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Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers
Named a Best Cookbook of the Year by Martha Stewart Living
"Magnificent illustrations add spirit to recipes and heartfelt narratives. Plan to buy two copies—one for you and one for your best foodie friend." —Taste of Home
This collection of intimate, illustrated essays by some of America’s most well–regarded literary writers explores how comfort food can help us cope with dark times—be it the loss of a parent, the loneliness of a move, or the pain of heartache.Lev Grossman explains how he survived on “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey” General Tso’s tofu after his divorce. Carmen Maria Machado describes her growing pains as she learned to feed and care for herself during her twenties. Claire Messud tries to understand how her mother gave up dreams of being a lawyer to make “a dressed salad of tiny shrimp and avocado, followed by prune–stuffed pork tenderloin.” What makes each tale so moving is not only the deeply personal revelations from celebrated writers, but also the compassion and healing behind the the taste of hope."If you've ever felt a deep, emotional connection to a recipe or been comforted by food during a dark time, you'll fall in love with these stories."—Martha Stewart Living“Eat Joy is the most lovely food essay book . . . This is the perfect gift." —Joy Wilson (Joy the Baker)
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2019
180 people are currently reading
5595 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Eve Garrett
3 books43 followersNatalie Eve Garrett is an artist and a writer. She's the editor of THE LONELY STORIES, a cathartic collection of personal essays from 22 celebrated writers about the joys and struggles of being alone, out now from Catapult. She's also the editor of EAT JOY (Catapult, 2019), a collection of stories exploring how food can help us cope in dark times, and THE ARTISTS' AND WRITERS' COOKBOOK (pH Books, 2016), a collection of stories with recipes. A graduate of Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design, Natalie lives with her husband, two children, and their puppy, Zephyr, in a little town near DC, along the Potomac River.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
July 10, 2020
That I started reading Eat Joy on the first full day of pandemic lockdown was no coincidence. In those days of raw uncertainty (as opposed to these days of weary uncertainty) what could be more appealing than the idea of a joy so present, so tangible, you could eat it? The contributors to Eat Joy are mostly acclaimed authors (including Carmen Maria Machado, Colum McCann, Nick Flynn, Mira Jacob) and their excellent essays portray sorrow, fear, ambivalence, hopelessness—until, of course, food and cooking swoop in to save the day. Some of the recipes aren't legit—see Anthony Doerr's brownie mix plus water, which he ate with a spoon while on a camping trip—but most of them are, and many of them sound delicious. The illustrations are beautiful and my only complaint is that there aren't more of them. There's something about food writing that's so comforting; maybe it's just the acknowledgment that something that's so necessary can also be the source of so much pleasure, "self-care" in both senses of the term. If that's what you're craving these days, I definitely recommend Eat Joy.
Thanks to the excellent publisher Catapult for the review copy. As always, my opinions are my own.
Thanks to the excellent publisher Catapult for the review copy. As always, my opinions are my own.
October 18, 2020
I noticed this review from GR friend Jenny, and since we share a love of books about food and cooking, I knew I had to download this one. She even included the fact that she found this on Hoopla, so that made it easy.
It's a book of essays by 31 different authors on comfort food that got them through difficult times in their life, including recipes at the end of each essay. For the most part, the food is simple and the recipes easy, especially the one about a rainy camping trip. Brownie mix and water, stir and eat with a spoon. Some of these were fun, some sad, but always good reading. I just read a couple each day and enjoyed them all.
My own easy comfort food is boxed Mac and Cheese, the Velveeta brand. Thanks Jenny.
It's a book of essays by 31 different authors on comfort food that got them through difficult times in their life, including recipes at the end of each essay. For the most part, the food is simple and the recipes easy, especially the one about a rainy camping trip. Brownie mix and water, stir and eat with a spoon. Some of these were fun, some sad, but always good reading. I just read a couple each day and enjoyed them all.
My own easy comfort food is boxed Mac and Cheese, the Velveeta brand. Thanks Jenny.
September 23, 2021
When I was a kid and already an avid reader, some of the most readily available material in the house to keep me entertained was my dad's longtime collection of Reader's Digest magazines. This was before the readership got so old that half the stories came to be about fiber intake and UV rays and rare diseases. But when I was a kid, vintage copies from the 60s and 70s seemed to feature all kinds of zany stories about camping trips, natural phenomenons and exotic locations, instead. Or so I remember them.
Even flashier topics would appear on occasion - hammerhead sharks! gem mining! ghosts! - but, from one month to the next, a pretty sure value could also be found in the family anecdotes that always counted for a sizeable chunk of the total content. These came in various lengths, sometimes so short as to be found at the very bottom of pages, underneath other items; convenient quips. The tone was consistently light and mild. The vocabulary level set the bar just right for me. My dad's old copies - row after row of them - were just perfect for a curious 10-year-old.
