Good Minds Suggest—Ruth Reichl's Favorite Fiction About Food
Posted by Goodreads on May 6, 2014
Crossings by Chuang Hua
"I first read this book when it came out in 1968, and its languid, incantatory description of the act of cooking has never left me. The heroine, Fourth Jane, is a Chinese American woman trapped between cultures and continents, who spends her time cooking while waiting for a lover who is always late. The book is about many things, but what captured me was the way the heroine anchors herself in the world by performing simple kitchen tasks."

The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones (Goodreads Author)
"Food. History. Romance. And a cooking contest. A young American widow goes to China to look into a mystery about her late husband. Along the way she meets a Chinese American chef intent on re-creating his grandfather's recipes in order to win an important Chinese culinary competition. A wonderful love story, great fun—and a superb introduction to the art of classic Chinese cuisine."

Heartburn by Nora Ephron
"A roman à clef, a settling of scores, and one of the first novels in which recipes were an important part of the narrative. Only Nora Ephron could turn the bitter end of her marriage into a novel as poignantly funny as this. Her heroine, Rachel Samstat, writes about food, and while her husband philanders, she cooks. In the end she throws a (key lime) pie in his face and offers up a raft of really good recipes. Cheesecake, anyone?"

If the River Was Whiskey by T.C. Boyle
"Few writers are as obsessed with food and cooking as T.C. Boyle. And nobody is better on the subject. From his description of the fattening of an Arab princess in Water Music to the crazy Kellogg diet in The Road to Wellville to the constantly cooking identity thief in Talk Talk, he tackles every aspect of food. But 'Sorry Fugu' (in this collection) is in a class of its own. It is, hands down, the best story ever written about a restaurant critic."

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
"A powerful book about the people who raise our food, Steinbeck's classic novel of the Depression changed the way many people viewed the plight of farmers. But although it was written in the '30s, this is a book that continues to resonate in modern America. As he exits the book, Tom Joad says, 'I'll be there wherever people are hungry.' Sadly he is with us still."

Vote for your own favorites on Listopia: Best Food-Related Fiction
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