So, this book made me really sit back and realize that, yes, I grew up in an unsophisticated hick town. Our only foreign language classes offered in High School (not before either) were Spanish I, II, III, and IV. There was no French...which The Debt to Pleasure made crystal clear. It was very much beyond my comprehension of off-handed French jokes. The book should have a disclaimer on the cover: Warning: Contains French!

It's not a bad book...I mean, it got stellar reviews. But there's a fine line between clever and stupid...and a find line between pompous/funny and pompous/annoying...The book fell into the latter category on both counts for me. There were funny points—in English even—but for the most part I was just trying to finish the thing so I could move on to my next foodie book.

The last few chapters caught my attention because the narrator goes mushroom hunting. That I could understand! Amanitas of all sorts, Boletus— yum yum. And his opinions and knowledge of fungi were all in line with mine which was lovely...then the book ended...I just understood something the narrator said and it was over! *Sigh*

I think if you know French (at least a little), you'll enjoy this book. I could see where it was supposed to be funny, the jokes just went right over my head. If you don't know French, don't bother...I guess I'm just not sophisticated enough for the world of Tarquin Winot.

I knew I didn't want to be a chef. I like to eat what these culinary geniuses create and then I write about them...or in this case read about them and practically drool on the book.

In Part I, Certified Master Chef Exam, I'm rooting for the poor CMC chefs to not undercook their dishes or slice their terrines unevenly. This is more exciting than any stupid sport could ever be to me! Don't oversleep! Don't be afraid of salt! Don't oversalt! Go, Go, Go!! That's Part I. Poor little chefs, all they ever wanted was to be certified! I mean, I love to cook, but that is exactly why I don't want to be a chef. Cooking is fun for me. I don't want it to stress me out, I want to enjoy my kitchen.

And now I also want to go to Cleveland. I've never wanted to go to Cleveland! The only association I have with Cleveland is in Spinal Tap, "Hello Cleveland! Rock and Roll!!" Now I want to go to eat at a place called, of all things, Lola (there is a place a block from my house called Cafe Lola and it's awful: bad service, bad food...good pizza, but not even worth the block walk to get there). Anyway, Michael Symon's Lola's makes me want to give that name another chance...if I ever find myself in the vicinity of Cleveland.

More likely though is that I'll get to partake in the food of Part III: Journey Toward Perfection...The French Laundry. You see, not only do I do FoodPorn, I have other contracts on the side (you people obviously don't buy enough shirts, mugs and aprons!). And as a bonus for being such a wonderful Webmistress, a friend and client gave me a gift certificate to the French Laundry! Yes, I hyperventilated when I opened the envelope!

Sooooo, now all I need to do is get reservations and then I too can partake in the salmon tartare.....the oysters & pearls....ok, not the calf brain, the whole offal section is really, well, awful to me! But I think I may have left drool on the rest of the pages in that section! (The visit happened, read about it here)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and went on to read The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary I which was also fantastic.

She's done it again, Ruth Reichl made me laugh outload, moan in delight at the dishes she experiences, and shriek as she eats brains and slugs. She travels the world, has sexual escapades (yep, she's all grown up in this book) and had me in tears over her child-bearing issues...Chapter 13, "Mashed Bananas"...i finished the chapter and screamed, "That chapter wasn't about food!!! How SAD!!!!"

But the book is still very much food porn:

Each forkful was like biting off a piece of the sun. It was like musk and light, all at once, and suddenly I burst out, "This is what I always imagined sex would taste like."
Page 42

I'm so jealous of this woman's food contacts...I want Alice Waters to invite me over! I want to go to Barcelona with 5 famous chefs for a nightmare meal! Ok, not everything has been perfect in her life by far, but she journals it brilliantly and appetizingly.

Why hasn't someone called me up and asked if I want to be a food reviewer for the New York Times? Ruth Reichl's book is a riot. Her mom is above and beyond any character I could every believe existed in real live...who serves moldy food to guests?!! (She scraped off the fuzz of course.) But beginning to end, Tender at the Bone keeps you laughing and it's recipes keep you drooling. From the east coast to Italy to North Africa to the house in Berkeley that is everything that Tony Bourdain hates about California, it's a riot. You'd think that with her love of and relationship with food, she'd have grown up with her mom making wonderful dishes. But no, it was more like Lenny Henry's character, Chef, he cooked to survive his mother's heinous concoctions.

I loved this book...I couldn't put it down and I finished it in 2 days. I've already ordered book 2, Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table and I'll let you know when I finish that one too!

This has quickly become the ultimate in restaurant tales. The stories range from "Sid and Nancy"-styled drug-induced hazed cooking to ultimate foodporn meals. It's not all about the food, it's all about the industry that surrounds the food...and some things you really don't want to think about as you're grabbing a bite to eat at that coastal seafood joint.

Why didn't Food Network pay me to travel around the world and eat strange meals in search of the perfect meal? Oh, right, because I won't eat cobra heart or weird slimy cactus drinks in Mexico. But travelling around the world with Mr. Bourdain is purely intriguing and fun...and of course the ultimate meal is at the French Laundry—I will go there!

Alton Brown finally explains why you cook certain things certain ways and doesn't just give you the recipes. He's all about the science of food...this books explains the common sense and the obscure facts with the wit and humor that Alton is so good at.