Scan barcode
alexandrapierce's review against another edition
5.0
When I listened to the first episode of Gastropod, I immediately decided I needed to read Bee Wilson's Consider the Fork. And now I have, and I was not disappointed.
To start with the writing: Wilson writes beautifully. Her prose is clear, occasionally whimsical, sensible, and altogether a delight to read. It's not that often that I read 280 pages of history in just over a day, even when I'm on holidays. In fact at one point I tried to put it away because I was worried I would finish it too quickly (I was away from my bookshelf; I was feeling a bit irrational, ok?). Her love of food and history and cooking come through clearly; she mingles the occasional personal anecdote with what's clearly broad-ranging research. But she also doesn't get bogged down in the research - she's not aiming to construct a thorough, blow by blow account of the development of cooking or food technology. She's writing for an educated but non-professional audience and she does it really well.
The chapters are organised around probably the most important aspects of cooking and its technology: pots and pans; knives; fire; measuring; grinding (I admit this one surprised me a little); eating; ice; and the kitchen itself. In each chapter she gives some of the current thinking about where and if possible how the technology began (in some instances in the Palaeolithic, in others more recently), and then - depending on the objects - skims through the ancient world, the medieval, and the early modern.
My main quibble with the book is its European preponderance, but I do wonder whether I'm being overly sensitive about that. There's a wonderful section about the Chinese knife, the tou; and a discussion about the difference in fork+knife vs chopsticks; some about the differences in wok cooking opposed to more European methods; and other mentions as well. I wonder if there's more history done on this from a European perspective - or that's translated into English anyway. Although if that's the case I would have liked a mention of the dearth of literature.
Another small quibble is that sometimes her language implies that the changes in cooking technology were things that the population had just been waiting for. While that might be true for can openers (invented FIFTY YEARS after the invention of the tin, I kid you not), sometimes it grated a little: to whit: "At last, these people [the ancient Greeks] had discovered the joy of cooking with pots and pans" (12). I get what she means but it grated a little.
Anyway. A few gems include ideas for future ice cream experiments (burnt almond, orange flower water, cinnamon, apricot, quince; bitter cherry; muscat pear...), the history of the refrigerator and freezer and how they show differences between the English and Americans post-WW2, and developments from coal to gas to electricity in terms of stoves. Also the thing about the tin opener. SO WEIRD.
Overall this is a joyous book that I highly recommend if you're into food and history, especially both at the same time. Her writing really is marvellous, you might learn something, and it re-inspired me to get into my kitchen and make something. (Which was annoying because I was on holidays, but whatevs.)
To start with the writing: Wilson writes beautifully. Her prose is clear, occasionally whimsical, sensible, and altogether a delight to read. It's not that often that I read 280 pages of history in just over a day, even when I'm on holidays. In fact at one point I tried to put it away because I was worried I would finish it too quickly (I was away from my bookshelf; I was feeling a bit irrational, ok?). Her love of food and history and cooking come through clearly; she mingles the occasional personal anecdote with what's clearly broad-ranging research. But she also doesn't get bogged down in the research - she's not aiming to construct a thorough, blow by blow account of the development of cooking or food technology. She's writing for an educated but non-professional audience and she does it really well.
The chapters are organised around probably the most important aspects of cooking and its technology: pots and pans; knives; fire; measuring; grinding (I admit this one surprised me a little); eating; ice; and the kitchen itself. In each chapter she gives some of the current thinking about where and if possible how the technology began (in some instances in the Palaeolithic, in others more recently), and then - depending on the objects - skims through the ancient world, the medieval, and the early modern.
My main quibble with the book is its European preponderance, but I do wonder whether I'm being overly sensitive about that. There's a wonderful section about the Chinese knife, the tou; and a discussion about the difference in fork+knife vs chopsticks; some about the differences in wok cooking opposed to more European methods; and other mentions as well. I wonder if there's more history done on this from a European perspective - or that's translated into English anyway. Although if that's the case I would have liked a mention of the dearth of literature.
Another small quibble is that sometimes her language implies that the changes in cooking technology were things that the population had just been waiting for. While that might be true for can openers (invented FIFTY YEARS after the invention of the tin, I kid you not), sometimes it grated a little: to whit: "At last, these people [the ancient Greeks] had discovered the joy of cooking with pots and pans" (12). I get what she means but it grated a little.
Anyway. A few gems include ideas for future ice cream experiments (burnt almond, orange flower water, cinnamon, apricot, quince; bitter cherry; muscat pear...), the history of the refrigerator and freezer and how they show differences between the English and Americans post-WW2, and developments from coal to gas to electricity in terms of stoves. Also the thing about the tin opener. SO WEIRD.