Now this is meant as a compliment, trust me, but Eat Joy captures the feeling I remember from reading mildly witty family anecdotes in old copies of Reader's Digest before things took a turn for the geriatric. That was decades ago.
I may be less of an easy customer for cutesy family stories than I used to, nowadays. There's something therapeutic about this collection that will attract a better public than me. But seeing how gentle Eat Joy remains in tone, how short and sincere its personal essays are, the book does soothe, I can vouch for that. I received this title as a gift; it easily worked its benevolent magic and felt like an extended hug. This is on top of reaching far enough and wide enough around the globe to feature food traditions and perspectives that made me perk up on several occasions.
Every writer featured in this collection ends his or her handful of pages with a (very) simple recipe. Will I try some of them? Sure. Did my favorite writers come up with the most attractive recipes? Nope! Well, not always. That was to be expected, wasn't it?
Colum McCann makes chocolate cake, though.
Even flashier topics would appear on occasion - hammerhead sharks! gem mining! ghosts! - but, from one month to the next, a pretty sure value could also be found in the family anecdotes that always counted for a sizeable chunk of the total content. These came in various lengths, sometimes so short as to be found at the very bottom of pages, underneath other items; convenient quips. The tone was consistently light and mild. The vocabulary level set the bar just right for me. My dad's old copies - row after row of them - were just perfect for a curious 10-year-old.
Now this is meant as a compliment, trust me, but Eat Joy captures the feeling I remember from reading mildly witty family anecdotes in old copies of Reader's Digest before things took a turn for the geriatric. That was decades ago.
I may be less of an easy customer for cutesy family stories than I used to, nowadays. There's something therapeutic about this collection that will attract a better public than me. But seeing how gentle Eat Joy remains in tone, how short and sincere its personal essays are, the book does soothe, I can vouch for that. I received this title as a gift; it easily worked its benevolent magic and felt like an extended hug. This is on top of reaching far enough and wide enough around the globe to feature food traditions and perspectives that made me perk up on several occasions.
Every writer featured in this collection ends his or her handful of pages with a (very) simple recipe. Will I try some of them? Sure. Did my favorite writers come up with the most attractive recipes? Nope! Well, not always. That was to be expected, wasn't it?
Colum McCann makes chocolate cake, though.
July 5, 2020
I found this collection in Hoopla - tiny little personal stories of food and comfort. Spoiler alert - it is rarely fancy food. This isn't a cookbook although some of the essays include recipes (one is for just-add-water brownies.) It was good for my mood!
September 30, 2019
I found this book very comforting for myself. These are moments of grief or sadness that various writers have experienced with comforts foods which made them feel better. I quite enjoyed reading this book, and I highly recommend it to all!
November 29, 2019
------------------VIDEO REVIEW------------------
If you're interested in seeing me use a couple of these recipes and review the book, you can check out my video review :)
28/11/19
Such an emotional and raw collection of stories, showcasing how food can heal and connect us to our past. My video review will be up on my Youtube channel tomorrow.
You can find me on
Youtube | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Website
If you're interested in seeing me use a couple of these recipes and review the book, you can check out my video review :)
28/11/19
Such an emotional and raw collection of stories, showcasing how food can heal and connect us to our past. My video review will be up on my Youtube channel tomorrow.
You can find me on
Youtube | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Website
March 18, 2021
I devoured these essays on the comfort of food!
What I expected: A book of fluffy, feel-good essays with recipes that I would pick up occasionally and read one or two essays.
What I experienced: A book of touching, insightful and engaging essays that I could not put down until I'd read them all! These are stories by 31 outstanding authors about how specific foods have gotten them through their growing-up years, helped with loss and grief, contributed to healing and helped them go home. With "recipes"! Some of these inspire me to cook them, and others may skirt the edges of the meaning of the word. Like opening a box of brownie mix, adding water and eating with a spoon out of the box. Or going to the convenience store, buying a bag of chips and a container of cottage cheese to eat the cheese by using the chips as a scoop.
Organized into four sections: Growing Pains, Loss, Healing and Homecoming. I loved them all! Some by authors I've read and some by authors I now want to read. With lovely illustrations by Meryl Rowin.
Recommended!
Why I'm reading this: Over the last year I've read mostly books that I've described as bookish comfort food. So why not read a book of essays about how food comforts and adds joy to life? Plus, with recipes!!!
What I expected: A book of fluffy, feel-good essays with recipes that I would pick up occasionally and read one or two essays.
What I experienced: A book of touching, insightful and engaging essays that I could not put down until I'd read them all! These are stories by 31 outstanding authors about how specific foods have gotten them through their growing-up years, helped with loss and grief, contributed to healing and helped them go home. With "recipes"! Some of these inspire me to cook them, and others may skirt the edges of the meaning of the word. Like opening a box of brownie mix, adding water and eating with a spoon out of the box. Or going to the convenience store, buying a bag of chips and a container of cottage cheese to eat the cheese by using the chips as a scoop.
Organized into four sections: Growing Pains, Loss, Healing and Homecoming. I loved them all! Some by authors I've read and some by authors I now want to read. With lovely illustrations by Meryl Rowin.
Recommended!
Why I'm reading this: Over the last year I've read mostly books that I've described as bookish comfort food. So why not read a book of essays about how food comforts and adds joy to life? Plus, with recipes!!!
September 5, 2019
This collection features intimate essays from incredible writers — including Alexander Chee, Melissa Febos, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Laura Van Den Berg — sharing the comfort foods that helped get them through tough times. As someone who has always seen cooking more of a cultural expression of self-love, I can certainly see how the act of preparing a home-cooked meal can also be therapeutic and remedial. While I didn’t always associate cooking as intimately as shown here, reading Laura’s essay on battling anorexia and seeing her mother through her health struggles with eggy cuisines and Melissa’s romantic, inward self-discovery through writing and the love of an old boyfriend, passion which manifests in a slow-roasted pork dish — despite her placid vegetarianism — really gave the domestic art a new sense of sentimentality.
I spent the night reading these stories and these recipes, many of which I’ll be filching for my own kitchen shenanigans soon enough.
Thanks, Catapult and Black Balloon Publishing, for gifting me with a finished copy!
I spent the night reading these stories and these recipes, many of which I’ll be filching for my own kitchen shenanigans soon enough.
Thanks, Catapult and Black Balloon Publishing, for gifting me with a finished copy!
August 6, 2021
The book features well-known authors sharing stories and recipes of foods that have meaning to them. Personally, I had more interest in the authors whose books I have read. A favorite of mine is Mira Jacobs, whose Indian heritage permeates her writing. In this book, she shares her recipe for making Chai. In her accompanying essay, she writes:
Something terrible has happened. "Let's make tea," your mother will say, and you will nod because this is how all of your life's disasters have tasted, like dark leaves and warm milk."
My own mother used to say the same thing to me. "Have a cup of tea" for whatever ailed me. Of course, the tea we made was nowhere near as elaborate (a Lipton's tea bag, steaming water and a slice of lemon).
This book will appeal to those readers who like food writing.
Something terrible has happened. "Let's make tea," your mother will say, and you will nod because this is how all of your life's disasters have tasted, like dark leaves and warm milk."
My own mother used to say the same thing to me. "Have a cup of tea" for whatever ailed me. Of course, the tea we made was nowhere near as elaborate (a Lipton's tea bag, steaming water and a slice of lemon).
This book will appeal to those readers who like food writing.
December 18, 2019
So maybe I went into this book expecting something different. Eat Joy: Stories and Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Authors is a compilation of shorts stories from various authors about comfort food. I found it to be an interesting concept to talk about how certain foods lock into our memories because they were a form of comfort during difficult times. And although I respected the effort and courage each author portrayed as I’m sure it wasn’t easy writing about moments of weakness and vulnerability, I just couldn’t find any “joy” or appeal in reading this book. Which leads me to say maybe the title is misleading? The stories were too short and most of the recipes were awful and disappointing. It was a relief to finish this book. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.
June 15, 2019
A wonderful and lovely collection of short autobiographical stories, centered around one of my favourite things—food! Complete with easy, homey recipes and reminisces about life and love, happiness, hardship and heartbreak, each piece is a bite-sized look into the interior lives of some of the world's most celebrated writers.
October 8, 2020
EAT JOY is a collection of food centered/adjacent essays written by well known authors where each entry is accompanied by lovely illustrations and a “recipe”. It is not a cookbook. You may pick up one or two ideas along the way but it includes basic recipes for things like white rice and brownie mix (LITERALLY packet brownie mix + water). Once you go into this collection with that in mind, you see what the editor set out to do in this volume and it becomes quite an interesting and offbeat book to explore.
The strong point of this anthology CANNOT be the recipes (obviously). For me it was a tie between the memories shared and the simple yet comforting watercolors of food that draped most pages. The book is divided into four sections under the themes of: Growing Pains, Loss, Healing, Homecoming. For the most part the authors who wrote for these sections delivered. However, admittedly some appeared to struggle to connect their food memory with a recipe and it sometimes felt forced. For some of the memories I speed read through because I could see the writer really didn’t put as much into it as some of the better stories there.
Overall, it was a solid collection with the usual drawbacks of presenting a mixed bag of entries. Some shone brightly and some could just have been edited out. The saving graces were that the strong entries were really great, the artistic pieces were appropriate and the themes tackled were timely and relatable (example mental health, death, breakups, family dynamics). If you are me and you don’t just eat to live, enjoy almost every cooking show out there and plan meals days in advance despite novice cooking skills, then give EAT JOY a whirl. It also makes for a lovely coffee table book that you can peruse even for the artwork alone.
