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lenorayoder's review
informative
lighthearted
2.0
Interesting subject matter, but I don’t like how the author presents it. The order in which information is given is confusing, the author has clear and obvious biases, and I just don’t like the writing style.
An example from page 31: “He may have been a ringleted, vain pretty boy wholly immodest about his own culinary talents, but Carême proved to be a prophet.” Annoying, immature, and unfunny.
What made me keep reading is that Kamp often mentions and quotes other food writers I’ve never heard of, so now my TBR has books and anthologies that will probably be better than this.
An example from page 31: “He may have been a ringleted, vain pretty boy wholly immodest about his own culinary talents, but Carême proved to be a prophet.” Annoying, immature, and unfunny.
What made me keep reading is that Kamp often mentions and quotes other food writers I’ve never heard of, so now my TBR has books and anthologies that will probably be better than this.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexism
bizzylizzie's review
4.0
After reading this book, I definitely see Alice Waters in a different light - she does not come across as the vegetable-loving sweet lady that I always thought she was. And in fact this book is about looking into the politics as well as the seedy underbelly of the food movement, and has more than a twinge of snarkiness about it, but that is also what makes it fun to read. It's full of names that you know as well as ones that you don't, and tons of interesting facts and information that will make you appreciate just how far we have come in this country in terms of how we eat.
bluestjuice's review against another edition
2.0
Essentially a history of the pop culture of cuisine, specifically gourmet cuisine, over the past hundred years, tracing quickly through the various movements and rising and falling stars within this world: the chefs, the restaurants, the celebrities, the cookbooks, and the food trends themselves. I found the stories of the advent of particular gourmet, now taken for granted, foodstuffs (like balsamic vinegar and sushi) to be more fascinating than the careers of even the most storied chefs, interesting though they were. The perspective here is refreshingly different - he talks about the so-called evils of the modern American diet only in passing, and mostly in reference to how particular activists or chefs were responding to it. Mostly, this book made me want to a.) eat in a lot of expensive restaurants, particularly famous expensive restaurants that have now mostly closed, and b.) watch Top Chef again now that I might have some idea who some of the chef guest judges actually are. Overall, it was an interesting read, but one that was a bit of a chore.
big_goose's review against another edition
2.0
I don't really care where all these people put their penises. By focusing on gossipy crap about celebrity chefs, the actual story of America's changing tastes is mostly ignored by this book, which sort of just assumes that everybody is sort of just magically influenced by the insular food world.
I was hoping for more facts and information about actual changes in the way that people prepared, ate, and thought about food, so I think I mostly just wanted this book to be a different one than it actually was. It's pretty entertaining and breezy, so if you really want a book about who said mean things about who in the 1970s food world, it's probably great.
I was hoping for more facts and information about actual changes in the way that people prepared, ate, and thought about food, so I think I mostly just wanted this book to be a different one than it actually was. It's pretty entertaining and breezy, so if you really want a book about who said mean things about who in the 1970s food world, it's probably great.
ivanssister's review against another edition
4.0
This got me somewhat caught up on the food scene before I really started to realize one existed. There is a pretty extensive bibliography, which I will sift through for future reading.
marbledjubilee's review against another edition
2.0
such a silly (derogatory) book but good dirt on celebrity chefs
anniew415's review against another edition
4.0
Gossipy, full of zingers and name-dropping cattiness... Yet, a comprehensive history of foodie culture in America - definitely worth reading!
I enjoyed it because much of it surrounds the history of Northern California cuisine, the ideals of "locally grown" and organic...so much of what I grew up with in San Francisco is discussed and celebrated in this book.
Very entertaining!
I enjoyed it because much of it surrounds the history of Northern California cuisine, the ideals of "locally grown" and organic...so much of what I grew up with in San Francisco is discussed and celebrated in this book.
Very entertaining!