Overall this is a joyous book that I highly recommend if you're into food and history, especially both at the same time. Her writing really is marvellous, you might learn something, and it re-inspired me to get into my kitchen and make something. (Which was annoying because I was on holidays, but whatevs.)
meghan_b's review against another edition
4.0
Good, but sort of wondered if she got burned out during the "ice" chapter. It didn't flow as well in the last 1/4 of the book.
hurricanejoe's review against another edition
3.0
Consider the Fork explores how cooking has evolved through the centuries. From our primitive beginnings cooking outdoors to the advent of ovens and gas burners, society has gradually improved the devices that it uses to cook. Despite good intentions, some of these innovations have been met with resistance. While the invention of pots and pans helped us realize a new way of cooking food that eventually lead to braising, the same cannot necessarily be said for say, new appliances that take all the guess-work out of the creation process by any aspiring chef. And while innovations like Sous-Vide cooking can produce a finished product unmatched in flavor and taste by ordinary means, there is a loss in the absence of using your senses to determine when the product is finished. In many cases, each progression has left us with additional useless instruments that do not necessarily produce better food to eat.
It took awhile for this book to draw me in to be honest. It wasn't until the last couple chapters that I felt I was starting to see a clearer picture form. I believe the author is much more agnostic and curious about some of the innovations than I am. Personally, the last chapter around kitchens was the most thoughtful for me. Embracing a minimalist kitchen that captures both the new and old ways of cooking that captures the essence of hard work and creation really resonated with me. For me, it is in direct opposition to say remodeling your space to create some "utopian" kitchen with all the luxuries of modern cooking convenience.
It took awhile for this book to draw me in to be honest. It wasn't until the last couple chapters that I felt I was starting to see a clearer picture form. I believe the author is much more agnostic and curious about some of the innovations than I am. Personally, the last chapter around kitchens was the most thoughtful for me. Embracing a minimalist kitchen that captures both the new and old ways of cooking that captures the essence of hard work and creation really resonated with me. For me, it is in direct opposition to say remodeling your space to create some "utopian" kitchen with all the luxuries of modern cooking convenience.
eringoodygood's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It really made me think about why and how our kitchens and tools for cooking and eating have developed. It sort of used the western lens as a base for the narrative, but I appreciated that it always included the other options used around the world when discussing things. Chopsticks were covered in the fork, knife, and spoon chapters because they have a special function in relation to all of these things. I recommend this for anyone who's interested in cooking or eating. It will answer questions you never knew you had!
tedwilly420's review against another edition
3.0
The book is full of interesting anecdotes but the primary research supporting them is quite weak. It's difficult to take things away as facts. Regardless, it's a fun read.
ashlurtis's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.75
Truly if I hadn't read this for a library challenge, I probably would have DNF pretty early on. I am thankful Wilson started with the pots & pans chapter as it was the most dull by far. That said, the only chapter I really enjoyed was fire.
I usually can't get through any history book, so I was surprised I was even able to finish this really. I think it has to do with how poor the writing is somehow. This reads more like the dialogue of a silly documentary, which I would have found more appealing than a book I think. Though there is structure in that each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of cooking, the chapters themselves are pretty haphazard.
At times, I found myself forgetting I was supposed to be reading about ice in the ice chapter as Wilson went on about something totally unrelated. Overall, this wasn't the worst book ever, but I definitely wouldn't have chosen it on my own.
I usually can't get through any history book, so I was surprised I was even able to finish this really. I think it has to do with how poor the writing is somehow. This reads more like the dialogue of a silly documentary, which I would have found more appealing than a book I think. Though there is structure in that each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of cooking, the chapters themselves are pretty haphazard.
At times, I found myself forgetting I was supposed to be reading about ice in the ice chapter as Wilson went on about something totally unrelated. Overall, this wasn't the worst book ever, but I definitely wouldn't have chosen it on my own.
iblendspoons's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting. That last chapter is so oddly placed that I wondered if the audio book got the chapters out of order. There's this perfect ending with the author and her mother and then one random chapter about coffee. I'm going to look into it.
ssgoosecookie's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this discussion of kitchen technology. The treatment of the subject matter is quite good. The author goes into enough detail to feel like the subject is thoroughly discussed, while not so much as to reduce it to academic-like tedium. The splashes of humour are very refreshing, and I do appreciate the good bibliography and index at the end. Now I have some interesting trivia for my next dinner party. (I say this with absolutely no sense of irony and a completely straight face)
Some things that bumped it down from a five stars: I would have liked a few more illustrations, particularly when different items were contrasted in the text. I found myself putting down the book and going to the Internet to look up the differences between Puritan and trifid spoons, or Rex and Lancashire potato peelers. Perhaps this is a flaw with the ebook and not the paper version. The last problem I had was with the book's treatment of the Chinese chef knife, what the author calls 'tou'. There is no knife by that name. I went looking for a video showing the knife in action and couldn't find reference to it anywhere. I had to resort to calling it the 'Chinese cleaver' to find any videos. Maybe it's a mis-romanization of the name.
All in all, I enjoyed it and I'm recommending it to a friend.
Some things that bumped it down from a five stars: I would have liked a few more illustrations, particularly when different items were contrasted in the text. I found myself putting down the book and going to the Internet to look up the differences between Puritan and trifid spoons, or Rex and Lancashire potato peelers. Perhaps this is a flaw with the ebook and not the paper version. The last problem I had was with the book's treatment of the Chinese chef knife, what the author calls 'tou'. There is no knife by that name. I went looking for a video showing the knife in action and couldn't find reference to it anywhere. I had to resort to calling it the 'Chinese cleaver' to find any videos. Maybe it's a mis-romanization of the name.
All in all, I enjoyed it and I'm recommending it to a friend.