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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This is one of the most intelligently-written books I've ever encountered. Bee Wilson does so many things just right, and avoids pitfalls that a less experienced but no less passionate writer would have stepped into. It was a impressive rumination on not just food history and all that entails, but on the history of technology and the usefulness of innovations.
The fascinating subject could have easily ballooned the page count. Gadgets and technology are endlessly talked about, especially in an age of overwhelming marketing and information. Ms. Wilson eschews the temptation to catalogue and memoirize her experience. Instead, she organizes it topically and focuses on communicating what she has learned.
But most of all, I appreciated Ms. Wilson's organization and efficiency. It belies lengthy and studious thought. And yet it still manages to be simple, pragmatic and inevitable. The stated conclusions came across to me not as arguments even, but more with the feeling of, "I can't believe I've never thought of it that way." Granted, I'm no food historian, but I've read enough in my life to discern when a writer is reaching for meaning. "Consider the Fork" effortlessly finds its niche without overstating or overwhelming with its immense context. It is content to say that cooking and eating are unavoidable and necessary human experiences. Then it boldly walks through how we have cooked and eaten, how it we presently cook and eat, and finally glimpses at how those activities may yet change.
The fascinating subject could have easily ballooned the page count. Gadgets and technology are endlessly talked about, especially in an age of overwhelming marketing and information. Ms. Wilson eschews the temptation to catalogue and memoirize her experience. Instead, she organizes it topically and focuses on communicating what she has learned.
But most of all, I appreciated Ms. Wilson's organization and efficiency. It belies lengthy and studious thought. And yet it still manages to be simple, pragmatic and inevitable. The stated conclusions came across to me not as arguments even, but more with the feeling of, "I can't believe I've never thought of it that way." Granted, I'm no food historian, but I've read enough in my life to discern when a writer is reaching for meaning. "Consider the Fork" effortlessly finds its niche without overstating or overwhelming with its immense context. It is content to say that cooking and eating are unavoidable and necessary human experiences. Then it boldly walks through how we have cooked and eaten, how it we presently cook and eat, and finally glimpses at how those activities may yet change.
Really enjoyed this - Wilson has a warm, engaging voice and the subject matter - the history of cooking tools - was very interesting. My only quibble is that the pen-and-ink illustrations are charming, but sparse. It would have been very helpful to have far more illustrations, because picturing the tools Wilson describes is challenging without them.
Fun, Fun, Fun!! I love cooking and I love history so this was a perfect fit.
Delightful and fascinating. Interesting to see how cultural differences relate to food relate to the tools we use to make food. Really like the reader on the Audio too.
informative
slow-paced
An overall enjoyable book. I wish the author had spent more time on historical cooking from other regions, such as South America, more, but overall a good book. Would recommend to other people.
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.)
informative
slow-paced
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.
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.
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced