29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MSS from the Culinary Right Wing, Excellent Read., June 5, 2004
This review is from: Stalking the Green Fairy: And Other Fantastic Adventures in Food and Drink (Hardcover)
This is the most recent work of culinary writing from James Villas, who was recently honored by `Bon Appetit' as Food Writer of the Year for 2003, an honor Jim richly deserves if only for the variety of his writings which include columns on food topics of general interest (this book, for example), cookbooks on classic American culinary subjects (`Biscuit Bliss' and `Crazy for Casseroles' for example), and memoirs (`Between Bites'). This is like having M.F.K. Fisher, Edna Lewis and Ruth Reichl all rolled up into one person.
Jim Villas represents old school American culinary writing. He is as direct an intellectual descendent of James Beard as you are likely to find today. He was a friend and confidant of Beard, Craig Claiborne, and Richard Olney. He does have ties to recent trends and writings, as he is a good friends with Paula Wolfert and Jeremiah Tower.
Unlike Beard, Villas does not limit his journalism to American cuisine, although his cookbooks are firmly rooted in southern American cooking, being a true native of North Carolina with a strong interest in all the traditional controversies over styles of barbecue, okra cookery, Brunswick stew, and iced tea. There is a fittingness between Villas' being a North Carolina reb (his word) and his conservatism regarding food.
The most appealing aspect of his conserving attitude about food is his strong regard for tradition. In this regard, his writings in this book are very similar to the essays of John Thorne in that both are intent on calling a chowder only those things which contain traditional chowder ingredients such as salt pork and are made in the traditional manner, such as by using either biscuit or potato to thicken. The two authors both devote an essay to chowder, although typically, Thorne's essay is more scholarship and Villas' essay is more opinion. Many excellent culinary journalist / educators today can benefit from this kind of conservatism which calls a salad nicoise only those preparations which have some basis in traditional Provencal practice. I am often annoyed when, for example, Alton Brown gives an excellent exposition on a subject only to follow it with a recipe of, for example, something he calls panzanella salad, which has small resemblance to anything prepared in Italy.
Some of Villas' most interesting targets for preservation of the established or recently neglected are iceberg lettuce, tuna fish canned in oil, and meat loaf. He recounts long battles over iceberg lettuce with Craig Claiborne and how some swells of modern cuisine are surprised on `rediscovering' the virtues of this very common, very economical product. One of Villas' bete noirs is the current rave over fresh tuna and the fact that, in his opinion, few people know how to properly cook tuna. Villas positively gushes over the virtues of a good meatloaf and gives evidence that many modern haute cuisine luminaries secretly crave this very American dish. At the end of many chapters on specific dishes, Villas provides one or more of his favorite recipes. Some are provided on, for example, Brunswick stew, grits, fruitcake, meatloaf, and so on. One of Villas rants is very close to my heart as I, like he, are exceptionally fond of the traditional club sandwich made of toasted bread, iceberg lettuce, crisply fried bacon, sliced poached chicken, and either homemade or Hellmans (full fat) mayonnaise.
One of the great ironies of Villas personal tastes is that while he is a great believer in terroir and believes that one cannot get a truly great Bouillabaisse outside the range of fish caught off the coast of southern France, he is in love with some of America's most humble commercial products such as Hellmans mayonnaise and peanut butter in a jar. These passions are squared by his devotion to shopping economically at both supermarkets and Sam's Club. His story of this passion is doubly endearing in that he admits to a fair amount of spoilage in the great quantities of goods he purchases and stores over the long haul.
If it is not already clear, let me say that Villas has strong opinions and is not bashful about expressing them in his writing. Many, such as his stand on iceberg lettuce and meat loaf are liberating, in that one now has the sanction to appreciate them without guilt. Other opinions may be less sound. In spite of his close ties to the culinary revolutionary Jeremiah Tower, Villas seems to have a distaste for almost all things new on the American culinary scene. This is the second book in which he takes a swipe at Wolfgang Puck while embracing traditionalist Emeril Lagasse.
My culinary experience will never hope to match Villas' resume, but I do believe his opinions on cooking tuna, for example, take culinary conservatism just a little too far. I am four square in his corner on his disliking fusion cuisine (see terroir), but the Japanese way with food is just as valid as the French or Italian or North Carolinian.
Just so you know, the `Green Fairy' of the title has absolutely nothing to do with Peter Pan or a J.R.R. Tolkein creation. It is a nickname for absinthe, a green, very highly alcoholic liqueur that is nominally illegal in the United States and was illegal until recently in most European countries. Villas tells the story of this wormwood-based potion and his experiences with it.
On an intellectual level, I think Villas' culinary writings are not as sound or as durable as the works of John Thorne and Paula Wolfert. I also think his little jabs some modern culinary luminaries are undeserved. Nonetheless, his writing is very, very entertaining. It is as much fun to rail at his opinions as it is to be tickled by Tony Bourdain's salty comments. I leave to you, dear reader, to find the anonymous little jab Villas takes at chef Bourdain's experiences and writing.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 3-Star rating for this book is unfair, July 15, 2007
This review is from: Stalking the Green Fairy: And Other Fantastic Adventures in Food and Drink (Hardcover)
I have been a long-time fan of great American food writing. I remember, as a child, the rapt attention with which I devoured Laura Ingall Wilder's recollections of cherishing a single Christmas orange and adding carrot juice in freshly churned better to make its color golden in the wintertime, and growing up reading the remarkable writings of the greats such as M.K. Fisher (Art of Eating) and the delightfully acerbic Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential).
I think James Villas escaped my awareness thus far because he falls between the two clusters of fame for a young reader like me: not yet posthumously renowned as the likes of MFK, yet no longer contemporary and trendy like Bourdain. So it was doubly delightfully for me to stumble onto the latest collection of these wonderful food writing by Villas, and now I recognize him, properly, as the proud predecessor of straight-shooting, brilliant critics-among-us types that Bourdain represents so well for our generations today.
I felt compelled to write this review because the first 1-star, negative review that appears below me does not do this book justice. He's far from insulting the average "Joe Schmoes" of America--as a matter of fact, his deep love for all things American and in particular the South seeps from practically every page of this book. He devotes a chapter each to deeply American peculiarities such as pimento cheese, Brunswick stew, and chowder , not to mention well-loved American dishes such as a well marbled, prime steak, all manners of cooking the hog, and remarkable resurgence of American micro-brews (accompanied by a connoisseur's reference list). And the chapter about Sam's Club? Contrary to the previous reviewer's impression that he was snubbing the Samsters, he, albeit sheepishly, admits that he is a proud card-carrier of Sam's Club, with a deep and abiding love for inhumanly large packages of peanut butter. He also includes fascinating side factoids that not many people would be privy to, such as the fact that he once watched Julia Child consume an entire package of Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish in one sitting like it was nothing. So much for gourmands.
His chapter on "Frugal Gourmand" is particularly illuminating to those who ever wondered how all these food critics, by and large, manage not to explode into morbid obesity with all the dishes they must taste and review on a daily basis. As the jacket cover tells us, Villas is a living, breathing example of "Disciplined Hedonism" at best. I can't wait to get my hands on everything he's written!
PS: The recipes (and the mouth-watering descriptions of them) alone are worth the price of this book.
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2 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Froofy fits nicely for this book, February 7, 2007
This review is from: Stalking the Green Fairy: And Other Fantastic Adventures in Food and Drink (Hardcover)
I'd never heard of James Villas before I picked this book up at my local library. I made it to the third or fourth chapter then put in a pile to be returned back.
While I enjoy people's opinions on various things, especially food, Villas' opinions were just plain 'froofy'. His words were picked to show just how wonderfully smart he is especially smarter than the average American shmoe. He pretty much hates everything about american food that's not from a speciality store.
I read a bit here and there, but it was when I got to the section about warehouse shopping that I really got turned off. (in other words I can't remember much about what he wrote until he made me angry, guess he's not that memorable).
He talked and talked and talked about how stupid americans were about shelling out money for big bags of ready-made frozen foods like chicken teriyaki, or big bottles of mayo all because it's cheaper than at a regular grocery store. But it doesn't end there, he lowers himself to going into the local supermarket and watched as people waste their hard earned money on brandname items when there were specials on other brands that were cheaper. He thought they were all crazy for doing so since to him all american food in a supermarket is crap. Even in the snooty stores he berates shoppers for getting premade foods. (I guess he cooks everything, or eats out for everything, or he has a personal chef that does it all for him).
I was going to give him 2 stars because he does write well, but I just don't think he deserves it. However, if you want to see how wonderful his vocabulary is on all those big words they use in the fancy world us normal people don't live in you'll enjoy it.
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