Best Food Writing 2007 (Paperback)

~ Holly Hughes (Editor) "The most discussed food article of the year was this gutsy essay by Molly O'Neill (formerly of the New York Times, now at The New..." (more)
Key Phrases: food porn, liver loaf, food writing, New York, Galveston Bay, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For food lovers, the next best thing to eating is reading about it. Best Food Writing 2001, compiled by Holly Hughes, offers these and other readers the year's most memorable food writing from books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and Web sites. Like its predecessor, Best Food Writing 2000, the book is a banquet--51 pieces on food in all its nutritional, gustatory, psychological, sociological, and, in short, personal glory. Dip into the book anywhere and enjoy, for example, Jeffrey Steingarten on bluefin tuna, Molly O'Neill discussing the glories of soup, William Grimes on comfort food, and Coleman Andrews on eating in Rome. Readers also journey to Paris (of course) in the form of Michael Lewis's wonderfully cranky paean to cassoulet (with recipe), and with John T. Edge in his search for the best Parisian Southern fried chicken (it exists); they also follow humorist Calvin Trillin as he seeks desperately for superior ceviche in Peru, Ecuador, and Queens, New York. Also included are excerpts from Ruth Reichl's bestselling Comfort Me with Apples and Patric Kuh's The Last Days of Haute Cuisine. There's more, of course, on topics as diverse as the agonies of dinner-party hosting, a chef's-eye view of dining out, and preparing perfect rice. Ideal for bedtime reading, the book also makes a great gift for fellow foodaholics who can't get enough of their favorite passion. --Arthur Boehm --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Reflecting on her selections for this amusing and informative anthology, the fourth she's edited, Hughes explains that she's attracted to good prose, to things that are humorous and to pieces that resonate: "Just as I want a meal that satisfies my hunger, I look for food writing that stays with me." In magazines, newspapers, books and websites, she found 50 such articles on topics from bacon and caviar to Cheez Whiz and Sloppy Joes. She also came across essays on take-out, butter and burgers by New Yorker and Vogue veterans Calvin Trillin and Jeffrey Steingarten and Saveur editor Colman Andrews. Witty and wistful, their pieces have become staples in these compilations over the years. Among the other standouts in this year's edition are New York Times reporter Joyce Chang's examination of the fondness, at once peculiar and practical, that chefs and chefs-to-be have for their knives-"the haves talk about what kind of knives they own," she writes, "the have-nots stand stupidly silent, making a mess of carrot bits at their stations"-and Los Angeles Magazine senior editor Dave Gardetta's meditation on the Awesome Blossom-"a giant onion sliced into neat tiny quadrants, battered, and then deep-fried." A signature dish at Chili's restaurant, the Awesome Blossom is used by Gardetta as a culinary metaphor in his trenchant analysis of the way corporate chains currently dominate the rural American restaurant scene. Wry, investigative pieces such as these give Hughes's collection depth, even as she satisfies readers' cravings for a well-wrought tale.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (November 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600940390
• ISBN-13: 978-1600940392
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #435,900 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Stuff Here, April 5, 2004

By	Chris Frost (Ingalls, IN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Best Food Writing 2003 (Paperback)

This compilation of food writing is perfect for the foodie who doesn't have the time to sift through enormaous piles of literature to find a handful of good essays. Especially interesting was the article entitled "Josiah & the Giant Onion", describing America's pathetic passion for gigantic chain restaurants.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasurable read, February 12, 2003

By	nekko1 "nekko1" (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best Food Writing 2001 (Paperback)

A good selection of writing covering a wide variety of topics. Each story was a delectable mystery as to what was coming, because although the common theme is food, the topics varied considerably. All contributors are highly polished, professional writers, so the quality of the writing is excellent. It wa a great winter bedtime read, to be parceled out, one story a night.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lover of Gourmet foods/ writing, October 17, 2005

By	Connie C. Muse "Book Muse" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Best Food Writing 2004 (Paperback)

Really liked this book- Perfect for those who just enjoy reading cookbooks for relaxation or the journalist- which my husband was for 20 years and thought the writing was excellent!