Customer Reviews

Fried Chicken: An American Story

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John T. Edge's book "Fried Chicken: An American Story", is the first in a series on iconic american food. And Mr. Edge has hit the heart of this chicken-loving foodie with this one. I hate to admit it, but I can't stop salivating. And I'm yearning to be able to take time off from my work, jump into the car, and head off on a road trip to all of the different places mentioned in his book.

"Fried Chicken" is a quick read, just under 200 pages, and I managed to finish it in under a day. But that's because I couldn't put it down. Mr. Edge's fun and flavor-filled stories about his search for the perfect fried chicken in America had me longing to taste every different take on the classic finger food that he did.

For instance, if I ever get to Chicago, I know there's a visit to Gourmet Fried Chicken on Cermak Road in my future. Mr. Edge's recounting of his visit there and his meeting with the owner, Chef Luciano, gives me reason to stop by and try the fare. Ditto Sam Lee's Chicken Valley at the Pike Street Market in Seattle, and four different places in the small town of Barberton, Ohio. Perhaps I'll take a quick road trip there next time I get out to visit my mother in Ohio. And every other hotel, bistro, or fast food restaurant Mr. Edge speaks of would, if it were possible, be getting a visit from me in the near future.

Edge also includes, as the book jacket indicates, the "essential recipes" from each of his road stories, either the exact one from one of the eateries or his own close approximation, for those times when the cooks behind the chickens therein wouldn't give up all of their secrets. And Edge has thoughtfully included an appendix listing the best places to each chicken, complete with addresses and telephone numbers. Yes, this book will find it's way into my overnight bag anytime I travel...

If the rest of Edge's books in this new series are this complete (there are two more right now, "APPLE PIE" and "HAMBURGERS AND FRIES", for which reviews are forthcoming), the entire series is going to be worthy of having on the "Shelf of FAME" in any foodie's bookcase. "FRIED CHICKEN: AN AMERICAN STORY" is a fast, fun, and delicious read for all, and is absolutely essential for any fellow fancier of fowl. I guarantee you will find yourself seated beside Mr. Edge as he travels the country looking for the best foods. And thanks to the recipes, you DON'T have to do it vicariously. You can be there too. Or at least simulate being there. And that's the next best thing, all things considered.

Edge's book is a must read for anyone who is interested in studying American culture through its food. Written in a New Yorker magazine style, he profiles the full range of culinary masters that create succulent chicken coast to coast. If the rest of the series of books that he is writing on everything from apple pie to burgers to fries is this good, I will purchase them all. This is the best of American food writing. You will not be able to put it down! Buy it before the sun sets tonight.

This is the kind of food book I really enjoy. It is writing about food, and does provide recipes that you can try on your own, but its real delight comes from writing about the people who made those recipes and whose life is about making really good food. And the writer needs to be able to write skillfully enough to enable to reader to taste that food along with him.

John T. Edge does a great job in this little book. He takes a dish we all think we know and uses what he calls its iconic status to show how such a common dish is really a window into the larger and more diverse culture. It can't help being adapted to local conditions and tastes or from the points of origin of the fry cook. In this book he takes us all around the country. We get to go to a Church Social, meet with legendary chicken chefs, go to famous chicken joints. Edge shows us chicken straight up, with varying degrees of spice, with flavors of Asia, Europe, and several South of the Border.

All the while, the author ties it in to various aspects of all the cultures involved and how it has all melded into America. He never loses sight of the fact that this dish had slavery as one of its points of origin. There is a fascinating account of how newly freed women slaves would fry up chicken and wait by the train stations to sell it to hungry (and often smoke ash covered) passengers. This culture kept on for quite awhile and recipes and cooking methods were jealously guarded.

If you love food and enjoy reading about food and culture, you will get a lot from this delightful book. I was fortunate to attend a chicken dinner with the author at Zingerman's Roadhouse here in Ann Arbor, MI last week. I could never have imagined the broad range of tastes I was fortunate to experience from Fried Chicken. Mr. Edge was a most interesting speaker and a very friendly gentleman.

Enjoy!

John T. Edge may be the true savior of Southern Cuisine. In Fried Chicken, Edge does a fine job at explaining that Fried Chicken is really a multi-cultural phenomenon and not a Southern-only cuisine (as much as we hate to admit it).

Edge's stories include many great characters and destinations. I enjoyed getting to meet these people through his eyes. His sense of travel and wandering in search of the "Meaning of Fried Chicken" reminds me of a Jimmy Buffett style story, riddled with an unforgettable cast of characters and a journey that takes him through such a diverse list of cities.

America's culture is one that cannot be defined. People and society differ from region to region. It is fun to see how a fried bird can become a common thread, or a universal symbol of America.

It may be time to replace the Bald Eagle as our National Bird with shoebox full of fried drumsticks and bottle of hot sauce!

Recipes are a great bonus!

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of his "American Story/Passion" series.

What I was hoping for was a collection of rescued fried chicken recipes from around the country. What I got was something less and something more.

The less was 15 recipes that the author invented. These recipes are not the original recipes, but rather are inspired by them. Is that good enough? You'll have to judge. It's not really what I wanted, but it did give me a few ideas.

The "more" that I got from the book is the author's narrative. At times, he drones on in an erudite manner about slavery and women's rights. For my part, I wanted an historical cookbook. I got this:

"Herein, I pay homage to the region's legendary fry cooks of African descent. To do so is to document the sad injustices of a Jim Crow South where blacks worked in white homes and businesses, wringing chicken necks and hefting skillets to stovetops, but were denied a place at the lunch counter, the dining room table." --page 15

I wanted a cookbook for cryin' out loud. Apparently, the author spent a year roaming the country filling up on fried chicken, but the book only features 15 recipies.

Still, some of the interviews are interesting. The one with the two ancient ladies at the Chalfonte Hotel sticks in my memory. I do see the value of the context the author provides.

Hence my 3 stars. It's not what I was expecting, but there is value in it. And it always makes me hungry.

Thank you so much for a rare look at the various types of chicken fried around the country. I've got my cast iron skillet ready with peanut oil at my elbow. Came exactly as stated.

Written By John T. Edge, a history if fried chicken. A great addition to Mr. Edge's books on donuts, apple pie and hamburgers.

Very informative i now realize the love the yanks have for some fried chook takes me away from the greesy KFC i will try some of these dishes.

I first heard about John T. Edge on WHYY last week, regarding his new book on hamburgers. But after noticing his book about Fried Chicken got 5 stars, I can wait to read them all. And by the way, I live right down the street from Gourmet Fried Chicken on Cermak Road in Chicago. It is wonderful Fried Chicken. But does anyone know if Martins in Montgomery, AL is still around. during my year living in the deep south, it was my Friday Dinner Ritual.