Alice, Let's Eat: Further Adventures of a Happy Eater (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

“Trillin is our funniest food writer. He writes with charm, freedom, and a rare respect for language.”
–New York magazine

In this delightful and delicious book, Calvin Trillin, guided by an insatiable appetite, embarks on a hilarious odyssey in search of “something decent to eat.” Across time zones and cultures, and often with his wife, Alice, at his side, Trillin shares his triumphs in the art of culinary discovery, including Dungeness crabs in California, barbecued mutton in Kentucky, potato latkes in London, blaff d’oursins in Martinique, and a $33 picnic on a no-frills flight to Miami. His eating companions include Fats Goldberg, the New York pizza baron and reformed blimp; William Edgett Smith, the man with the Naughahyde palate; and his six-year-old daughter, Sarah, who refuses to enter a Chinese restaurant unless she is carrying a bagel (“just in case”). And though Alice “has a weird predilection for limiting our family to three meals a day,” on the road she proves to be a serious eater–despite “seemingly uncontrollable attacks of moderation.” Alice, Let Eat amply demonstrates why The New Republic called Calvin Trillin “a classic American humorist.”

“One of the most brilliant humorists of our times . . . Trillin is guaranteed good reading.”
–Charleston Post and Courier

“Read Trillin and laugh out loud.”
–Time

About the Author

Calvin Trillin has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1963. He lives in New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812978064
• ISBN-13: 978-0812978063
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #569,886 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars eat, drink and love Alice, January 4, 2007

By	Richard Cumming "dick" (the heartland) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Calvin Trillin is my favorite food writer because he is so darned funny. He wrote this book in 1976. At the time, his beloved wife Alice had just been operated on for lung cancer. There is no trace of grim sorrow in this wonderful book, just zest for good food and love for Alice.

This book was just re-issued in conjunction with Trillin's remembrance of Alice called "About Alice." She died in 2001. Read "Alice, Let's Eat" first. Get to know her. Then read "About Alice."

Trillin is a great writer. The first book will make you laugh. "About Alice" will bring you a sad smile. What a remarkable woman. Such a loss. Yet, a life well lived.

My favorite line in "Alice, Let's Eat" is when Trillin is in Owensboro, Kentucky looking for the best barbecued mutton. The waitress tells him that "we have people in here from all over...we had a Puerto Rican in here once."

Read both books. You'll be glad that you did.

5.0 out of 5 stars read, eat, laugh,love., January 30, 2010

By	E. McCarthy-Quiroz "momsta3" (Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Warning: Do not read this book on an empty stomach.

Calvin Trillin invites you into his world of gastronomy and reminds you how much in love, he is with his wife, Alice.
It is a win/win situation. Through Trillin's eyes (and stomach) you find your way through wild game church suppers
and haute cuisine meals,prepared by Paul Bocuse. The journey is joyful, as every adventure is tempered with the
careful consternation and advice of Alice.
Ever mindful of Trillin's tendency towards "excess", Alice's voice reminds us to stop and smell the roses, see the
sights, and perhaps, eat a vegetable along the way.

5.0 out of 5 stars Trillin is my favorite author - Alice is my favorite subject..., July 22, 2008

By	S. Belson "SEB" (San Anselmo, CA - USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

In this book, his quirkyness really comes to the fore. I cannot get enough of him!