pages
Published
March 2nd 1999
by Broadway
(first published February 17th 1998)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Let me say first of all that this book made me realize (sadly) just how dull my own life has been. Ruth Reichl has certainly had an interesting and rather bohemian lifestyle, picking up and traveling here and there without much deliberation and tasting all manner of exotic dishes. There's a real sense of joy in that. The freedom! The unconventionality!
Since cooking is most definitely NOT my thing, the recipes were incidental to me. It was Ruth's lifestyle and relationships that interested me muc...more
Since cooking is most definitely NOT my thing, the recipes were incidental to me. It was Ruth's lifestyle and relationships that interested me muc...more
Feb 24, 2013
Lisa (Harmonybites)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyeone
Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by:
Ultimate Reading List - Biography
This is a memoir built around food--and as Reichl put it, she decided that instead of pictures she'd give recipes throughout to paint a picture of her relationships. The Author's Note tells us, "Everything here is true, but it may not be entirely factual. In some cases I have compressed events; in others I have made two people into one. I have occasionally embroidered." That sort of thing usually bugs the hell out of me. It didn't here. Maybe because Reichl was open about it from the beginning--...more
Reichl is the editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, and this is her memoir about "Growing up at the table." As she tells the stories of her life, growing up with a manic depressive mother, going to boarding school in Montreal, and surviving in a commune in Berkeley, she includes recipes she loves and describes her unique and constant connection with food. Reichl is a good story-teller, and I look forward to trying some of her recipes. I was, however, deeply disturbed by the portrayal of her mothe...more
Having thoroughly enjoyed Garlic and Sapphires, I was thrilled to find this first of Reichl's memoirs on the 2-for-3 table at Barnes & Noble.
In the preface, Reichl admits to modifying certain stories for dramatic effect. But unless she's made entire years out of whole cloth, she's lived one hell of an interesting life. Throughout it all, the power of a meal -- sometimes spectacular, sometimes spectacularly bad -- has been a constant.
And to be honest, I don't care if the tale's been embroider...more
In the preface, Reichl admits to modifying certain stories for dramatic effect. But unless she's made entire years out of whole cloth, she's lived one hell of an interesting life. Throughout it all, the power of a meal -- sometimes spectacular, sometimes spectacularly bad -- has been a constant.
And to be honest, I don't care if the tale's been embroider...more
My cousin Colette recently recommended this book and I am really enjoying it. It is a memoir by Ruth Reichl, who is Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet magazine. She is the only child of a manic-depressive mother, who is a absolutely horrendous cook, but doesn't know it and always makes her guests sick with her creations, even scraping mold off old food before adding it to a casserole dish! She learns to cook from other people and loves every minute in the kitchen. I can say without reservation that her...more
What a life! Being banished to learn French at a boarding school in Montreal? Lunatic New York mother fixing spoiled sea urchin and suckling pig? Traipsing through Morocco? Working and living in lunatic communes in Berkeley? And all the while eating, eating, eating.
Ruth Reichl lives to cook and eat and feed people. Not a shabby life!
I liked this MUCH better than her [Comfort Me With Apples] by the way. Call me wimpy but... coming of age, getting married, finding your life passion-- that's a muc...more
Ruth Reichl lives to cook and eat and feed people. Not a shabby life!
I liked this MUCH better than her [Comfort Me With Apples] by the way. Call me wimpy but... coming of age, getting married, finding your life passion-- that's a muc...more
Great memoir by a restaurant critic. She has used food as a vehicle and a metaphor to talk about her life, often jumping from place to place and time period to time period, leaving you to fill in the gaps between recipes and memories of meals she cooked and ate. Most interesting I think is the story of her college roommate who was of West Indian descent. Later on her parents admitted that she was adopted and was actually the child of a black man and a white woman. Her roommate quickly shed her W...more
The memoirs of food writers have a particular poignancy, for the child really is father to the man. The tale of the growth and development of appetite, while always personal and specific, is universally interesting -- as is proved by the work of writers as various as Jeffrey Steingarten, A. J. Liebling, Barbara Kafka and M. F. K. Fisher. But while all good food writers are humorous -- it's a feature of the genre -- few are so riotously, effortlessly entertaining as Ruth Reichl.
