Lustful Appetites: An Intimate History of Good Food and Wicked Sex

by Rachel Hope Cleves

We take the edible trappings of flirtation for chocolate covered strawberries and romance, oysters on the half shell and desire, the eggplant emoji and a suggestive wink. But why does it feel so natural for us to link food and sexual pleasure? Rachel Hope Cleves explores the long association between indulging in good food and an appetite for naughty sex, from the development of the Parisian restaurant as a place for men to meet with prostitutes and mistresses, to the role of sexual outlaws like bohemians, new women, lesbians and gay men in creating epicurean culture in Britain and the United States. Taking readers on a gastronomic journey from Paris and London to New York, Chicago and San Francisco, Lustful Appetites reveals how this preoccupation changed the ways we eat and the ways we are intimate―while also creating stigmas that persist well into our own twenty-first century.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Sexuality, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

Published January 28, 2025

Reviews

[Rachel Pollock]

I abandoned this so I won’t rate it. It’s interesting and well researched, but it was also depressing so I gave up.

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband Jordan handed me this book in a Barnes and Noble and we instantly took it home. This is a fascinating history of food + sex rooted in my favorite time period-- late 19th century France!

I highlighted interesting new facts on every page. I learned so much reading this book.

I was also left with a ton of questions, which the author never answered. I think this may have been an editing/continuity issue. By the end of the book it was kind of frustrating to feel confused all the time. Hence why this is 4 stars and not 5.

That said, I really appreciated this author's approach to telling this historical tale. The takes were nuanced, especially when concerning gender dynamics, linguistic specificity, and historical context.

This is a valuable addition to my special interest in the history of sexuality! Super glad Jordan discovered it for me.

[Kurt Leblanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting history of food. Highlights religion, and influence shaped our food in America. How restaurants became what they are now and a lot about early lgbtq and food! Was pretty interested to learn more. This book covers a lot. However it opens up some correlations I wouldn’t have put together.

[xim Sauriol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gastronomie et sexe = Bon sujet!

Mais, quand même plate. C'est écrit ordinairement comme, disons, un mémoire universitaire.
Reste qu'il y a des infos intéressantes.

(Et c'est plus difficile de rester attentif en livre audio comme ici.)

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched, but a little boring.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really dragged as an audiobook. The only part I found very interesting at all was the last third of this long history. I think I had a different idea of what this was going to be about.