The strong point of this anthology CANNOT be the recipes (obviously). For me it was a tie between the memories shared and the simple yet comforting watercolors of food that draped most pages. The book is divided into four sections under the themes of: Growing Pains, Loss, Healing, Homecoming. For the most part the authors who wrote for these sections delivered. However, admittedly some appeared to struggle to connect their food memory with a recipe and it sometimes felt forced. For some of the memories I speed read through because I could see the writer really didn’t put as much into it as some of the better stories there.
Overall, it was a solid collection with the usual drawbacks of presenting a mixed bag of entries. Some shone brightly and some could just have been edited out. The saving graces were that the strong entries were really great, the artistic pieces were appropriate and the themes tackled were timely and relatable (example mental health, death, breakups, family dynamics). If you are me and you don’t just eat to live, enjoy almost every cooking show out there and plan meals days in advance despite novice cooking skills, then give EAT JOY a whirl. It also makes for a lovely coffee table book that you can peruse even for the artwork alone.
November 24, 2019
3,5
Eat Joy is an anthology bringing together a great group of writers reminiscing about comfort food, food memories, and food which nurtures and sustains. It focusses on the simple meals. Broken up in four sections - Growing Pains, Loss, Healing, and Homecoming - each of the thirty-one writers contributes a brief essay and a recipe. The text is decorated with wonderful water-colour drawings.
Understandably, I was very excited about this book because 1) I love good food writing and 2) the author list includes some of my favourite writers. I did love reading Carmen Maria Machado's "Meals of My Twenties" in which she described how she learned to care for herself. I was touched by Rosie Schaap's "Friends, Grief, and Green Chilies" about a very special Passover meal and Edwidge Danticat's "A Grain of Comfort" about sharing the last meal with her dying father. Mira Jacob writes beautifully about the relationship with her mother in "Dark Leaves and Warm Milk". Natalie Baszile's "The Boudin Trail" is the last essay in the anthology and it takes some surprising turns. I still think about it.
But while I did indeed love some of the essays I did not enjoy the collection as much in total as I had hoped for. Maybe, it is because briefly before I had read The Best American Food Writing 2019 but quite a few of the texts left me wanting more in regards to food writing. Some texts just felt a bit bland or left a bitter aftertaste - not in any good sense (for example, when a straight white cis man writes about the one time he managed to feed his children - his wife is just naturally so much better with these things!).
Eat Joy is an anthology bringing together a great group of writers reminiscing about comfort food, food memories, and food which nurtures and sustains. It focusses on the simple meals. Broken up in four sections - Growing Pains, Loss, Healing, and Homecoming - each of the thirty-one writers contributes a brief essay and a recipe. The text is decorated with wonderful water-colour drawings.
Understandably, I was very excited about this book because 1) I love good food writing and 2) the author list includes some of my favourite writers. I did love reading Carmen Maria Machado's "Meals of My Twenties" in which she described how she learned to care for herself. I was touched by Rosie Schaap's "Friends, Grief, and Green Chilies" about a very special Passover meal and Edwidge Danticat's "A Grain of Comfort" about sharing the last meal with her dying father. Mira Jacob writes beautifully about the relationship with her mother in "Dark Leaves and Warm Milk". Natalie Baszile's "The Boudin Trail" is the last essay in the anthology and it takes some surprising turns. I still think about it.
But while I did indeed love some of the essays I did not enjoy the collection as much in total as I had hoped for. Maybe, it is because briefly before I had read The Best American Food Writing 2019 but quite a few of the texts left me wanting more in regards to food writing. Some texts just felt a bit bland or left a bitter aftertaste - not in any good sense (for example, when a straight white cis man writes about the one time he managed to feed his children - his wife is just naturally so much better with these things!).
November 26, 2019
2.5ish? Which I'm rounding up to 3 because of Colum McCann.
This is a book of essays about comfort food (and accompanying recipes). But it feels inconsistent. Some of the essays are beautiful and poignant, others feel like the essays one scrolls through when trying to get to the recipe at the bottom of the page on a food blog. I say this as someone who wrote many essays I'm sure other people scrolled through while reading my ill-conceived, briefly lived, and poorly photographed food blog. Maybe this book (sadly like many of the books this book club chooses) just isn't for me. Maybe I preferred the essays that were stories about food followed by a recipe, rather than recipes that had a long preamble to justify their existence.
That said, I loved a few of the essays:
- Leaves by Dina Abu-Jabar
- Long Sleeves, by Melissa Febos
- Meals of My Twenties by Carmen Maria Machado
- Dessert by Colum McCann (maybe my favorite--I'm not sad about buying this book because this essay exists)
- General Tso's Tofu by Lev Grossman (not only is the essay good, the recipe feels like a continuation of the essay)
- A Grain of Comfort by Edwidge Danticat (heartbreakingly beautiful)
- Calculated Destruction by Porochista Khakpour (like Lev Grossman's essay, the following recipe is an integral part of the piece)
- Depression Pickles by Maile Meloy
This is a book of essays about comfort food (and accompanying recipes). But it feels inconsistent. Some of the essays are beautiful and poignant, others feel like the essays one scrolls through when trying to get to the recipe at the bottom of the page on a food blog. I say this as someone who wrote many essays I'm sure other people scrolled through while reading my ill-conceived, briefly lived, and poorly photographed food blog. Maybe this book (sadly like many of the books this book club chooses) just isn't for me. Maybe I preferred the essays that were stories about food followed by a recipe, rather than recipes that had a long preamble to justify their existence.
