Deb's review of Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
by Jenni Ferrari-Adler (Goodreads author!)

Deb's review

rating:

bookshelves: cookbooks, non-fiction

recommended for: foodies, people who eat weird things while alone

status: Read in February, 2008

I love this book. It's a collection of essays from various authors authors that so far revolve around eating on your own/cooking for yourself.

Already they've mentioned the Everychild Mexican Stand-off: this happens when a kid refuses to eat something and is forced to sit alone at the dinner table for hours until a) they eat it, b) the parents give up in disgust or c) the paddling begins. I've been quite familiar with each of these steps since I declared about 3/4 of foods to be "gross" when I was 7 or so (I've since learned that this was mainly a reaction to my mother's cooking and have overcome most of my picky eating). One time my frustrated parents even put me in an empty bathtub with my uneaten dinner, although I can't for the life of me figure out what I was supposed to learn from that. Perhaps they needed the table for something else...

Following the paragraph on being spanked for not eating dinner, however, is an adult's-eye view of the situation: the author now...more I love this book. It's a collection of essays from various authors authors that so far revolve around eating on your own/cooking for yourself.

Already they've mentioned the Everychild Mexican Stand-off: this happens when a kid refuses to eat something and is forced to sit alone at the dinner table for hours until a) they eat it, b) the parents give up in disgust or c) the paddling begins. I've been quite familiar with each of these steps since I declared about 3/4 of foods to be "gross" when I was 7 or so (I've since learned that this was mainly a reaction to my mother's cooking and have overcome most of my picky eating). One time my frustrated parents even put me in an empty bathtub with my uneaten dinner, although I can't for the life of me figure out what I was supposed to learn from that. Perhaps they needed the table for something else...

Following the paragraph on being spanked for not eating dinner, however, is an adult's-eye view of the situation: the author now realizes that her mother was extremely poor and that dinner was the last bit of food they had in the house. When she refused to eat it, and her mom lost it, it was because her mother had no idea where or when they'd be getting their next meal and her daughter was refusing to eat the last bit of food she could offer. It puts my picky eating to shame.

So, the essays are fantastic. Anne Patchett gives you permission to eat the weird concoctions that come from rustling up food without actually cooking it (there's a page on saltines as an author's manna) and Phoebe Nobles has a whole paragraph dedicated to the fumes that come from peeing after eating asparagus. I started the book on the bus yesterday and am about halfway-through now because I'm almost-literally devouring it. Literally will come when I make a few of the recipes that sneak in at the end of most essays...

While I was reading last night, I went to the kitchen and grabbed the half a cucumber left over from our Pastastargalactica dinner that night; then I gnawed on the cucumber like an apple. It was good....less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it) flag

comments (showing 1-1 of 1)

newest »

date

message 1: by Jenni-Lynn

02/13/2008 11:16AM

Loved your review of this book - makes me want to run out and get it. I'm a veteran of the dinner battles with one of my sons when he was younger. For more than 4 years, every single night...Now he's a teenager and I can't get him to STOP eating. Such is life. Thanks for the review - this one's going on my To-Read list.

flag *

Deb's review of Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

comments (showing 1-1 of 1)

flag abuse