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3.2 AVERAGE
3.2 AVERAGE
I enjoyed reading about the meals Erway cooked, but it was quite "preachy" in some spots as far as organic meats and produce as well as wasteful packaging, etc.
This one opened my eyes on a lot of different levels (freeganism, supper clubs, food competitions), and was fascinating.
However, I found myself annoyed and unsympathetic towards the author by the end. I also felt that Erway left a lot of things vague or incomplete, as if she wanted to mention it but not prove its importance.
Good but not great food memoir.
However, I found myself annoyed and unsympathetic towards the author by the end. I also felt that Erway left a lot of things vague or incomplete, as if she wanted to mention it but not prove its importance.
Good but not great food memoir.
Interesting dive into mindful eating -- Erway does a good job of exploring a lot of facets of food, which makes this memoir of her foodie adventures fun to read.
A young woman in NYC decides to conduct an experiment and doesn't eat out at restaurants for 2 years, with some minor exceptions. It is a fascinating read, even though sometimes she gives too much attention to her daily routine (do I really care about the boyfriend? Not sure). She didn't inspire me to stop spending so much money on eating out, though, and I have been trying to pay better attention to the quality of food I eat.
An interesting premise - giving up restaurant eating and cooking at home ... especially in New York City, home of awesome food. I didn't realize going in that the author had a decent amount of cooking background and history, and is comfortable eating almost anything. (Which, good for her, but if you've never cooked before or find it intimidating, this is not a guide to help you with that.)
The chapters about supper clubs (illegal but fun), freeganism (possibly also illegal, and though I believe you can find good stuff, I wish stores could give these items to food banks or shelters instead of putting them in the garbage), and foraging (I think the danger of eating something dangerous would keep me from eating plant life from the park).
I found the writing a bit odd, there were some convoluted sentences I had to read three or four times to figure out. (Example: "Tripe is usually chopped, then simmered, stewed, or steamed until it becomes very tender and has soaked in plenty of flavor, as its rubbery-textured though fairly tasteless character is hard to swallow for many.")
The author also tends to recount boring word-for-word conversations that have nothing to do with food or cooking (e.g. the conversation with her mother about Evelyn Waugh being a man).
And I found her dating relationships strange, too. Out on a first date, she is irritated because the guy doesn't immediately offer to buy a second round of drinks... a lot of women don't like that, maybe he was waiting to see if you wanted to split the cost? It's no reason to get irritated. (And he hadn't even finished his first drink yet!)
I'll keep reading but other reviews indicate it's not likely to get much better. (It didn't.)
The chapters about supper clubs (illegal but fun), freeganism (possibly also illegal, and though I believe you can find good stuff, I wish stores could give these items to food banks or shelters instead of putting them in the garbage), and foraging (I think the danger of eating something dangerous would keep me from eating plant life from the park).
I found the writing a bit odd, there were some convoluted sentences I had to read three or four times to figure out. (Example: "Tripe is usually chopped, then simmered, stewed, or steamed until it becomes very tender and has soaked in plenty of flavor, as its rubbery-textured though fairly tasteless character is hard to swallow for many.")
The author also tends to recount boring word-for-word conversations that have nothing to do with food or cooking (e.g. the conversation with her mother about Evelyn Waugh being a man).
And I found her dating relationships strange, too. Out on a first date, she is irritated because the guy doesn't immediately offer to buy a second round of drinks... a lot of women don't like that, maybe he was waiting to see if you wanted to split the cost? It's no reason to get irritated. (And he hadn't even finished his first drink yet!)
I'll keep reading but other reviews indicate it's not likely to get much better. (It didn't.)
I really liked reading this because of the schools of thought I got to read about that I knew nothing about like freeganism and underground supper clubs and that sort of thing. I think mostly I just like reading about food.
Cathy Erway loves food. Which is good, because she lives in New York City, which is paved with excellent restaurants. But after one too many lousy, expensive midtown lunches and unsatisfying, greasy late night snacks, Cathy decided to give up restaurants. This book is a chronicle of how she spent two years of her New York life trying new recipes, competing in chili cook-offs, packing picnic lunches and making do, even when her apartment has no cooking gas because the previous resident never turned on the stove.
I enjoyed the way Cathy embraced the challenge of cooking every meal and I envied her energy. She rarely takes the easy way out and she approaches even the most average of meals with creativity. She always seemed practical and relatable, even when she's in the midst of chopping a mountain of onions for a community dinner party. More than anything, I appreciated the way a story of eating in became a story of how cooking and eating food can be a beautifully social experience.
I enjoyed the way Cathy embraced the challenge of cooking every meal and I envied her energy. She rarely takes the easy way out and she approaches even the most average of meals with creativity. She always seemed practical and relatable, even when she's in the midst of chopping a mountain of onions for a community dinner party. More than anything, I appreciated the way a story of eating in became a story of how cooking and eating food can be a beautifully social experience.