That said, I loved a few of the essays:
- Leaves by Dina Abu-Jabar
- Long Sleeves, by Melissa Febos
- Meals of My Twenties by Carmen Maria Machado
- Dessert by Colum McCann (maybe my favorite--I'm not sad about buying this book because this essay exists)
- General Tso's Tofu by Lev Grossman (not only is the essay good, the recipe feels like a continuation of the essay)
- A Grain of Comfort by Edwidge Danticat (heartbreakingly beautiful)
- Calculated Destruction by Porochista Khakpour (like Lev Grossman's essay, the following recipe is an integral part of the piece)
- Depression Pickles by Maile Meloy
March 5, 2020
I love so many of the writers who contributed to this anthology I was prepared for the book to be one of my favorites. Sadly I wasn't moved by the short pieces that mentioned food but weren't really great food writing. Memory seemed to be the focus here with food occupying a small spot. There isn't a lot of comfort or joy in these pages and that coupled with the format... double columns on each page made it only a so so reading experience for me. It seemed like a gift book which makes sense as I received the book from a good friend who knows I love to cook.
February 4, 2020
(free review copy) A remarkable collection of food writing from a group of writers I highly respect. Just getting to read their short form writing all in one volume was a treat.
November 9, 2019
This book was a delight! The essays are each different, and each is accompanied by a recipe. Sometimes the recipe is simple (pour into bowl, eat) or very complicated (two pages long!), and each recipe is in some way connected to the essay, which appears first. I especially loved the essay by a gay writer who was bullied and found solace in baking. The writing is gorgeous. I won't say the writing in the essays is always as good that that one but the writing is always heart-felt and emotionally satisfying.
September 20, 2019
There are moments in our lives which imprint on our souls, and often when we recollect them, our memories entangle with sensory information. The visceral quality of food as it relates to memory is unparalleled—sometimes we eat our favorite foods as comfort during grief, or a dish prepared by a friend becomes healing food from then on. Eat Joy is a lively collection of autobiographical stories in which food plays a starring role (recipes included—and they are lovely!). A diverse selection of celebrated authors tell stories of growth and loss, healing and homecoming, and the resulting collection is nothing short of magical.
January 11, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this! Even though the individual essays varied in quality (see below), the collection as a whole was warm and life-affirming. I'm considering starting a food journal of memorable meals and the memories that surround them.
My favorite essay by far was Anthony Doerr's Homesick at the Outer Edge of the World. (Anne, I was thinking of you and Caleb the entire time I was reading this-- I'll send you a scanned copy.)
In honorable mention, Dark Leaves and Warm Milk by Mira Jacob. "You will not tell [your mother] about your ex-best friend. You will not tell her about being worried you waited too long to have kids because she will say you probably did because the truth is, your mother is terrible at hearing your hurts. She spews platitudes, she shrugs her shoulders, she pinpoints what you might have done better. Always, though, the pain in her eyes is bright, as though she has directly imbibed whatever misery you feel at a much higher intensity, as though she would curl her body around yours to leach out the rest if possible."
One star for Cleanse by Alexander Chee (??). I was also pretty underwhelmed by the essays from Rakesh Satyal, Carmen Machado, Jeffery Allen, and Jessica Soffer.
My favorite essay by far was Anthony Doerr's Homesick at the Outer Edge of the World. (Anne, I was thinking of you and Caleb the entire time I was reading this-- I'll send you a scanned copy.)
In honorable mention, Dark Leaves and Warm Milk by Mira Jacob. "You will not tell [your mother] about your ex-best friend. You will not tell her about being worried you waited too long to have kids because she will say you probably did because the truth is, your mother is terrible at hearing your hurts. She spews platitudes, she shrugs her shoulders, she pinpoints what you might have done better. Always, though, the pain in her eyes is bright, as though she has directly imbibed whatever misery you feel at a much higher intensity, as though she would curl her body around yours to leach out the rest if possible."
One star for Cleanse by Alexander Chee (??). I was also pretty underwhelmed by the essays from Rakesh Satyal, Carmen Machado, Jeffery Allen, and Jessica Soffer.
January 1, 2020
"I just smiled and waved and made some gesture along the lines of: What can you do, these things happen. I couldn't stay depressed and divorced forever, eventually I had to eat some non-comfort food. But I'm really grateful for all the comfort food you made me.
I really enjoyed this collection of stories about the idea of comfort food from 31 different writers, and I love that recipes were included. The essays are divided around needing different kinds of comfort, and I really liked that. Definitely more about the stories than the recipes, but I want to try and few of the recipes.
