I love reading and I love eating, so I tend to enjoy these books about wonderful foods. Reichl's memoir begins at her co-op in Berkeley. She's married to Doug, an up-and-coming artist, and is determined to make her own way as a restaurant critic/food writer. Doug's passion takes him all over the country, while Reichl finds herself in the food meccas of Los Angeles and Paris. With their communication strained, Reichl seeks fulfillment through various affairs. The book follows Reichl's rise to the top of the criticism game, as she befriends the likes of Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck. The descriptions of her incredible meals - and the recipes at the end of each chapter - left me wondering how it is that she doesn't weigh 500 pounds. The narrative about her personal life - the men she sleeps with and her desire for children - while they make her in some way more human and real, also reveal that she does not appear to have much ability for self-reflection. And, the man she ends up with in the end is so selfish and infuriating, I was certain she was setting up her anecdotes for a huge break-up and acknowledgment of his enormous faults. But, maybe she is saving this for her next memoir (which is also sitting on my shelf, thanks to my mom). All in all, Reichl's personal life was a bit of a distraction and a disaster, but such is usually the case with people who have interesting and successful professional lives. For people who like reading about decadent meals, it's certainly worth sifting through all the relationship nonsense to get to. And, there is a very heartbreaking section on Reichl's attempt to have children and her experience with adoption that is painful, but courageous.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Comfort Me With Apples - Ruth Reichl
I love reading and I love eating, so I tend to enjoy these books about wonderful foods. Reichl's memoir begins at her co-op in Berkeley. She's married to Doug, an up-and-coming artist, and is determined to make her own way as a restaurant critic/food writer. Doug's passion takes him all over the country, while Reichl finds herself in the food meccas of Los Angeles and Paris. With their communication strained, Reichl seeks fulfillment through various affairs. The book follows Reichl's rise to the top of the criticism game, as she befriends the likes of Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck. The descriptions of her incredible meals - and the recipes at the end of each chapter - left me wondering how it is that she doesn't weigh 500 pounds. The narrative about her personal life - the men she sleeps with and her desire for children - while they make her in some way more human and real, also reveal that she does not appear to have much ability for self-reflection. And, the man she ends up with in the end is so selfish and infuriating, I was certain she was setting up her anecdotes for a huge break-up and acknowledgment of his enormous faults. But, maybe she is saving this for her next memoir (which is also sitting on my shelf, thanks to my mom). All in all, Reichl's personal life was a bit of a distraction and a disaster, but such is usually the case with people who have interesting and successful professional lives. For people who like reading about decadent meals, it's certainly worth sifting through all the relationship nonsense to get to. And, there is a very heartbreaking section on Reichl's attempt to have children and her experience with adoption that is painful, but courageous.
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