Unlike her counter...more
Unlike her counter...more
Well, how do I begin? Having grown up with a bipolar mother myself (with a completely different set of manic triggers and vehicles), I could certainly relate to the author. Also, similar age bracket...I believe Ms. Reichl may be a few years older. But there the twain shall never meet. She grew up in New York, is Jewish, and loved cooking. I grew up in a military family (my father was an officer in the Air Force), was forced into hideously damaging atheism via Ayn Rand, related more to my Souther...more
What a treat of a book. The book includes many of the recipes author Ruth Reichl grew up with as well as the stories behind the people who created them. An autobiography of perfect portions, just enough humor and wit, seasoned with interesting locations, characters and experiences. There is a small town, feel good sort of a groove one gets when reading this book. It’s not only enjoyable but also educational.
As I read it I made many of the recipes I found on the pages, each one was a delight. My...more
As I read it I made many of the recipes I found on the pages, each one was a delight. My...more
Charming and amusing account of how food critic Reichl got tuned into cooking through her family experiences and explorations in her young adult period. Her manic depressive mother was hopeless as a cook, even dangerous, as when she wasn’t using canned ingredients, she used bargain foods dangerously past their expiration dates. Instead, her inspiration came from an elderly aunt and her maid. What she learned at an early age she used to great advantage in her teen years to draw a good social crow...more
The culinary memoirs I've read prior to this one have been written by a different sort of chef. Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Marcus Samuelsson. With that kind of background, it's probably not too surprising that I feel let down by Reichl's first memoir. The beginnings (of both the book and her life) were pretty good. Interesting, fun, funny, and one anecdote seemed to lead to the next easily. The stories of Alice and Aunt Birdie were the best parts of the book. My main complaint with the early ye...more
I really enjoyed this memoir which centered around the author's discovery of her passion for food of varying types and styles. Ruth Reichl is clearly a strong writer and makes the people who populate her pages feel like old friends. Characters are clearly--sometimes starkly--drawn and handled with (apologies!) the tenderness indicated in the title. Reichl clearly loves the people who she chose to include in these pages; some for better than others! Even when recounting stories which seem dysfunc...more
“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Ruth Reichl was Editor-in-chief of “Gourmet” magazine. Bringing her writing skills to novelistic form, she makes her eccentric mother, long-suffering but oblivious father, knowing stepbrother and the various personalities she encountered in her existence live in this tale about food, family and obsessions.
Ms. Reichl realized quite young that you can learn a lot about people from watching how and what they a...more
Ruth Reichl was Editor-in-chief of “Gourmet” magazine. Bringing her writing skills to novelistic form, she makes her eccentric mother, long-suffering but oblivious father, knowing stepbrother and the various personalities she encountered in her existence live in this tale about food, family and obsessions.
Ms. Reichl realized quite young that you can learn a lot about people from watching how and what they a...more
I think I love Ruth Reichl — and yes, I’m saying this in a completely gushy way.
Yes, she’s one of the most influential food critics of our time, but what I like best about her is her writing.
In her memoir, “Tender at the Bone,” she describes how “food could be a way of making sense of the world” and you’re introduced to the characters in her life — and how, they in turn, introduced her to her love of cooking.
Beginning with her mother, the Queen of Mold — a manic depressive who refused to think a...more
Yes, she’s one of the most influential food critics of our time, but what I like best about her is her writing.
In her memoir, “Tender at the Bone,” she describes how “food could be a way of making sense of the world” and you’re introduced to the characters in her life — and how, they in turn, introduced her to her love of cooking.
