Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Best Food Writing 2009
by
Holly Hughes
Best Food Writing 2009 authoritatively and appealingly assembles the finest culinary prose from the past year’s books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and Web sites. This anthology features both established food writers and rising stars cooking up everything from erudite culinary history to food-inspired memoirs. By turns opinionated, evocative, sensuous, and just plai...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
November 10th 2009
by Da Capo Lifelong Books
(first published 2009)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
253)
After reading several year's worth of Best Food Writing anthologies, I can't tell if I'm becoming more critical, or if the writing that is featured in this annual compilation is going downhill. I remember picking up the first volume of this and being wowed by the breadth and thoughtfulness of the writing, and the inclusion of several fairly intellectual, touching, or poetic works.
The first third of the 2009 edition was awful. 500 word spiels about barbecue restaurants in West Texas (no offense...more
The first third of the 2009 edition was awful. 500 word spiels about barbecue restaurants in West Texas (no offense...more
I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but I probably will after finishing this one. There's a nice selection of essays in several categories (Food Fights, Stocking the Pantry, and so on). Some categories were less interesting to me than others, but there's a nice balance of topics. If you read a lot about food, some of the essays feel dated (artisinal-local-slow-foodie stuff). Some standouts included "The Last of the Great $10 Steaks," part restaurant review/part memoir; "Kitchen...more
A fantastic read. It made me want to get back in my kitchen, even though I've only left if a few hours ago. The recipes included in some of the essays are mouth-watering and I can't wait to try my version of them.
A WONDERFUL read, but this collection includes too many articles (from The NY Times, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, The New Yorker, and other popular publications) that I had already read. I was looking for new (to me), exciting voices, and I found some, but I am sure that there were even better articles wrtten in 2009 that were overlooked. Standouts for me were Anna Ciezadlo's "They Remember Home" about Iraqi refugees in Lebanon and Tim Carman's "How Not to Hire a Chef".
This year's annual was weaker than any other, in my opinion. But I think that's mostly because of the state of food writing. Many of the topics become "preachy" quite easily.
Still very worth a read!
Still very worth a read!
WHY I PICKED IT UP:
Enjoyed BFW 2008, and I felt compelled to travel with my Nook instead of my Kindle. I wasn't going to re-buy books for my Nook, but I hadn't picked this up for my Kindle yet.
NOW THAT I'VE READ IT:
As expected, great reading. Every piece is interesting, poignant, well-written. The collection as a whole is varied, both in terms of content and style. Picking up one of these collections is a great way to expose yourself to a wide variety of food writing styles, and a great way to d...more
Enjoyed BFW 2008, and I felt compelled to travel with my Nook instead of my Kindle. I wasn't going to re-buy books for my Nook, but I hadn't picked this up for my Kindle yet.
NOW THAT I'VE READ IT:
As expected, great reading. Every piece is interesting, poignant, well-written. The collection as a whole is varied, both in terms of content and style. Picking up one of these collections is a great way to expose yourself to a wide variety of food writing styles, and a great way to d...more
Had to read this for my food and travel writing class back in 2010. Loved it. Great collection of stories in here!
Why did I wait so long to read one of the books in this series (aside from a ridiculous overload of reading materials)? Although some of the selections are, predictably, more compelling than others, few of them failed to make me hungry for whatever food was under discussion--Mexican, BBQ, French toast, cheese (OK, not oysters or Japanese cocktails). And now I'm seriously considering subscribing to Saveur and Gastronomica, from which most of the very best pieces came (not that I'll ever have time...more
Pardon the metaphor . . . but this is better nibbled at than devoured straight through.
Always good for an airplane or the tube.
Best book of the series yet.
A well chosen collection of food writing from 2009. Covers a variety of topics and a great group of authors. A fun and easy read!
May 20, 2010
Yoko7618
added it
to read
I enjoyed this collection of stories, many culled from magazines and websites. Often there is a "hit or miss" feeling with collections, I thought this selection truly did represent the cream of the crop. My favorite of the batch was "Last Meal," a poignant account of a father and son's bonding through food.
another good best american collection - the middle newspaper writers are a bit much... but some of the more famous personalities and excerpts were great to see in one collection.
May 25, 2013
Liza
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Keeley Sheehan
marked it as to-read
May 04, 2013
Debbie
added it
May 02, 2013
Elaine
marked it as to-read
Apr 28, 2013
R.
is currently reading it
Apr 18, 2013
Alex Hershon
added it
Apr 11, 2013
Baran Ozkan
marked it as to-read
Mar 30, 2013
Josie
is currently reading it
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
