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teanahk's review
3.0
From the title and blurb I was expecting this book to be full of snarky humor and anecdotes about terrible restaurant patrons. Instead I found tediously detailed explanations of running bars and restaurants sprinkled with details of the author's sex life and fantasies.
This book just wasn't very engaging, but I suppose foodies who are more interested in these details would enjoy it more than I did.
(I received a free ARC of this book through a giveaway on goodreads)
This book just wasn't very engaging, but I suppose foodies who are more interested in these details would enjoy it more than I did.
(I received a free ARC of this book through a giveaway on goodreads)
brishen's review
5.0
I read this several months ago and while I really enjoyed it then, it’s almost been more impactful since. Some books are good and then fade quickly from memory. Through a combination of honesty, fire, and just downright entertainment, this has instead grown in my mind. Highly recommend.
Also, when do you get to read such a cool book about local Toronto?!
Also, when do you get to read such a cool book about local Toronto?!
jazzmatazdanger's review
5.0
I love a food memoir, but more than that I love a woman who is fully and unapologetically herself.
_bookbabble_'s review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into Jen Agg's life & the trials and tribulations of the restaurant scene in Toronto. There were certain chunks of her book that sparked a lot of heated conversation with some friends and I loved it. Because a good book, like a good meal should spark conversation!
megancmahon's review
challenging
funny
informative
slow-paced
2.75
This was a candid and interesting look at the life of a Toronto artist/restaurateur with a multitude of successful businesses. The book also had a lot of insights into being a woman in the culinary world (doesn't sound like fun) and how Agg herself is working to change that scene in her own restaurants.
This book had a lot to say about patriarchy and feminism, and it certainly made me think. Did I find Agg abrasive because that was her writing style, or because I'm not used to such a thing from women writers? I wasn't entirely comfortable reading this book all the time, which is certainly a good thing. Other good parts of the book included (for me, a baby foodie) the description of what she likes to serve in her restaurants - something I definitely wish there had been more of!
What I didn't like was the undercurrent of judgment I felt throughout the prose. She said her friends "judged her" for losing her virginity at 16, to an older man, and because of this she let the friendships slide. Is it possible they were simply concerned for her well being after she put herself in a dangerous situation? And her explanation of how and why she slept with her friend's boyfriend in her teen years was riddled with, essentially, "the patriarchy made me do it" which I did not find to be convincing. Patriarchy seemed a convenient excuse for a lot of things (and don't get me wrong, as an ardent feminist myself I know it sucks) but ONLY when applied to Agg herself, and not to the actions of other women. This was a relatively small thing in a book that was overall interesting, but it really annoyed me.
Overall it was pretty good! I wish there had been more food talk, but then, I almost always do no matter what I'm reading. I'll definitely try some of Agg's restaurants.
This book had a lot to say about patriarchy and feminism, and it certainly made me think. Did I find Agg abrasive because that was her writing style, or because I'm not used to such a thing from women writers? I wasn't entirely comfortable reading this book all the time, which is certainly a good thing. Other good parts of the book included (for me, a baby foodie) the description of what she likes to serve in her restaurants - something I definitely wish there had been more of!
What I didn't like was the undercurrent of judgment I felt throughout the prose. She said her friends "judged her" for losing her virginity at 16, to an older man, and because of this she let the friendships slide. Is it possible they were simply concerned for her well being after she put herself in a dangerous situation? And her explanation of how and why she slept with her friend's boyfriend in her teen years was riddled with, essentially, "the patriarchy made me do it" which I did not find to be convincing. Patriarchy seemed a convenient excuse for a lot of things (and don't get me wrong, as an ardent feminist myself I know it sucks) but ONLY when applied to Agg herself, and not to the actions of other women. This was a relatively small thing in a book that was overall interesting, but it really annoyed me.
Overall it was pretty good! I wish there had been more food talk, but then, I almost always do no matter what I'm reading. I'll definitely try some of Agg's restaurants.
donutcome4me's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Jen Agg and her restaurant aren't for everyone, and probably neither is her book. That said I suspect precisely the people that are turned off by her brutal honesty and up-frontedness (and her ideas about equity in the restaurant world) are probably the people that should read her, even if they don't 'like' her.
abbystevenson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
ellstar's review
3.0
I feel like this is two books smooshed into one. I've is all about being a female boss, owner, restauranteur in Toronto's food scene and stories and situations from the BOH to FOH and then some. I loved this book, especially being a patron of Agg's restaurants. The other book is part memoir/part inspo about what it's like having a challenging teenagehood and dealing with yourself as a woman at varying times in your life, especially as you age. I loved it too. I just felt like chapter to chapter I didn't know what I was getting and felt like I had to skip ahead and rewind a couple of times.