Eating My Words

Eating My Words by Eve Johnson - Book Review She didn't have me at "hello"- I'm a John Thorne fan and have high standards. But, then she mentioned him in the second chapter. Hmmm...Still withholding blanket approval, I plugged along through this book, which came to me accidentally at a yard sale. Food history, celery, chocolate, lemon meringue pie, rye - yeah, yeah - interesting, but nothing outstanding. Then, a wonderful description of a dessert I'd never heard of - Mangoes and Sticky Rice - simple, truly authentic, something I want to make as soon as possible - oddly she suggests substituting strawberries for mangoes - which I think would ruin this dish (which I have not yet tried! - terribly opinionated, I know.) Having lived in the tropics most of my life, I know that the only possible substitute for mangoes might be fresh in-season, tree-ripened peaches - perhaps home-frozen. I was more interested now, but still not a fan. But, my skeptical nature was finally won with the chapter on toast. Simple toast - my favorite food, though I've been an experimental cook for 40 years. Moving on to Hot Pepper Masochism and using ultra-clear imagery to compare eating jalapeño peppers to jumping off a bridge with a bungee cord, and then telling me that a common kitchen ingredient contains the chemical compounds zingerone, cineol, borneol, geraniol, linalool and farmasene - and the last one, gingeral, which gives away the spice. I loved those chemical names - (and the rest of the chapter on ginger's historic and etymological contributions). I also learned how to tell when a medlar blets and then raced through a further wide range of topics from breatharians to butterfat and satiety vs. nimiety. It was a real page-turner - (for certain types - maybe the type that reads Simple Cooking?) But, this book has both food nerd and general appeal - I finished it up on an airplane with my husband avidly reading over my shoulder. Together we read about "Round Food with a Hole in the Middle", Cotton Candy, Eating Contests, Ketchup, and Forbidden Fruit. John Thorne commented in an email that if a man had conceived this title, it would be called "Eat My Words"- more etymology with social overtones - (ah, men with their testosterone and machismo) - But, before even finishing this book, I found myself in a bookstore seeking more by Eve Johnson - oddly, she was not there - instead was yet another book called Eating My Words - this one by the prolific food critic, Mimi Sheraton and subtitled "An Appetite for Life". I bought it and proceeded to spend over $300 more on books in this genre - to add to my already five-foot long bookshelf of food commentary begun 30 years ago with Raymond Sokolov's Fading Feast. I first found Outlaw Cook in a used book bin about 25 years ago - now, at least one of the new books I've just bought says that this genre is the "fastest growing" in literature. Great news as long as the quality control is stringent. I won't read just anything! Now,

Few food writers cut this close to the tender parts of our love for eating. Her writing is rich in description, erudite and literate in its discussion of our rituals and habits. I enjoyed every page of this fine collection of essays, and have given it as the perfect gift to every person I know who smiles while chewing.

What a fabulous book ! It made me laugh (reminiscing about my own mother and grandmother's idiosyncratic cooking). Full of interesting facts, recipes and witty observations, it has inspired me to get back into cooking because Ms. Johnson makes it seem so earthy, so calming, so...sexy !! This book is a must for every cook or aspiring cook in your life.

As soon as I opened this book and started reading the first chapter, an essay about Chocolate, I knew this was the book for at least half the people on my shopping list. Eve Johnson is readable, erudite, and Funny! As interesting as it is entertaining, this is a 'Must Read' for anyone who loves food or loves reading.

Elegantly written and genuinely witty is how I would describe this book. Instant Canadian classic comes to mind too. "Eating My Words" displays an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject (food) but stays as light and refreshing, say, as a fine ripe mango. This author has published two excellent cookbooks I've had the pleasure of owning for a number of years but this new effort, although it has a few recipes, is more a cook's book about a lifelong love affair with food rather than just another cookbook. These fifty perfect short essays will reveal more than you ever imagined possible about subjects as varied as lemon meringue pie, ketchup and, of course, the relationship between artichokes and Marilyn Monroe. A feast!