Beginning with her mother, the Queen of Mold — a manic depressive who refused to think a...more
I liked Garlic and Sapphires better, but, I truly enjoyed reading this food memoir. It helped me understand and appreciate Garlic and Sapphires even better! The fragile poignant moments of self discovery through cooking were delicious. The recipes, caused me to become prolific in the kitchen...I couldn't resist the veal, and Gary and I supped divinely on chicken, potato salad and other delights. I think this would be a fun Book club read, if everyone brought one of their favorite recipes and we...more
It's nearly impossible to read Ruth Reichl's memoir of her childhood and early adulthood without hearing your stomach growl. Her book is often funny, very touching and filled to the brim with tales of discovering great food and recipes for the dishes that shaped her life's path. The book follows Reichl's life from her tumultuous childhood through her self-exploration in her early 20's. Tales flow from her days at a Canadian boarding school, her years living essentially on her own as a high schoo...more
I discovered this book through a "blind date" program at my local public library in Maplewood, NJ. Unlike many other readers, I had never read any of the author's restaurant reviews as I am new to New Jersey. Right up front I must confess that it was my love for biographies, travel, personal perspectives on history, and storyweaving that made me like this book, rather than any interest in food or recipes. I was brought up more gourmand than gourmet, and my preference for bland taste and limitati...more
Ah Ruth. Like Kim Severson (See my last review), I have a total girlcrush on Ruth Reichl. It goes back to when I was in the Columbia Publishing Course, and my magazine project team made a food magazine called "ginger" that was about bringing Asian cuisine into the american home kitchen, in an authentic way. (I think we phrased this worse back then, if you can believe it.) And the head of the CPC took our mockup and showed it to Ruth, and said she LOVED it. Sadly, never verified this and never go...more
My friend Megan gave me this book a while ago, when I had my wisdom teeth removed, and I'm so glad she did! "Tender at the Bone" is the really sweet, rich memoir of Ruth Reichl, renowned food and wine writer and last editor-in-chief of the now departed Gourmet magazine.
Ruth is a witty writer, and there were lots of moments when I laughed out loud as I read her remembrances of her eccentric mother, "The Queen of Mold," and the other quirky characters in her life. Despite a conservative upbringin...more
Ruth is a witty writer, and there were lots of moments when I laughed out loud as I read her remembrances of her eccentric mother, "The Queen of Mold," and the other quirky characters in her life. Despite a conservative upbringin...more
Light, yet rich and tasty. Restaurant critic Ruth Reichl's memoir is all of these. Easy to read, yet filled with insight and well-rounded characters. The author's mother suffered from manic depression, and one way it manifested itself was in bizarre - and often downright poisonous - culinary creations. The author describes herself as having been shaped by her mother's handicap, beginning at an early age to use food as a way of making sense of the world. She effectively conveys this food-sense in...more
I haven't read any of Ms. Reichl's previous books. But this one received glowing reviews so I figured it was a must read. That said, I wish I could have given it a half star, so my review would be 2 1/2 stars instead of three.
She has an amazing way with words. I love her descriptions, and came to feel like some of the people in her books were old friends. But--in the end I was getting a little impatient to be finished. I grew a little weary of her parading her philosophies. Not everyone who gre...more
She has an amazing way with words. I love her descriptions, and came to feel like some of the people in her books were old friends. But--in the end I was getting a little impatient to be finished. I grew a little weary of her parading her philosophies. Not everyone who gre...more
Again, so wonderful! Her descriptions of the food are so magical I can taste everything. To live in Berkley near Chez Panisse, to eat at Ma Maison when Puck was just getting his foot in the door, to go to France and happen upon cheese that has become a myth, to be introduced to balsamic vinegar when almost no one in the US has even heard of it, what a journey and I am so glad I am along for the ride! I am starting Comfort me with Apples and I am already sad that it will come to an end.
