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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
This review can be found at www.amazon.com as part of the Vine program of www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I enjoyed the parts related to the history of noodles and the different cultures' noodles and food traditions. I appreciate the memoir pieces as well, relating to the author's relationship, but I think that wasn't as interesting to me overall.
I was very excited to read this book, but I was a little disappointed by it. My expectations of the book were simply different from what it turned out to be, and I think this was the source of my disappointment. The book gave some focus to the history and evolution the food, but the historical context is given a back seat to her day to day experiences cooking and eating along the Silk Road. It seemed to me that the author is really exploring and defining her role as a new wife. In doing that, she touches on the role of women in the various countries she visits. Although many of the women she encounters are quite interesting, the lens through which she views them is that of a new wife, a woman struggling with the compromises and adjustments that naturally occur when two people create a life together. So I was more interested in the history of the Silk Road and less interested in her personal relationship. But I felt the book was more interested in her personal evolution.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Enjoyable food-focused travelogue. It prompted me to finally bump our local Western Chinese and Turkish restaurants to the top of our “to visit” list. Learning more about such foreign cultures’ meals, and their similarities to things I already enjoy, made me much more willing to branch out and try menu items I might not have tried otherwise. The biggest downside of this book: every time I sat down to read, it made me hungry. A good problem.
This book made me hungry! And while I loved the cultural descriptions and talk about food, this ultimately fell a little flat - there are no conclusions of any kind. Also, I didn't care about her (rather immature) musings about her marriage - it just didn't fit.
Recommended by my favorite librarian (she has given me many awesome recommendations over the years).
Part travel journal, part food history and memoir, On the Noodle Road allowed some new insights to similarities in cultures and foods.
Interesting, but felt there was uneven coverage of locations - Iran seemed to drag (and drag) and Greece was over before I realized we were there. Overall, an enjoyable means to using commuting time usefully.
Part travel journal, part food history and memoir, On the Noodle Road allowed some new insights to similarities in cultures and foods.
Interesting, but felt there was uneven coverage of locations - Iran seemed to drag (and drag) and Greece was over before I realized we were there. Overall, an enjoyable means to using commuting time usefully.
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
reflective
Honestly, this book could have been so much better than it was. I love food, I love travel, but this gal.....I simply couldn't stand her.
Not only did I think her writing was lackluster, but her tone INFURIATED ME. She sounded so ungrateful and judgey for most of the trip and I just kept thinking "My God, you're doing something people only dream about." I get it, she's technically a food critic, but she was so snobby and condescending. Also she made stupid statements like "a panther shot in Africa"....there are no panthers in Africa...
I gave the book two stars because I like the themes (the progression of noodle literally and figuratively, and how women fit in to cooking traditions) but I felt the noodle focus was wrapped up entirely too nicely in a page, and the comments about women and how they are linked to food was accidental.
Overall, very disappointing.
Not only did I think her writing was lackluster, but her tone INFURIATED ME. She sounded so ungrateful and judgey for most of the trip and I just kept thinking "My God, you're doing something people only dream about." I get it, she's technically a food critic, but she was so snobby and condescending. Also she made stupid statements like "a panther shot in Africa"....there are no panthers in Africa...
I gave the book two stars because I like the themes (the progression of noodle literally and figuratively, and how women fit in to cooking traditions) but I felt the noodle focus was wrapped up entirely too nicely in a page, and the comments about women and how they are linked to food was accidental.
Overall, very disappointing.