I really enjoyed this collection of stories about the idea of comfort food from 31 different writers, and I love that recipes were included. The essays are divided around needing different kinds of comfort, and I really liked that. Definitely more about the stories than the recipes, but I want to try and few of the recipes.
September 2, 2023
3.5 stars. The writing is beautiful, but I wouldn’t say this is a joyful book, despite the title. Melancholy maybe? It is a pretty object, and there are some recipes I may try, but it was not what I hoped it would be.
November 19, 2019
A charming (and sometimes heart-breaking or heart-warming depending on subject) collection of essays and recipes from respected authors like Alexander Chee, Porochista Khakpour, Lev Grossman, Carmen Maria Machado, Anthony Doerr, Edwidge Danticat, and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie. Some recipes are definitely new to me and I want to try them (Mira Jacob provides a chai recipe, Rakesh Satyal has one for pie (I have yet to master pies)) but others are just something simple that brought comfort at a tough time (one is literally boxed brownie mix, that's it).
This would be a perfect addition to any holiday themed basket you might be planning.
Thank you Catapult for sending me the review copy.
This would be a perfect addition to any holiday themed basket you might be planning.
Thank you Catapult for sending me the review copy.
July 16, 2023
Definitely a fun, easy read. My favorite essays were about recipes that helped their authors remember their loved ones.
February 1, 2020
I liked the way another Goodreads reader ("Sam") described this collection: "Some of the essays are beautiful and poignant, others feel like the essays one scrolls through when trying to get to the recipe at the bottom of the page on a food blog." But on balance this is a nice little collection, with a few recipes I'm going to try (like the 24 hour pickles!), and it was a good book for the bedside table (nibble on a short essay or two before drifting off)
September 20, 2020
31 authors provided their stories and recipes to this collection. I was introduced to authors I never knew, those I’ve been meaning to read, and others I have fondly relished. The stories evoked loss, comfort, healing, and memories and how foods connect us. The foods provided sustenance and survival.
Initially what appealed to me were the simpler recipes of Emily Raboteau’s Congee, Edwidge Danticat’s Diri Blan (White Rice), the crusty Tahdig from Parochista Khakpour, and Los Meringuitos de Nena of Chantel Acevedo.
Lev Grossman described his General Tso’s Tofu as “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey.” I am a huge fan of General Tso’s Chicken. To this day, nothing matches the dish made the way I loved from a neighborhood Chinese restaurant when I lived in Central Florida. Believe me, I have tried many concoctions. When I used to visit, I would time my leaving to arrive when the restaurant opened for dinner on Sunday to pick up an order of this, Crab Rangoon, and Orange Beef for my three-and-a-half-hour car ride return to Miami. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed. If you know of a recipe or restaurant in the Miami area that you think has a fantastic General Tso Chicken, let me know. Lev’s apt description aroused my palate. Aaaah, remembrance of things past.
Rakesh Saytal wrote, “But those of us who love baking love it for the reason that others shy away from it: the praxis of it, the dexterity of movement and imagination of its construction and the boundaries that can be teased out and pushed.” He mixed his tears into his pies. His mantra became, “Take your fear. Bake your fear. And make fear go away.”
Lamenting his unchanging diet of Minute Rice and seasoned beef slices when in graduate school, Amitava Kumar said, “You might ask how long this went on? Months! A recipe for monotony and dietary idiocy.”
Growing up, Jessica Sofer knew, “When I was sick: turmeric/ginger/Manuka honey. When I was sad: yellow and orange produce for happiness.” If only, recovery was that simple. However, I cannot wait to make her Steamed Japanese Sweet Potato Bowl.
In creating her Comforting Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce Beth (Bich Minh) Nguyen recounted, “Naively, I didn’t even consult a recipe first, just bought some tomatoes and garlic and onion and threw them, chopped up together in a pan. Over the years, I learned to do better than that. I learned about where the ingredients came from. The order of things. How to blanch and simmer. Learning to cook better was like learning to be better. What I have here is my current version of spaghetti. It’s not really a recipe but more a series of suggestions, open to as much complication or simplicity as one likes. While it can be increased and shared and adapted in all kinds of ways, it really makes a perfect solo meal – the kind of solo that is chosen and deliberate.”
Their recipes and stories nourished the soul and whetted my appetite. I am longing for Amitava Kumar’s Indian-Style Shrimp (with Gin), Jeffrey Renard Allen’s Mealie Bread (South African Corn Bread), Mira Jacob’s Chai, and Kristen Iskandrian’s Quick Grief Pickles.
I made Darin Strauss’ Cod Filets and Kale Chips, which were tasty but way too salty. The congee was comforting. The spaghetti was delicious and I got a little tipsy. Was it the wine in the sauce or the glass with meal? I barely imbibe anymore with COVID, and my tolerance level has certainly decreased. My recommendation: read, eat, and enjoy. Cheers.
