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07-02-2002, 07:44 PM
|  | ChefTalk Supporter / ChefTalk Book Reviewer Culinary Experience: Cook At Home | | Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Bellingham, WA
Posts: 899
| |  food fiction
Hello all,
Aside from Like Water For Chocolate , what are your favorite novels or short stories that feature food or the food business? 
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Emily |
07-02-2002, 10:28 PM
|  | ChefTalk Moderator Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,748
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I haven't read that many novels or short story collections, but 2 favorites are The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester (? not sure) and The Devil's Larder by Jim Crace.
Least favorite, although foodservice is somewhat incidental: Gone Bamboo by Anthony Bourdain. Sorry, Chef; stick to personal memoirs!  |
07-03-2002, 12:53 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
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My Kitchen Wars by Betty Harper Fussell
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K
«Money talks. Chocolate sings. Beautifully.»
«Just Give Me Chocolate and Nobody Gets Hurt.»
«Coffee, Chocolate, Men ... Some things are just better rich.» |
07-03-2002, 03:29 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 196
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Anything by M.F.K Fisher
"On Persephone's Island" by Mary Taylor Simeti
"Prizzi's Honor" by Richard Condon
"A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote
"The Luncheon" by Somerset Maugham
And a very sweet book published in the late '80's called
"Christmas Memories with Recipes" featuring Bert Greene, Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, Marcella Hazan, and a dozen others with wonderful stories and recipes to follow...
I know there's a few more lurking about but I can't remember right now.
Monkey
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"Life is a banquet - and most poor suckers are starving to death" - Auntie Mame |
07-04-2002, 08:45 AM
|  | ChefTalk Moderator Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Fond du Lac, WI
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I read a great one, a few years back called "Food Chain". I will have to find it again to find who the author is, but it is one twisted tale involving food, hedonism, and mystery.
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From Man's sweat and God's love, beer came into the World-Saint Arnoldus |
07-04-2002, 02:45 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
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Pete,
Are you referring to Geoff Nicholson's book?
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K
«Money talks. Chocolate sings. Beautifully.»
«Just Give Me Chocolate and Nobody Gets Hurt.»
«Coffee, Chocolate, Men ... Some things are just better rich.» |
07-04-2002, 05:09 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: eastern MA
Posts: 836
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Anyone ever read The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook?
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It's not Dairy Queen. |
07-04-2002, 06:16 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Montréal
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Rabelais' Pantagruel and Gargantua.
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When I get a little money, I buy books. And if there is any left over, I buy food.
- Desiderius Erasmus
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07-05-2002, 11:12 AM
| | ChefTalk Moderator Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,748
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Yes, TBH, and I've even cooked from it. It's fascinating reading as history, biography, and not least as a food document. |
07-05-2002, 12:24 PM
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TBH & Susanne. I've also cooked from it. Her recipe for baked shad is lovely and a repeater, and I've even used her fruitcake recipe.
Aside from the recipes, it's a great "gossip" book for people interested in art and literature. Stein & Toklas's guests were a modernist's who's who |
07-05-2002, 08:18 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Montréal
Posts: 3,617
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How could I forget Le ventre de Paris by Zola. One of my favourite novel.
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When I get a little money, I buy books. And if there is any left over, I buy food.
- Desiderius Erasmus
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07-05-2002, 08:34 PM
|  | Cafe Administrator Culinary Experience: Culinary Instructor | | Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: New Castle, De USA
Posts: 2,397
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Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft. A gifted writer that absolutely drags in you into each of his works.
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Invention, my dear friends, is ninety-three percent perspiration, six percent electricity, four percent evaporation, and two percent butterscotch ripple |
07-05-2002, 10:55 PM
| | ChefTalk Moderator Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Fond du Lac, WI
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Kimmie, that name does kind of ring a bell. I can't be absolutely sure though, and the book is still packed away somewhere (God knows where!!!!). Have you read it?
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From Man's sweat and God's love, beer came into the World-Saint Arnoldus |
07-07-2002, 09:03 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Melbourne,Australia
Posts: 139
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Loaves and wishes-writers writing on food. Ed. by Antonia Till
Feeding Frenzy-Stuart Stevens
Banquet of the mind-Don Anderson
Fasting, Feasting-Anita Desai
Tart and Juicy- Ed. by Michael Gifkins
I also love anything by M.F.K Fisher
Almost forgot! The night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. Beautiful, beautiful childrens book. |
07-09-2002, 05:55 PM
| | Cafe Administrator Culinary Experience: Culinary Instructor | | Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: New Castle, De USA
Posts: 2,397
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Pollyg... Good call - The Night Kitchen is phenomenal!!
If you have kids, don't dismiss this read just because it is a children's work. Great illustrations and cute story. I give this to 'newbies' joining my kitchen after a few months as a "welcome to the crew" gift.
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Invention, my dear friends, is ninety-three percent perspiration, six percent electricity, four percent evaporation, and two percent butterscotch ripple | | |
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