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Eat, Memory: Great Writers At The Table: A Collection Of Essays From The New York Times (2008)

by Amanda Hesser(Favorite Author)

3.46 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0393067637 (ISBN13: 9780393067637)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: 2/15/12: This is a collection--"Best of", I'd guess--of short essays written for the "Eat, Memory" column in the New York Times Magazine. Edited by Amanda Hesser (who also edited the column while it ran), it covers a wide range of authors and topics, though all focus on the theme of memories and food. A quick read, but there are some lovely surprises in here; it is amazing how evocative smell and taste can be, bringing to mind memories of place and time and family. Just as Proust tells us! Also, it's interesting how often a sense of loss pervades these essays: loss of innocence, of loved ones, of appetites, of a taste for ice cream…. So it's particularly helpful to read these essays all together; it's easier to note their similarities, their common tendency to make food ... moreinto something intensely meaningful. I suppose Duh, that was the whole idea of the assignment--but often an assignment is easier said than done, and these essays about the authors' experiences succeed in their mission. The best ones manage to be both personal and universal--the best kind of personal essay.
review 2: I recieved this book from some great friends, who are as food oriented as we are, and I had not heard of it, so always nice to be given soemthing that is perfect for you that you were unaware of. This is a collection of essays by people who write, and very generally they are about food or the experience around food. I really liked some of them (the blind grill chef, Kiran Desai talking about her growing up experiece to name a couple), and perhaps best of all, it made me think seriously about writing about some of my most memorable food experiences--a signature dish piece, a reflection on what my children crave when they are no longer at home full time, the experience of holiday and food, the community experience of sharing meals. So while this is not great literature, it is enjoyable, and most importantly it gave me something to think about that goes far beyond the experience of merely reading it. less

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