My Other Addiction

Besides dreaming of food, reading about food, cooking and eating, my other addiction is buying books about food. I found this book the other day at Borders and I can't believe I didn't find this until now. Best Food Writing by Holly Hughes started back in 2000 and I'm just catching on. It's so cool to find something that sparks you and I am sparked and thirsty like a dry sponge to read every word of this collection.

Editorial Reviews:

From Publishers Weekly: A culinary cross-section of the latest news and trends in food, the latest collection from series editor Hughes covers all corners of the kitchen. Jason Sheehan masterfully recounts the painful trials and tribulations of molecular gastronomy; John Kessler's all-too-relatable essay on the moral dilemma of cheap grocery store tenderloin will have foodies nodding along; and rhapsodic accounts of the quest for the perfect fried clams, biscuit, and patty melt will get readers salivating. Not all is sweetbreads and light, as contributors pull back the curtain on cloned meat, detail a lauded salumeria's lengthy and expensive battles with the health department, and respectfully convey the kaleidoscope of emotions a restaurateur feels when closing a restaurant. The most important essay in the book, which deserves reading by any American who eats out, is "Guess Who's Making Your Dinner," from veteran food writer Robb Walsh (Legends of Texas Barbecue), an exploration of the Mexican-American contribution to dining in America. An exceptional collection worth revisiting, this will be a surefire hit with epicureans and cooks.

Tampa Tribune, 11/9/08“If you’re looking to find new authors and voices about food, there’s an abundance to chew on here.”

Publishers Weekly, 11/24/08“An exceptional collection worth revisiting, this will be a surefire hit with epicureans and cooks.”

Los Angeles Times, 12/3/08“Some of these stories can make you burn with a need to taste what they're writing about.”

PopMatters.com, 12/19/08"Fascinating to read now, this book will also be interesting to pick up a year from now, or 10 ears from now."

Product Description:

Best Food Writing 2008 once more authoritatively and appealingly assembles the finest culinary prose from the past year’s books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and Web sites. This anthology features both established food writers and rising stars addressing everything from celebrated chefs to the travails of the home cook, and from erudite culinary history to food-inspired memoirs. By turns opinionated, evocative, nostalgic, sensuous, and just plain funny, it’s a tasty sampler to dip into time and again, whether you’re in the mood for foie gras or fruitcake.