Initially what appealed to me were the simpler recipes of Emily Raboteau’s Congee, Edwidge Danticat’s Diri Blan (White Rice), the crusty Tahdig from Parochista Khakpour, and Los Meringuitos de Nena of Chantel Acevedo.
Lev Grossman described his General Tso’s Tofu as “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey.” I am a huge fan of General Tso’s Chicken. To this day, nothing matches the dish made the way I loved from a neighborhood Chinese restaurant when I lived in Central Florida. Believe me, I have tried many concoctions. When I used to visit, I would time my leaving to arrive when the restaurant opened for dinner on Sunday to pick up an order of this, Crab Rangoon, and Orange Beef for my three-and-a-half-hour car ride return to Miami. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed. If you know of a recipe or restaurant in the Miami area that you think has a fantastic General Tso Chicken, let me know. Lev’s apt description aroused my palate. Aaaah, remembrance of things past.
Rakesh Saytal wrote, “But those of us who love baking love it for the reason that others shy away from it: the praxis of it, the dexterity of movement and imagination of its construction and the boundaries that can be teased out and pushed.” He mixed his tears into his pies. His mantra became, “Take your fear. Bake your fear. And make fear go away.”
Lamenting his unchanging diet of Minute Rice and seasoned beef slices when in graduate school, Amitava Kumar said, “You might ask how long this went on? Months! A recipe for monotony and dietary idiocy.”
Growing up, Jessica Sofer knew, “When I was sick: turmeric/ginger/Manuka honey. When I was sad: yellow and orange produce for happiness.” If only, recovery was that simple. However, I cannot wait to make her Steamed Japanese Sweet Potato Bowl.
In creating her Comforting Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce Beth (Bich Minh) Nguyen recounted, “Naively, I didn’t even consult a recipe first, just bought some tomatoes and garlic and onion and threw them, chopped up together in a pan. Over the years, I learned to do better than that. I learned about where the ingredients came from. The order of things. How to blanch and simmer. Learning to cook better was like learning to be better. What I have here is my current version of spaghetti. It’s not really a recipe but more a series of suggestions, open to as much complication or simplicity as one likes. While it can be increased and shared and adapted in all kinds of ways, it really makes a perfect solo meal – the kind of solo that is chosen and deliberate.”
Their recipes and stories nourished the soul and whetted my appetite. I am longing for Amitava Kumar’s Indian-Style Shrimp (with Gin), Jeffrey Renard Allen’s Mealie Bread (South African Corn Bread), Mira Jacob’s Chai, and Kristen Iskandrian’s Quick Grief Pickles.
I made Darin Strauss’ Cod Filets and Kale Chips, which were tasty but way too salty. The congee was comforting. The spaghetti was delicious and I got a little tipsy. Was it the wine in the sauce or the glass with meal? I barely imbibe anymore with COVID, and my tolerance level has certainly decreased. My recommendation: read, eat, and enjoy. Cheers.
May 18, 2020
"I was a quietly stressed-out kid who didn't ask questions. But there were two things that always helped: food and books. They were a refuge for me, and my greatest joy was the chance to eat something delicious while reading something delicious."
-Beth (Bich Minh) Nguyen, Spaghetti and Books
This is a book for anyone who really enjoys food media as a source of comfort, but perhaps not for the most down-to-the-letter recipe following. Which is fine for me, as I really love food-writing and watching but am not the most seasoned cook. I was a bit baffled sometimes at what passed for food reflections (some seemed only tangentially related to thinking about food) and recipes but the pieces that were good, were really good. That said, there's definitely strength in that there's truly something here for everyone. I suggest reading the essays out of order based on what draws your attention in the moment (and as another reviewer noted, it really does make for great, engaging but soothing reading before bed). There's a wide mix of themes and topics, spanning from grief and loss to friendship and self-discovery, to immigration, class differences, ingredients' migration histories, etc.
My favorite selections were:
Porochista Khakpour's Calculated Destruction
Carmen Maria Machado's Meals of My Twenties
Claire Messud's The Taste of Consolation
Kristen Iskandrian's Grief Pickles
Chantel Acevedo's Merenguitos (the most poignant of the collection, I think)
Natalie Baszile's The Boudin Trail
Diana Abu-Jaber's Leaves
Don Lee's Sack Lunch
Rakesh Satyal's Bake Your Fear
Maile Meloy's Depression Pancakes
Amitava Kumar's Minute Rice and Other Miracles (the funniest recipe in the collection, imho)
Alexander Chee's Cleanse (a masterclass in essay-writing)
-Beth (Bich Minh) Nguyen, Spaghetti and Books
This is a book for anyone who really enjoys food media as a source of comfort, but perhaps not for the most down-to-the-letter recipe following. Which is fine for me, as I really love food-writing and watching but am not the most seasoned cook. I was a bit baffled sometimes at what passed for food reflections (some seemed only tangentially related to thinking about food) and recipes but the pieces that were good, were really good. That said, there's definitely strength in that there's truly something here for everyone. I suggest reading the essays out of order based on what draws your attention in the moment (and as another reviewer noted, it really does make for great, engaging but soothing reading before bed). There's a wide mix of themes and topics, spanning from grief and loss to friendship and self-discovery, to immigration, class differences, ingredients' migration histories, etc.
