Best Food Writing 2008

by Holly Hughes (Editor)

Best Food Writing 2008 once more 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 addressing everything from celebrated chefs to the travails of the home cook, and from erudite culinary history to food-inspired memoirs. By turns opinionated, evocative, nostalgic, sensuous, and just plain funny, it’s a tasty sampler to dip into time and again, whether you’re in the mood for foie gras or fruitcake. Like previous collections, Best Food Writing 2008 will include writers such as Colman Andrews, Anthony Bourdain, Frank Bruni, Bill Buford, Barbara Kingsolver, Madhur Jaffrey, Ruth Reichl, Raymond Sokolov, Jeffrey Steingarten, and many others.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Essays, Food Writing, Cooking, Foodie, Cookbooks

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Holly Hughes has edited the annual Best Food Writing series since its inception in 2000. The author of Frommer's 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers, she lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Mindy Burroughs · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I rated this book four out of five stars, honestly, it’s the worst “best of” food writing compilation I’ve read yet. It’s the least diverse as far as author selection goes. like for real, how many essays does one compilation need from white guys making omlets or getting yelled at by chefs abroad? I’m glad that a lot of the toxic-masculinity hierarchy worship is less fashionable now than it was in 2008 but it’s weird how celebrated that exploitative restaurant culture was in this collection. Lots of post-Katrina rebuilding essays though, and those deserve all the stars.

[Rosiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caution: Best Food Writing 2008 may whet your appetite! The essays range from the intense: descriptions of life in the kitchens of some of the finest and most influential restaurants in America, to the heartwarming: a tale of red beans and rice that make you homesick for New Orleans, whether or not you've ever been there. Some are educational, covering topics like cloned meat and how to make the perfect braise, while others take on the political: the ban on foie gras sale in Chicago, and still others are ethical: dealing with the consequences of vegetarianism or eating only food produced locally. There is an aspect of voyeurism: Jess Thomson eats at Alinea so you don't have to; and Scott Gold embraces the Ecuadorian delicacy of roasted guinea pig. [return][return]The authors of the essays, all professional food writers, whisk you away with considerable skill to their own corner of the gastronomic universe. Holly Hughes did an admirable job in collecting and arranging this multi-course feast - I feel compelled to seek out her previous collections BFW 2000-2007. [return][return]Altogether, this book offers a multitude of perspectives that will not only make you crave the scrumptious edibles described therein, but will make you think differently about the food we eat - and how it connects us all.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like food and food culture, these "Best of..." collections are something to have on the shelf. I got this one from the library and I look forward to hunting previous editions down in used bookstores in the coming years.

The writing is...well..."The Best of" the food writing that I've been exposed to yet. These articles and snippets are almost as good as cooking and eating. They make you want to learn more, eat slower, and live with more intention.

I loved the stories about food politics, production, and the running of resturaunts. I could have done without the section on Chef profiles (I don't really care about the people or fame...just the food and it's culture), but luckily I could just skip that section with no negative impact on the rest of the book.

I'd like to have this collection on my shelf and I plan to piece it together over time. A great quick shot of foodie inspiration lies within.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

More uneven than I remember from past editions. Possibly the fault of the zeitgeist and not the editor. She writes in the forward that this year found everyone "gloomily debating how to fix our broken food system... everyone seems to have an opinion; no one seems to have a solution." Certainly the "Food Fight" section that leads off the book is yet more ranty Pollan fallout without direction. I also could have done with a lighter helping of requisite zany-celebrity chef exposes and meat-glutton confessions.

My favorite selections were timeless, focusing on simple ingredients and techniques, like the back-to-back odes to the perfect omelette. Other pieces that satisfied took on the issues of the day by profiling real food and real people. Illegal immigrants rising through the ranks in American kitchens, Asian street vendors, an heirloom poultry farmer, post-Katrina successes.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! It's a collection of essays from various publications around the country, and nearly all of them made me hungry. Because of it, I tried fried clams (not clam strips, but actual clams) with bellies. And I was both revolted and intrigued by cuy, which is guinea pig.

I love that many of the essays delve into the culture and history of a particular food and the people who make it. I love all the essays for healthy eating and slow food, juxtaposed with ones touting the beauty and deliciousness of fatty meat.

The only thing that annoyed me about the book after awhile was that so many of them were about food culture or restaurants post-Katrina. I can understand one essay, but 4-5?

Still, I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves food. By the way, I read the paperback version, not the Kindle edition, if that matters.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad a coworker found one of these editions in a giveaway stack at work and brought it to my attention. While, of course, there were some that weren't of that much interest to me, the majority were excellent and provided a great break between chapters of other books I was reading. Particular favorites in the '08 edition include "Roadtrip to Chinatown: Tasting Your Heritage, One Bite at a Time" by Eve M. Tai; "Yes, Virginia, They Do Eat Guinea Pigs" by Scott Gold (this was hilarious and not for the faint of palate); "Mangoes, Memories - and Motorcycles" by Sona Pai; "The Diary of a Lapsed Vegetarian" by Khyber Oser.

I will read more of these annual editions.

[Adele Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this year's Best Food Writing (I think I liked 2007's better). There are essays on everything food related, from the difficult restaurant business to why many vegetarians have started eating meat (there were tons of essays on meat this year, for some reason). I can't wait to make it downtown (New York) to check out the cured meats mentioned in The Salami Maker Who Fought the Law. I might even be inspired to find the Ecuadorian place (also in New York -- good thing I live here) to eat "cuy" (whole roasted guinea pig).

[Ananya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendously interesting articles - especially the one on Alinea, the food/science/art envelope-pushing restaurant in Chicago.

I also loved the piece on David Chang (or is it Cheng?) and his team opening the most recent Momofuku restaurant, Ko.

So glad I own this - I'm going to go back and re-read pieces for sure.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may be that food writing itself is declining, but this volume is noticeably weaker than the previous installments in this series. Perhaps the struggle of magazines and print media is partly to blame. Hughes does include some online writing, but not from several of the best food sites (such as Serious Eats). I enjoyed it, but I was also disappointed.

[Joseph Carley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read with a nice variety of writing styles and topics. Most of the essays are 3-5 pages. A little heavy on the "praise of pork" essays, but the editor explains the essay choices in an understandable manner. The editor managed to avoid filling the book with "farm to table" essays, which I appreciated, since that topic is already over-played.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this compilation every year, and this one was not up to the usual standard. I don't know if it's because of the decline of magazines, generally, or just that this year's topics didn't interest me as much. I read food blogs A LOT, so it shouldn't be just because blogs are included (although maybe they don't translate to book form). I'm looking forward to 2009!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is rollicking fun. And "Waiterly Conduct," the piece by Jess Thomson about Chicago restaurant Alinea, specifically made me want to share it with a certain friend named Eden.

[Jules Nyquist]

reading mostly for ideas for my food writing class...

[Ann Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had many great essays on food. If you're a foodie, enjoy watching the Food Network, and/or Top Chef, I highly recommend this entertaining compendium.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good parts and bad parts. Skip the parts you don't like!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

light and fun. Kept making me hungry!

[Kerith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This set of essays was one of the best yet.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book of short stories about food!

[SarahEmily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't read every single article, but I read most of them. Fascinating!