Customer Reviews

Gastroanomalies: Questionable Culinary Creations from the Golden Age of American Cookery

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I could, I would give this book six stars. I just bought it at my local Big Box Bookstore and sat down to read it in the store but literally had to leave because I was laughing so hard. People were looking at me funny. So I read it at home, making those alarming laugh-snort-gasping sounds. Now my dog is looking at me funny.

Once again, Jame Lileks skewers the horrible foods of the mid-20th century. How could things so bland and tasteless manage to look so disgusting? Why are the colors of these dishes brought to us by Technicolor on steroids? Yes, this was the era when " 'Mexican' meant three entire grains of pepper added to a gallon of tomato juice" and pizza crusts -- when pizza was consumed at all -- seemed to be made of Saltine cracker crumbs. Lileks also shows us what Satan brings to every darn potluck (Silly me. I thought he'd bring lutefisk.), and ponders the secret ingredient in the oceans of white sauce -- bleach, maybe?

If you loved Lileks's "Gallery of Regrettable Food" and thought it was one of the best humor books ever, like I did, come back for a hearty, heapin', second helping of lard-filled laughter, held up for your amusement in a colorful yet quivering aspic.

The chapter on "how to drive off your husband with lousy cooking" is some of the funniest, horriblest photography and writing I've had the pleasure of reading in months. Lileks is wonderfully droll.

The meat dishes are disgusting. What on earth were these folks thinking?

For samples of the author's sense of humor, his website is www.lileks.com. If you like what you see, buy his books and keep him in business.

James Lileks has done it again. I'm still fondest of THE GALLERY OF REGRETTABLE FOOD and INTERIOR DESECRATORS but GASTROANOMALIES deserves a place of (dis)honour near these worthy tomes. This time there is no attempt to explain the origins of the revolting dishes (with one exception: 'food' from Austalia that explains why that country's liberal immigration laws have greatly improved its cuisine since the time of this 'cookbook's' publication--it couldn't have gotten any worse!)
I think Mr. Lileks' creative writing is at its best in the "Please let her pick the bananas" section.
I wonder if any of these dishes were actually prepared by the victi--uh, cooks. If people then were like people now, the books were just for lookin'. Maybe some of the pictures were intended for dieters--you won't want to eat after viewing some of the greasier, sugarier examples in this appallingly hilarious book.

The latest book from James Lileks does not dissapoint. If you enjoyed The Gallery of Regrettable Food you'll certainly get a kick from Gastroanomalies. I'm amazed that these dishes were ever considered appealing to anyone. Lileks strikes home with his scathing critiques of some truly horrifying culinary creations. If you like absurdist humor with a liberal sprinkling of potty jokes, you should enjoy this book. I had to stop reading this at work for it literally made me Laugh Out Loud. I eagerly await future reader reviews from people who thought they were buying a cookbook or are offended that he pokes fun at "Granny's favorite recipe."

Lileks does it again, breaths new life into old books and skewers it all like cocktail weenies in a sea of pork and beans.

I wanted to point out that I think Bacon'egger is a former action movie star and the governor of a western state.

If you thought that "The Gallery of Regrettable Food" needed a sequel, then this is the book for you. Call it Gallery 2 - Electric Boogaloo, or just call it a great read!

James Lileks brings all of it to the table: hideous pictures from 50's era cookbooks, snarky comments and keen observations. The result is Mystery Science Theater for cookbooks. You'll never look at meat, or chocolate ice cream the same way again.

As good as the book is, it didn't have as many laugh at loud moments as "The Gallery of Regrettable Food" or "Interior Desecrations". Still any new book by Lileks brings a smile to my face.

James Lileks is FANTASTIC. Hands down, bar none, point blank and period. (insert more gushing here). I ordered his Interior Desecrations book, and laughed until I was breathless and wet with tears. So I bought EVERYTHING else he had on Amazon. Gastroanomalies pokes fun at the recipes and other culinary abominations from the 50s and 60s. His sense of humor is sarcastic and reminds me of Dennis Miller and Bill Maher and Eddie Izzard all put together, and mocking recipes and interior design choices from the American past. You WILL love his books if you love hanging out with that friend who always has a snarky comment about weird things you see when you hang out.

If it's possible, this is even funnier than the original Gallery of Regrettable Food. We were laughing so hard, it literally hurt. Lileks is brilliant!

If you have ever looked at your mom's old cookbooks and thought to your self - "what is that? and why would you eat it?" - this is the book for you. Mr. Lileks has found a way to make meatloaf "laugh out loud" funny. He really has a way of making even the most common things hilarious. I bought it for my sister who is a chef. She thought it was a scream!!

Bought this book just to support Lileks since I read his blog. Picked it up one night while my wife and I were sitting in bed. I have not laughed that hard in ages. It was uproariously funny.