Between Bites: Memoirs of a Hungry Hedonist [Paperback]

James Villas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2003

Praise for Between Bites Memoirs of a Hungry Hedonist

"An incredible journey of gastronomy by one of America's greatest journalists. Wow!"--Chef Emeril Lagasse

"For anyone interested in disciplined hedonism, this gripping book reminds us where real style comes from and how it is sustained."--Jeremiah Tower

"This is a wonderful book for all to cherish and enjoy--those who love gloriously meticulous writing, wit, the joy of good food from French to Southern, the love of friends who truly accept them, and the pleasure of dispute, which I intend to keep doing with Jimmy as long as he will let me. Bravo!"--Barbara Kafka

"The more stubborn, persnickety, demanding, and shocking Jim Villas's opinions become in his memoirs, the funnier, more informed, and commonsensical they seem. His appetite for the good life has never flagged, and his ability to convey the highs and lows of dining out makes this book as tantalizing as a mess of spiced crabs. Like A. J. Liebling and Waverley Root, Jim Villas is not really a food writer but a great writer who revels in the joy of living well."--John Mariani

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

James Villas is in love with the notion of himself as a bon vivant. The food and wine editor of Town & Country magazine for many years, a cookbook author, and a contributor to Esquire, Villas has chronicled gourmet living through the foodie revolutions of the last three decades. In Between Bites: Memoirs of a Hungry Hedonist, he writes about discovering and developing his palate in France in the early 1960s, the Advent of Julia (Child, of course), the rise of nouvelle cuisine, and the return to regional cooking. Though he claims to be a supporter of down-home American cuisine, Villas is deeply enamored of all things jet set. His idea of glamour has everything to do with champagne and what he always refers to as "sufficiencies of caviar." His memoir unfolds as a series of portraits of great chefs, restaurateurs, and eaters he has known--chapters are devoted to everyone from James Beard and Paula Wolfert to Jeremiah Tower and Paul Bocuse. These friends are portrayed lovingly and wickedly; Villas is a self-described "old queen" who loves nothing more than a good gossip. Sometimes the storymongering can get a bit breathless; he describes at least three times a meal aboard the SS France with Salvador Dali and an ocelot. But even his name-dropping has a certain charm: here's a sophisticate who still gets starry-eyed about his own extraordinary good fortune. --Claire Dederer --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

With curiosity and style, North Carolina-born James Villas has covered the food world for more than 30 years in both magazines and books. Even so, he says, "I've never been a conventional food writer, which means I stay in trouble all the time," For his readers that means honest, well-researched writing that makes no apologies or concessions to the trends of the day. His career took off in 1972 when he was hired to be the food and wine editor at Town & Country, For 27 years, Villas wrote on every topic imaginable, from American caviar and California wines to wild mushrooms and authentic barbecue. He was one of the first writers to champion the burgeoning American food movement in the 1970s, trying, as he puts it, "always to expose American cooking and food, elevating it as much as I could." Today, Villas continues to write cookbooks and essays that explore his subjects in the most authentic way possible. Between Bites, his memoirs, is a collection of essays published last year. "I've always had this insatiable thirst to get to the bottom of things," says Villas, "and I will go to the ends of the earth for the answer," (Bon Appetit, October 2003)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (April 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471448273
• ISBN-13: 978-0471448273
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,688,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and bred in the South, have 3 university degrees in language and literature (Fulbright scholar), and taught in 3 universities before changing careers and becoming Food and Wine Editor of TOWN and COUNTRY (1972-1999). I've published 14 cookbooks and 4 literary books on gastronomy. My first novel, DANCING IN THE LOW COUNTRY, was published in 2008; my second, HUNGRY FOR HAPPINESS, in 2010; and I'm currently working on a dog novel titled NUTMEG: THE BEAGLE WHO PLAYS BRAHMS. My last cookbook, PIG: KING OF THE SOUTHERN TABLE, won the James Beard Award for 2010, and my newest one, FROM THE GROUND UP, will be published in October, 2011. I live in East Hampton, Long Island, where I devote my time to writing cookbooks and fiction and pursuing my love of great music.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Memoirs of an Old-fashioned Bon Vivant, October 4, 2002

By 

gfweb "gfweb" (pa USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Between Bites: Memoirs of a Hungry Hedonist (Hardcover)

Memoirs can be thoroughly boring if not done particularly well. Fortunately this one is well-written indeed. The first half of it deals with the author's coming of age as an academic and transition into a food writer. The second half of the book mainly consists of accounts of famous chefs and famous diners whose lives have intersected with his.

Villas is a outspoken (and perceptive) critic of nouvelle cuisine, fusion and all of the unfortunate food-foolishness of the past couple of decades. He savages some big-time chefs like Wolfgang Puck and is simply dismissive of many more famous names.

The author is also a creature from another time, say the 1930s, and is a terrible(wonderful?) snob. More than anything he reminds me of Lucius Beebe, a mid-century American bon vivant who managed to live a gilded life and then write about it.

The book misses occasionally when Villas gets a little too bitchy, but perhaps these slight lapses are as revealing as the more elegant parts. An interesting and somewhat disturbing revelation is just how many food writers live lonely and seemingly desperate lives. Perhaps only the ones in New York are this way.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminiscence with Recipes, June 12, 2002

By 

Curtiss Anderson (Tiburon, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Between Bites: Memoirs of a Hungry Hedonist (Hardcover)

James Villas has capped a brilliant career with this enthralling and entertaining biographical and gourmand journey. It is mouth-watering reading, in more ways than one. Villas is amoung two or three "foodies" who can write. I think of M.F.K Fisher and another North Carolinian like Villas, Jean Anderson (no relative).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Admirable Hedonist, April 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Between Bites: Memoirs of a Hungry Hedonist (Hardcover)

The author may be a rebel--but what a delicious rebel he is. How wonderful to read about the world of gastronomy, without the usual cliched embellishments. Elegantly written, even when the gloves are off, I found myself concurring with every act of hedonism! Hooray for good taste!