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thejourneyofmybooks405's review against another edition
4.0
It’s been an abnormal month and a half in this world. Terms like “social distancing” and “stay at home order” are ones I never thought I’d use, but have become a part of my daily lexicon. One form of briefly escapism has been through books and “Hungry” is a book I’ve had on my Kindle since last year and now felt like the perfect time to read it.
This nonfiction book follows René Redzepi, a world-renowned chef at one of the best restaurants in the world, Noma, located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Over the course of four years, journalist Jeff Gordinier follows Redzepi and the Noma crew to multiple countries as he seeks inspiration and innovation (without cultural appropriation) after a virus outbreak threatens the restaurant’s reputation. Luscious descriptions of food I can’t afford and stylized travelogue writing style made this book especially captivating. Sometimes, I don’t like when a journalist inserts themselves in a story, but Gordinier’s personal life is a catalyst that leads to the openness to these adventures.
The only physical adventures I go on are to the grocery store these days, so it was nice to live vicariously through Gordinier.
This nonfiction book follows René Redzepi, a world-renowned chef at one of the best restaurants in the world, Noma, located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Over the course of four years, journalist Jeff Gordinier follows Redzepi and the Noma crew to multiple countries as he seeks inspiration and innovation (without cultural appropriation) after a virus outbreak threatens the restaurant’s reputation. Luscious descriptions of food I can’t afford and stylized travelogue writing style made this book especially captivating. Sometimes, I don’t like when a journalist inserts themselves in a story, but Gordinier’s personal life is a catalyst that leads to the openness to these adventures.
The only physical adventures I go on are to the grocery store these days, so it was nice to live vicariously through Gordinier.
rhamilton's review against another edition
3.0
Great food writing filled with personal insight and self awareness. Really enjoyed how Gordinier approached this and a sneak into Redzepi’s work and philosophy. A must read for food nerds.
megan_reads's review
3.0
Think I was looking for more. Felt like the author kept repeating the same thing over and over.
brittan6's review
5.0
My favorite type of book. Food and music and travel and real people's stories. I didn't lose interest once.
dmendels's review
3.0
Simultaneously a reasonably enjoyable read about the famed Chef Rene Redzepi’s work and thinking, and an over the top, silly even, hagiography (mole is the “quantum physics” of sauces.)
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
4.0
Food critic Jeff Gordinier travels the world with the esteemed chef Rene Redzepi in search of the world's best flavors. Redzepi is founder of Noma, a restaurant in Denmark often deemed the finest restaurant in the world. Despite his renown, Redzepi wants to close his restaurant, and start from scratch in new places with new recipes and tastes.
Gordinier is a beautiful writer, filling the pages of this foodie travel narrative with fresh, almost brilliant comparisons that light up the zany words of the wildly creative chef and his crew. It's crazy to follow the adventures of this group of sensory-enhanced people, who seem to live to discover odd new flavor combinations. "It's like a whole new energy enters your body when you come out to these parts," one of the crew says. And it's true. The whole book is infused with this energy; it's like you eat the best meal of your life and you don't add a single calorie.
Gordinier is a beautiful writer, filling the pages of this foodie travel narrative with fresh, almost brilliant comparisons that light up the zany words of the wildly creative chef and his crew. It's crazy to follow the adventures of this group of sensory-enhanced people, who seem to live to discover odd new flavor combinations. "It's like a whole new energy enters your body when you come out to these parts," one of the crew says. And it's true. The whole book is infused with this energy; it's like you eat the best meal of your life and you don't add a single calorie.
valeriebrett's review
4.0
I didn’t really expect to think too highly of this book (I won it in a giveaway) but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought his writing was very good & I enjoyed the book’s subject. Good mix of semi-memoir plus travel diary/profile of a chef.
biblioholicbeth's review
4.0
So...I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this book when I got an arc to read - I just knew that it sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Now that I've finished it? I'm *still* not sure about the book, other than I know I liked it. It's sort of like what a prepared dish is like - disparate elements brought together to make the whole more interesting. Gordinier may not be a chef per se, but he creates with words - and the finished piece is more than I would have expected.
It's a little bit memoir, briefly hitting points about the dissolution of his marriage at the time of his first real introduction to Redzepi, the driving force behind Noma. It hits biography as it covers Redzepi's end of Noma, his pop-ups, and the new Noma. It is travelogue - Mexico plays a LARGE part here. It is philosophy, as all the pieces come together in ways unexpected and eye-opening. For a shortish book, it really manages to cover a lot - something I would expect a dish at Noma might be like.
Long story short - for anyone interested in cooking, in Noma, in Mexico, or just curious - it really is an interesting book and well worth reading.
It's a little bit memoir, briefly hitting points about the dissolution of his marriage at the time of his first real introduction to Redzepi, the driving force behind Noma. It hits biography as it covers Redzepi's end of Noma, his pop-ups, and the new Noma. It is travelogue - Mexico plays a LARGE part here. It is philosophy, as all the pieces come together in ways unexpected and eye-opening. For a shortish book, it really manages to cover a lot - something I would expect a dish at Noma might be like.
Long story short - for anyone interested in cooking, in Noma, in Mexico, or just curious - it really is an interesting book and well worth reading.
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