What a lovely peek into the life of Ruth Reichl! Perhaps it's a given that those of us who grow up in homes where food is simply sustenance will one day be people who love food. Reading about Reichl's childhood meals, scavenged from sales and served as one large mismatched entree admittedly turned my stomach a bit. I turned green with envy when Reichl visited a school friend whose father knew how to eat, and all of a sudden a whole new world was opened up to her. I thoroughly enjoyed Reichl's jo...more
Another thrift shop find....and what I really wanted to read was Ruth's accounts of being a food editor at the NY Times (I heard her interviewed about this book multiple times on NPR, but I took what I could get. And I ended up being very pleased that I chose this book. I've read a lot of memoirs in the past few years, but this one was really fascinating, giving a good background to a fascination with, and love of, a variety of tastes.
I was also amazed at how fearless Ruth was. From her travels...more
I was also amazed at how fearless Ruth was. From her travels...more
I've never read Ruth Reichl's food column, and the recipes included in this book don't tempt me - maybe if I was a more seasoned cook - ! but I liked her writing, I enjoyed her story-telling, and I found myself staying up past my bedtime to finish the last couple of chapters.
Writing your memoirs has got to be the trickiest writing job of all; you need a healthy dollop of conceit to actually think anyone would want to read them, but if your self-conceit is obvious, nobody WILL want to read them....more
Writing your memoirs has got to be the trickiest writing job of all; you need a healthy dollop of conceit to actually think anyone would want to read them, but if your self-conceit is obvious, nobody WILL want to read them....more
Wonderful memoir of the editor of "Gourmet" magazine. (I found it for 10 cents at a garage sale and I'm so gald I did.) I've never heard of this woman but she's led a fascinating life. One would expect someone who grows up to be such an accomplished foodie must have been the child of chef or at least a halfway decent cook but Ruth's mother's fare was much closer to food poisoning than haute cuisine!
Bonus: This book is peppered with Ruth's favorite recipes from different times in her life - she p...more
Bonus: This book is peppered with Ruth's favorite recipes from different times in her life - she p...more
Suka!!! Buku ini berisi memoir Ruth Reichl sejak Ruth kecil hingga berusia menjelang 30 tahun. Dalam setiap bab ada resep masakan yang dipelajari Ruth dari orang-orang di sekitarnya. Dari ibunya, si Queen of Mold. Dari nenek, para pembantu, teman-teman dan orang-orang yang dia jumpai dalam perjalanan hidupnya. Kreativitas Ruth dalam memasak mungkin diperoleh dari ibunya yang super kreatif dalam mencampur-campur bahan makanan tapi hasilnya? Ruth kecil sibuk menjadi polisi makanan, mencegah para t...more
I started Comfort Me With Apples while staying at Syl and Gary's house, and she made me put it down after a chapter or two because she said I should read the first one first. So, I made myself go get Tender at the Bone from the library, tried racing through it so I could resume reading Comfort. Turns out the first book is interesting because it is about her high school and college experiences, including time spent in Ann Arbor at U Mich, and time spent picking morel mushrooms on the lawns of hou...more
I love food writing. It effectively combines 2 of my favorite things. To me, there are few things more agreeable then a good food memoir. Book # 8, Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl, the former editor of Gourmet magazine, has been one of the most enjoyable, and easily likeable I've read. Because though this book is essentially about food, it's really about life and how a good meal is more then just nourishment for our bodies, but is a rich experience that can create memories and change our lives...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Ruth Reichl is an American food writer, the editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine and culinary editor for the Modern Library.
Born to parents Ernst and Miriam (née Brudno), she was raised in New York City and spent time at a boarding school in Montreal. She attended the University of Michigan, where she met her first husband, the artist Douglas Hollis. She graduated in 1970 with a M.A. in art history...more
More about Ruth Reichl...
Born to parents Ernst and Miriam (née Brudno), she was raised in New York City and spent time at a boarding school in Montreal. She attended the University of Michigan, where she met her first husband, the artist Douglas Hollis. She graduated in 1970 with a M.A. in art history...more
Share This Book
3 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“She was a great cook, but she cooked more for herself than for other people, not because she was hungry but because she was comforted by the rituals of the kitchen.”
—
5 people liked it
More quotes…

Loading...










view 1 comment




