My favorite selections were:
Porochista Khakpour's Calculated Destruction
Carmen Maria Machado's Meals of My Twenties
Claire Messud's The Taste of Consolation
Kristen Iskandrian's Grief Pickles
Chantel Acevedo's Merenguitos (the most poignant of the collection, I think)
Natalie Baszile's The Boudin Trail
Diana Abu-Jaber's Leaves
Don Lee's Sack Lunch
Rakesh Satyal's Bake Your Fear
Maile Meloy's Depression Pancakes
Amitava Kumar's Minute Rice and Other Miracles (the funniest recipe in the collection, imho)
Alexander Chee's Cleanse (a masterclass in essay-writing)
November 23, 2019
I knew that I was going to enjoy this book from the start since it was a collection of writers that I am familiar with (e.g.,. Edwidge Danticat, Mailie Meloy, etc.) writing about intense food memories and including recipes at the end of their vignettes. After the first piece by Diana Abu-Jaber in which she argues that Arab dishes are being "rebranded as Israeli," which she calls "cultural erasure," I was a little annoyed--um, same region, very similar food, no one is taking "cultural control" over naming foods for one set of people over the other. Note to Abu-Jaber, check out the play "The Arab-Israeli Cookbook." But, after that mild annoyance, I was able to be submerged in the personal stories these writers chose to tell, often, some of their lowest moments (e.g., relationship demises), and how food taught them something about themselves and remained a powerful reminder. Not sure which pieces I will remember over the long haul, but Anthony Doerr's description of eating a Duncan Hines brownie mix to stave off starvation on a long camping expedition will likely be one. Danticat as well offered a powerful story of her ailing father wanting some simple white rice, and the problems that happened when she went to serve him. This collection can probably touch everyone. Some of the foods described are quite exotic (e.g., Steamed Japanese Sweet Potato Bowl); others less so, but we care about the foods and learning about their history through the writers' lovingly and honestly giving them meaning.
December 28, 2022
This book was perfectly lovely.
The stories shared were clearly ones where the authors all had control over how they shared this sliver of their lives with us, and how the recipe was presented.
In Western society we live in a culture that often villainizes food and disconnects it from culture, history, family, and community. This book felt like the antithesis to that.
We saw connections to specific foods form around love, grief, joy, hope, fear, and every emotion in between.
Some stories remind us to find inspiration from life. Others spark a curiosity to try cooking new foods. While others remind us that foods as simple as uncooked brownie mix from a box can bring us exactly what we need too. Food is what it means to us and there’s beautify in that.
Maybe I’m just in a romantic headspace, but the way this book romanticizes cooking and eating in its full diversity, was healing. It’s the perfect book to pick up if you’re feeling disconnected from food in your own life.
The stories shared were clearly ones where the authors all had control over how they shared this sliver of their lives with us, and how the recipe was presented.
In Western society we live in a culture that often villainizes food and disconnects it from culture, history, family, and community. This book felt like the antithesis to that.
We saw connections to specific foods form around love, grief, joy, hope, fear, and every emotion in between.
Some stories remind us to find inspiration from life. Others spark a curiosity to try cooking new foods. While others remind us that foods as simple as uncooked brownie mix from a box can bring us exactly what we need too. Food is what it means to us and there’s beautify in that.
Maybe I’m just in a romantic headspace, but the way this book romanticizes cooking and eating in its full diversity, was healing. It’s the perfect book to pick up if you’re feeling disconnected from food in your own life.
June 15, 2022
** Books 44 - 2022 **
3,3 of 5 stars!
Almost my book twitter friends kinda hype for Natalie Eve Garrett's book for the The Lonely Stories and i haven't got any chance to read that pieces yet so that's why i read this book first
This books is the compilation of the author's experience about food and cooking! One of my favorite when one of the author said she have to breakup with her bf since she doesn't want to be impress his mom.. I also loves how the author told their story intimately in this books especially children homemade food and their comfort food..
This pieces is also contains with recipes too so you can try what the author actually cooking is
3,3 of 5 stars!
Almost my book twitter friends kinda hype for Natalie Eve Garrett's book for the The Lonely Stories and i haven't got any chance to read that pieces yet so that's why i read this book first
This books is the compilation of the author's experience about food and cooking! One of my favorite when one of the author said she have to breakup with her bf since she doesn't want to be impress his mom.. I also loves how the author told their story intimately in this books especially children homemade food and their comfort food..
This pieces is also contains with recipes too so you can try what the author actually cooking is
Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews