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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
This gorgeous piece of writing is a food memoir, a contemporary version of Kitchen Confidential, but it is soooo much more. It is the story of a woman who fought to find her own voice and forge the life she wanted and the life she knows she deserves, in spite of all the ways our culture conspires to make women small and suppress our voices. Even if you have no interest in the food world, If you love beautifully-written and compelling stories from strong, inspiring women, you’ll love this book.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I found this book cathartic. A contemplation of gender and grief and life and hunger and strength and family and deeply guarded independence that states, at least for me, so much that I feel deeply but could never put to words. Not at all trite. Some of the most beautiful descriptions of place that I’ve ever read, and the love & honor owed to Southern food and it’s (predominantly Black) creators. I’ll read whatever Lisa Donovan publishes next, and not just because she shares my distaste for fondant. Thankful this found me when I needed it.
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Interesting memoir about a woman's struggles in becoming a chef. Low pay and long hours. Unequal pay because she is a woman. Lack of opportunities because she is a woman. Lack of recognition for her work. (I'm making her sound whinny- she's not.) Donovan points out that 80% of meals in households are prepared by women, yet fewer than 7% of American restaurants are led by female chefs. There are some bright moments in the book but it's mostly a reflection on being strong, self-reliant, and find a network of likeminded people for support. Donovan is a James Beard award-winning essayist, author, and chef.
Lisa Donovan's memoir, "Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger", floored me. In it she writes about her rise to becoming one of the top pastry chefs in America. While she had many mentors along the way, she was still a woman in a male-dominated industry, and she had to more than prove herself-- to her family and her male and female bosses-- along the way. But what makes her memoir so compelling is that she works from a place of authenticity and truth. Through her creations she wanted to honor the women who came before her, her multiracial heritage and humble roots, and her Southern traditions. She is unflinching and unapologetic in describing the latent and overt misogyny she experiences along the way, from being a young mother who was encouraged to try and make a go of it with the abusive father of her child, from receiving substantially less pay than her male peers, from men profiting off her intellectual property. Through this she works to find a path and career that works for her, one that reflects her values. It is a powerful story and really about what it means to be a woman in America.
As I listened to her book, I couldn't help but think of her experience in the restaurant industry as an allegory of being a teacher. Both industries are exploitive, relying on its practitioners passion and care for the craft as a means to maintain the status quo. Donovan writes about how rich, often male, investors, have no problem dropping a load of cash for expensive artwork and sconces, but rebuff any attempts to pay their employees more or to provide decent healthcare. She was often underpaid because her work, while it brought in substantial profit, was not taken seriously, and the underlying belief that since she was married, she had her husband to take care of her. That she and her husband were struggling to make ends meet never entered the equation. The onus was on her to prove herself to be "enough". Teaching is very much the same. The school district has no problem giving themselves raises and spending money on technology and this and that program that will be the silver bullet of teaching while forcing the union to fight for their federally mandated cost of living increase, and then fight harder for a raise. These increases are just enough to cover the increase in health care costs. While I know I am paid the same as my male colleagues who have the same amount of education and experience as I do, teachers as a whole are paid 20% less than employees with equal experience in the private sector. That teachers are predominately women plays a large part in that. Donovan states that chefs are often asked what they, themselves, can do to manage to survive in a an exploitive industry, but the question is never about what the industry can do to make it better for chefs and other employees. The same self-care parade is rolled out to teachers, especially for these last two years. We are expected to self-care our way through a pandemic, students with much greater needs, and parents who actively fight against classroom safety while also expecting us to put their children over our own lives. How does this play out? Here's a hint: Donovan left the industry.
Donovan's memoir is timely in more ways than one in why we need to not only support and believe women, but invest in people for a better a society. Highly recommend.
As I listened to her book, I couldn't help but think of her experience in the restaurant industry as an allegory of being a teacher. Both industries are exploitive, relying on its practitioners passion and care for the craft as a means to maintain the status quo. Donovan writes about how rich, often male, investors, have no problem dropping a load of cash for expensive artwork and sconces, but rebuff any attempts to pay their employees more or to provide decent healthcare. She was often underpaid because her work, while it brought in substantial profit, was not taken seriously, and the underlying belief that since she was married, she had her husband to take care of her. That she and her husband were struggling to make ends meet never entered the equation. The onus was on her to prove herself to be "enough". Teaching is very much the same. The school district has no problem giving themselves raises and spending money on technology and this and that program that will be the silver bullet of teaching while forcing the union to fight for their federally mandated cost of living increase, and then fight harder for a raise. These increases are just enough to cover the increase in health care costs. While I know I am paid the same as my male colleagues who have the same amount of education and experience as I do, teachers as a whole are paid 20% less than employees with equal experience in the private sector. That teachers are predominately women plays a large part in that. Donovan states that chefs are often asked what they, themselves, can do to manage to survive in a an exploitive industry, but the question is never about what the industry can do to make it better for chefs and other employees. The same self-care parade is rolled out to teachers, especially for these last two years. We are expected to self-care our way through a pandemic, students with much greater needs, and parents who actively fight against classroom safety while also expecting us to put their children over our own lives. How does this play out? Here's a hint: Donovan left the industry.
Donovan's memoir is timely in more ways than one in why we need to not only support and believe women, but invest in people for a better a society. Highly recommend.
I love good food writing and I love listening to memoirs read by their authors, so this book was pretty much a home run for me. Lisa Donovan is a Southern pastry chef, but she’s a lot more than that, and her memoir reflects that complexity. She’s not the typical restaurant worker whose entire life revolves around the restaurant kitchen--she had her first child young, so she always had to balance her career with her family. And if that sounds difficult, it was. Donovan is an incredibly hard worker, something she takes such pride in and spends so much page space talking about, it seems central to her identity. She talks about the racism and misogyny of the restaurant industry, the generational shame and dysfunction in her own family, and her ongoing efforts to live a meaningful life. If you enjoy audio books, that’s definitely the format you want here, as hearing Donovan’s story in her own voice just adds to the experience.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Some good parts. Some parts that could have used more focus or a better editor.
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced