Food | Book Chatter

Taste: My Life Through Food
By Stanley Tucci
Gallery Books, 9781982168018, October 5, 2021, 304pp.

The Short of It:

This is a “treat” read. I curled up with it and loved every page.

The Rest of It:

I have always loved Stanley Tucci but I love him even more now. I’ve been catching his show, Searching for Italy here and there and it’s a gem, too. His love for food and really, home cooking, go way back to his childhood and that is what this book largely covers. The fond memories he has of meals, lovingly prepared by his mother when he lived in New York. Those meals, the basis of family time around the table, I ate it up. Pun intended.

Each chapter is peppered with foodie goodness and sometimes a simple recipe or cocktail to take note of. You may not have known this but Tucci suffered from a tumor at the base of his tongue which affected his taste for quite a long time. I believe that period in his life made it clear to him how much he valued a good meal. This feeling shines through every page. I really loved it and it would make a great gift for the foodie in your life.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Sourdough
By Robin Sloan
MCD, 9780374203108, September 2017, 272pp.

The Short of It:

Food and technology collide in what Amazon calls a “paranormal, urban fantasy.”

The Rest of It:

Lois is a software engineer in San Francisco. Her department focuses on robotics, specifically robotic arms and what they can do. Although the work they are doing is groundbreaking, her department is stumped by the simple task of cracking an egg. To date, they’ve not been able to crack that code. Pun intended. The arm applies too much pressure or not enough.

Each day Lois goes to work to ponder this issue. Each day she returns home to an empty apartment. Until one day she orders from a restaurant that delivers the spiciest of soups and the most delicious sourdough bread. This soup and bread affects Lois in a deeply personal way. How can food make a person feel so good?

All is great until the two brothers who run the delivery service tell her that they are closing up shop to move to another country. Seeing the desperation in her face, they share their sourdough starter with her.

What Lois produces through trial and error is also magical in its own way. Each loaf contains a face, unlike any other loaf. Even though she is not a baker, she finds herself newly motivated to share this bread with the world.

You may remember Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Well, Sourdough is written by the same author. It’s very similar in feel so if you liked Mr. Penumbra then you will enjoy this one. As an urban fantasy, it’s quite fun but there is one part of the story that I had difficulty wrapping my brain around. Nevertheless, it was still a fun, easy read. I think it provides a little more to discuss that you would think.

I will caution you. If you read this, you will crave sourdough bread. This was torture for my Celiac self. So be sure to have some on hand with a thick slab of butter at the ready.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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