Customer Reviews

Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave

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Anyone who thinks he or she is a food adventurer should read this book. Gates has brought the adventure to a whole new level. I was amazed, thrilled, then aghast in the journey of the Gastronaut. Being a Chinese and a food lover, I never thought a Westerner can be as brave and as romantic about food. While a few of Gates's experience would make me frown and close the book for a few minutes, most stories are quite inspiring. I especially enjoy his "cooking with gold" and would like to try it out myself someday.

Some of the dining suggestions in this book are too disgusting to read, such as Mackerel Tartare, Monkey Gland Steak and nearly all of Chapter 3, "Food and the Body," which considers the edible qualities of things like scabs and ear wax.

But for the most part British writer Gates is a comic adventurer who has gone to absurd lengths in playing with his food so that you won't have to - cooking with aftershave, insects and gold; making stills, margarine, and Fish Sperm on Toast; exploring the elaborate, or at least lengthy, traditions of Birds' Nest Soup, Chicken Foot Stew, Headcheese, and teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.

History abounds, along with pointers on recreating such momentous events as Bacchanalian orgies and various Last Suppers. There's Elvis' Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich, Andy Warhol's Chocolate Balls, the Deep-fried Mars Bar and various elements of classic British cookery, such as Hasty Pudding, Flummery, Lumpydick, and Gruel, not all of which are considered suitable for eating.

There are some practical dishes too, which retain, of course, the spirit of fun off the beaten track - Stuffed Fish Heads, Stargazey Pie, Gravlax, and seasonal suggestions like spring carrot jam and autumn mushroom ketchup.

Gates is witty, knowledgeable and irreverent. Recipes are definitely included. For food mavens tired of eating sensibly.

-- Portsmouth Herald

Gastronaut will take you where no man has gone before. (Sorry! I couldn't help myself!) Stefan Gates is like a combination of Bill Bryson and Alton Brown. He has Alton Brown's wit, imagination and creativity, and Bill Bryson's humor and outlook on life! The part about teaching grandmothers to suck eggs was too funny!

Get this book! You won't be sorry!

In the opening chapter of Gastronaut, Stefan Gates teaches the audience how to make gilded Cheetos, from where to purchase the gold leaf, cost practicalities, nutritional information on gold, how to handle wafer-thin leaf, and the infuriatingly tricky process of getting the gold to adhere to your tasty cheesy snack. His best advice is to keep your gilding in check--it isn't practical to artistically coat an entire bag of Cheetos, so focus your talents on a few and scatter them elegantly throughout your serving bowl.

The rest of the book lives up to this snazzy opening chapter. Gates explores the world of making moonshine and making your own cheese. He provides dinner guides: Want to re-enact the meal on the Titanic? Stage a Bacchanalian orgy? Try out every aphrodisiac food ever? The second half of the book consists of recipes, but not in a traditional cookbook sense. Gates provides directions along with a historical perspective, his personal experiences, and recommended music for each food preparation. I'm not sure I ever plan to make chicken feet stew, mackerel tartare, nettle haggis, gruel, or Irish blood stew, but I sure had a great time learning about them.

Gates is a master humorist who has crafted an educational and enjoyable book about experiences with food. I thoroughly enjoyed my armchair seat for his adventures in food for the romantic, the foolhardy, and the brave.

I read a lot of food memoirs and this one is good but really not the best. There are very few recipes you can actually duplicate. The stories accompanying the recipes are so-so. It is a pleasurable read but not one you will likely re-read.

Take a healthy dose of humor, add a healthier dose of food savvy, and you have Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave, which advocates readers go to the 'wild side' of the culinary world to analyze cuisines, meals, and food-related oddities. From 'Why Not Eat Insects?' to an essay on cheese-making and a popular South African 'Monkey Gland' dish with roots in Victorian times, chapters pair hilarious observations, history and analysis with unusual recipes. A fun survey even avid cooks will appreciate for its light-hearted twists and unusual perspective.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch