I chose this book because I heard Gopnik on NPR’s “The Moth”
podcast where he told the story of how he and his wife had different tastes in
food, but that they compromised because of their love for one another. A great
story, and much of this flavor was found in his book.
What I enjoyed about the book was the analysis of the moral
and cultural concepts surrounding food’s place in our world. For instance,
today we envy those who ate only fresh food but at one time fresh was the food
of peasants. Those who had exotic food on demand (as we do today) were wealthy.
His analysis of class was both entertaining and insightful. Where tastes come
from and how they change was also enjoyable. In a very non-judgmental way,
Gopnik analyzes the morality of meat and veggies, of eating local, and of
eating only in-season products. I appreciated this as I too enjoy much of the
values he espouses and struggles with at the same time.
I relished in his dissection of our culture’s fascination
with food but struggled through his discussion of the French food industry. It
was interesting enough to see its influences but I know little of this type of
cuisine so my attention waned frequently. Also, peppered throughout the book,
was a friendly correspondence between him and Elizabeth Penell, a 19th
century art and food critic. This allowed him to describe recipes that entice
the palate and continue the arc of culture and morality. It kept an otherwise
dry topic fun and light.
