Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise
Author of Save Me the Plums Ruth Reichl's iconic, bestselling memoir of her time as an undercover restaurant critic for The New York Times "Expansive and funny." --Entertainment Weekly Ruth Reichl, world-renowned food critic and former editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, knows a thing or two about food. She also knows that as the most important food critic in the country, you need to be anonymous when reviewing some of the most high-profile establishments in the biggest restaurant town in the world--a charge she took very seriously, taking on the guise of a series of eccentric personalities. In Garlic and Sapphires, Reichl reveals the comic absurdity, artifice, and excellence to be found in the sumptuously appointed stages of the epicurean world and gives us--along with some of her favorite recipes and reviews--her remarkable reflections on how one's outer appearance can influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites, not to mention the quality of service one receives. "[A] wonderful book, which is funny--at times laugh-out-loud funny--and smart and wise." --Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
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Community Reviews
Another food book. I was actually reading this and MFK Fisher's The Gastronomical Me together, for an online reading group. Turned out to be a very nice combination.
Ruth Reichl was the restaurant critic at the New York Times for quite a while (I'm sure the book says how long, but I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look), and this book tells the story of that time. I was surprised by how much I liked the book. At one or another point, in fact, I thought about stopping reading it, but I'm glad I never did. Some of the problems I was having, which I thought was just me, she actually took on directly in the book (and in her NYT column, apparently). Namely, is it a good thing to be spending all that time writing about meals most people could never afford to have? Just about the time that question was really starting to bother me, she addressed the fact that it also bothered her. From that point on, especially, I liked the book.
There's a lot going on in this memoir, psychologically, which made it an interesting read far beyond the food-talk. If you're interested in food, restaurants, journalism, theatre (yes, theatre), or memoirs, I would recommend the book. If you're interested in more than one of those things, I'd recommend it all the more strongly. If you're not particularly interested in any of them, you still might like it. It is a well written, well filled-out book.
Ruth Reichl was the restaurant critic at the New York Times for quite a while (I'm sure the book says how long, but I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look), and this book tells the story of that time. I was surprised by how much I liked the book. At one or another point, in fact, I thought about stopping reading it, but I'm glad I never did. Some of the problems I was having, which I thought was just me, she actually took on directly in the book (and in her NYT column, apparently). Namely, is it a good thing to be spending all that time writing about meals most people could never afford to have? Just about the time that question was really starting to bother me, she addressed the fact that it also bothered her. From that point on, especially, I liked the book.
There's a lot going on in this memoir, psychologically, which made it an interesting read far beyond the food-talk. If you're interested in food, restaurants, journalism, theatre (yes, theatre), or memoirs, I would recommend the book. If you're interested in more than one of those things, I'd recommend it all the more strongly. If you're not particularly interested in any of them, you still might like it. It is a well written, well filled-out book.
It was interesting to read how critics review restaurants and they way food is described. I learned a whole new vocabulary of words used to describe tastes and textures. What made this book especially enjoyable was the way our hostess presented the bookclub review. she provided wigs so we could experience a disguise and also she provided foods from Persian, Korean, and other restaurants. We had a great time exploring these tastes too.
I actually forget where I heard about this book, but any book about food usually ranks high on my list. The subtitle of this book is "The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise" and that's exactly what it is.
Reichl was the New York Times restaurant critic for 6 years and she went through various incarnations of herself to get in and out of restaurants without being noticed. Notice I said incarnations of herself vs disguises. As you read how Reichl (with help from her friends) puts together the disguises, she really embodies each person and finds that each person is really a part of her (some are kind of mean though).
As much as I love reading about food, I love eating it. My health problems cause me to have to avoid a lot of foods that sound wonderful so I live vicariously through food books. Reichl is a great writer with the ability to bring you right down at the table with her. It helps she includes several of her favorite recipes as well.
Better than reading about food is cooking it. Thanks to my dad, I can cook and bake pretty well and spend a lot of time in my kitchen. With the thoughts of the food from Garlic and Sapphires, I'm adjourning to the kitchen to come up with another great meal.
Reichl was the New York Times restaurant critic for 6 years and she went through various incarnations of herself to get in and out of restaurants without being noticed. Notice I said incarnations of herself vs disguises. As you read how Reichl (with help from her friends) puts together the disguises, she really embodies each person and finds that each person is really a part of her (some are kind of mean though).
As much as I love reading about food, I love eating it. My health problems cause me to have to avoid a lot of foods that sound wonderful so I live vicariously through food books. Reichl is a great writer with the ability to bring you right down at the table with her. It helps she includes several of her favorite recipes as well.
Better than reading about food is cooking it. Thanks to my dad, I can cook and bake pretty well and spend a lot of time in my kitchen. With the thoughts of the food from Garlic and Sapphires, I'm adjourning to the kitchen to come up with another great meal.
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