To Die for

by Stephen Downes

In this celebration of food and eating, Stephen Downes leads readers through the 100 food experiences that they must have before they die, based on his own culinary encounters, and his astonishing food knowledge and expertise.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm stopping reading this book halfway through for several reasons:

1. The descriptions of some of the foods have made me want to dry retch. I'm sure if I lived in another country, and several decades ago, I'd be fine with eating brains, bladders (always with that delicious urine aftertaste), and all sorts but... no. I wanted to read this to get excited about eating abroad. Now I think I might live off crumpets and pears for the next month or two. And I don't care how eye-wateringly delicious foie gras is: people who eat it, cook it, sell it, or raise animals in such a way are fucking monsters.

2. I can't stand the writing voice. Being smug, arrogant *and* self-depreciatory in the same paragraph does not work well.

3. He just described the ideal colour of a sauce as "the colour of an american basketballer".


Some of the entries were lovely. I liked the attention to Australian cooking, and I'm sure that if I were to continue reading it I'd find a few more things to enjoy. A lot of the entries include descriptions of how the recipes/combinations came about which I really enjoyed reading. Ultimately, I don't think this book is a one-star book in any singular aspect. Stylistically it is hit-and-miss, the stories are great, and the man obviously knows his food.

However...

I feel ill.

[Batur · Rating 3 out of 5]

a Gourmand awarded book, not for only cook...