Best Food Writing 2010 [Paperback]

Holly Hughes (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2010 | Series: Best Food Writing

A new edition of the authoritative and appealing anthology, comprised of the finest culinary prose from the past year’s books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and Web sites. With food writing and blogging on the rise, there’s no shortage of treats on the buffet to choose from, including selections from both established food writers and new stars on everything from noted gastronomes to how to fry an egg, from erudite culinary history to delectable memoirs. Evocative, provocative, sensuous, and just plain funny, it’s a tasty sampler platter to dip into time and again.

Best Food Writing 2010 features top-notch writers like Colman Andrews, Calvin Trillin, Ruth Reichl, Alice Waters, Frank Bruni, and many others.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mourning the demise of Gourmet magazine, series editor Hughes asks "is food writing a dying art?" Readers of this year's anthology will offer a resounding "nowhere close." Ethical concerns of organic and locavore movements and free range meats are tidily summed up by now-famous vegetarian Jonathan Safran Foer. Whereas MIT grad J. Kenji Lopez-Alt shares a recipe for making French fries as good as what McDonalds makes: "salty, crisp, light, and not greasy." At the other end of the spectrum, New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton offers a version of Nora Ephron's meat loaf recipe to die for. Pulitzer prize winner Jonathan Gold tracks the shifting locations of Los Angeles' street vendors and Tod Kliman hunts down Peter Chang, the elusive "perfect chef" who moves between Chinese restaurants, from D.C. to Atlanta, to avoid celebrity. Along the way Kliman learns that innocuous Chinese restaurants can have secret menus for the cognoscenti and experiences the exquisite pleasure of hot peppers that scorch and even numb. And travelling to Tokyo, Kevin Pang discovered to his great surprise that eating a bowl of ramen "satisfied every taste sense man is blessed to experience." A sparkling collection.
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From Booklist

In a time where the most elemental of activities—consuming sustenance—is an increasingly political act, it’s not surprising that there might be more attention paid to talking about eating food than there is in actually eating food. Series editor Hughes sheds a tear for the shuttering of the venerable Gourmet, but maintains that “the rumors of food writing’s death have been greatly exaggerated.” Big changes in the culinary world are visible here, from Michael Steinberger’s lament over the passing of France’s reign of culinary mastery (all hail Spain) to Tim Carman’s plea to put Zagat out of its misery. But the trend du jour continues to be locavorism, evidenced by Carla Capalbo’s take on the epicenter of molecular gastronomy, El Bulli, getting dethroned as best restaurant in the world by a small Copenhagen joint that focuses on seasonal, place-specific ingredients. Despite all the delicious food fussiness on parade, though, the best of the best might just be Jason Sheehan’s hilarious (if you’re an industry insider) or terrifying (if you’re an unsuspecting patron) account of flash-defrosting 80-pound blocks of haddock on a frantic fish-fry Friday. --Ian Chipman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books (October 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738213810
• ISBN-13: 978-0738213811
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #657,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Holly Hughes writes travel guides, young adult fiction, and rock music reviews, and is the founding editor of the annual Best Food Writing anthologies. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, she graduated from Mount Holyoke College and has a graduate degree from Oxford University. She currently lives in New York City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Reading about food can be fun April 12, 2011

By M. P. Wallace

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Who knew food critics can be funny? Some pieces were very amusing, some informative - all are well written. I learned food can be artistic, political, religious as well as nourishing . There are lessons to be learned and stories told. Just like a menu, you can pick the items you want and leave others for your next visit.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars sharing food fun March 7, 2011

By Amir Arbisser

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I find this book enjoyable to read aloud to my spouse at the end of the day when we're slowing down. Some of the ideas are intriguing although with multiple authors the writing is definitely uneven. We've enjoyed other books in the same series - the same way - read aloud to each other at bedtime.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Compendium of the Best Food Writing August 4, 2011

By Terri J. Rice TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

If you love to read about food, about fine dining, about trends in food, about the people who prepare food, you will love Best Food Writing of 2010.

Holly Hughes has done all the work of ferreting out the best in food writing and compiled it in one book. You don't have to scour all the blogs, books, new articles and magazine articles because Hughes has done it for you.

It is a great compendium of the best food writing.