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kimberussell's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, which went into Italian food and the origins of Italian-American food, which is (as we are beaten over the head with for the rest of the book) what most of us in the USA think of when we think of Italian food.
And then the author begins a chapter with a story of his honeymoon when he and his wife took a leisurely three weeks to drive across the country and eat at restaurants and American restaurants were so bad that his wife literally cried out that she didn't know how she could do this for the rest of the trip. Poor doves. From then on after, he became a minor recurring character in the book, talking about the chefs he met and the high-end restaurants he went to, with a minor detour into the fashion world which seemed like padding.
Mezza mezza.
And then the author begins a chapter with a story of his honeymoon when he and his wife took a leisurely three weeks to drive across the country and eat at restaurants and American restaurants were so bad that his wife literally cried out that she didn't know how she could do this for the rest of the trip. Poor doves. From then on after, he became a minor recurring character in the book, talking about the chefs he met and the high-end restaurants he went to, with a minor detour into the fashion world which seemed like padding.
Mezza mezza.
mbonvino's review
3.0
An interesting account on where the "Italian" food we eat today came from. Who would have known that Chef Boyardee and Hamburger Helper were based off of Italian food? Many interesting historical stories throughout the book
biblialex's review
2.0
I was expecting a social history, but the book actually focuses much more on a century's worth of Italian restaurants, mostly of the pricey and pretentious variety. And as someone who loves her Italian-American grandmother's cooking, I wasn't won over by the author's frequent assertions that Italian food in gourmet restaurants is inherently superior to the traditional Italian-American dishes that have become American staples.
tabbycat26's review
2.0
Some good information at the beginning of the book. And some things I didn't know such as pasta originating from china. And being built on by the italians. However when this author gets in to the later parts of the book and starts getting into his personal life it gets quite boring.
emilybooks's review
2.0
Didn't so much finish this book as I reached a point where I realized I wasn't learning anything I wanted to know. You could get rid of the second half of this book and not miss much, unless you are really interested in Italian restaurants, and not so much the actual food. The first few chapters, though, were fascinating. Based on the beginning of the book I would've given it 4 stars...
swhuber's review
2.0
I went into this book expecting the brief history of Italian cooking in Italy and the proliferation in various forms throughout the world. Although a large part of the book dealt with the immigrant struggle and creation of "Italian-American" food, there did not appear to be a clear argument to tie the entire book together.
I've never been a huge fan of Italian food. It was always too heavy with too many carbs, too much fat an too much of that ever present red sauce. Obviously, my first exposure to Italian food, like most Americans, was in places like The Old Spaghetti Factory and Olive Garden in my childhood. I've since eaten at wonderful restaurants like Quince and learned what Italian food can be (or rather, what it really is).
i always knew that the heavy read sauces were never part of real Italian cooking. They came into being in the United States when the immigrant families began to slather meatballs and their Sunday "gravy" on everything because in the land of plenty, that was a possibility. I knew there was no such thing as "Italian" food until very recently because the variations between Naples, Sardinia, Rome, etc were so pronounced it was impossible to create a fully Italian identity. I knew there were supposed health benefits associated with Italian cooking that are all negated by portions of pasta and a single, beautiful slice of porchetta.
Mariani does a good job of chronicling the history of Italian American cuisine, but the narration falters when discussing present day. He goes on tangents about the Sopranos and stereotypes associated with Italian Americans. Additionally, he discusses higher end restaurants like Marea in NYC but completely ignores places like Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill, which he gives on line to in a statement that it's not real Tuscan food (but what is?) I would have loved a whole chapter on Marea if he had been an eloquent writer of the most sensual food porn. If he had been able to make me salivate while reading, I would have been happy. However, as a nonfiction book, he left out one of the most crucial restaurants that changed the development and proliferation of Italian restaurants in present day. As much as I would love to eat at Marea, I can assure you that more people have dined at Olive Garden, and on a regular basis. It is the chain restaurants like that, and the inclusion of a pasta dish on every menu in every restaurant that really should be discussed.
I've never been a huge fan of Italian food. It was always too heavy with too many carbs, too much fat an too much of that ever present red sauce. Obviously, my first exposure to Italian food, like most Americans, was in places like The Old Spaghetti Factory and Olive Garden in my childhood. I've since eaten at wonderful restaurants like Quince and learned what Italian food can be (or rather, what it really is).
i always knew that the heavy read sauces were never part of real Italian cooking. They came into being in the United States when the immigrant families began to slather meatballs and their Sunday "gravy" on everything because in the land of plenty, that was a possibility. I knew there was no such thing as "Italian" food until very recently because the variations between Naples, Sardinia, Rome, etc were so pronounced it was impossible to create a fully Italian identity. I knew there were supposed health benefits associated with Italian cooking that are all negated by portions of pasta and a single, beautiful slice of porchetta.
Mariani does a good job of chronicling the history of Italian American cuisine, but the narration falters when discussing present day. He goes on tangents about the Sopranos and stereotypes associated with Italian Americans. Additionally, he discusses higher end restaurants like Marea in NYC but completely ignores places like Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill, which he gives on line to in a statement that it's not real Tuscan food (but what is?) I would have loved a whole chapter on Marea if he had been an eloquent writer of the most sensual food porn. If he had been able to make me salivate while reading, I would have been happy. However, as a nonfiction book, he left out one of the most crucial restaurants that changed the development and proliferation of Italian restaurants in present day. As much as I would love to eat at Marea, I can assure you that more people have dined at Olive Garden, and on a regular basis. It is the chain restaurants like that, and the inclusion of a pasta dish on every menu in every restaurant that really should be discussed.
ash_ngu's review
1.0
Would have been able to fulfill its potential as a good read had the author chosen a competent copy editor. Author's preferred sentence structures made this book nearly impossible to get through.
Also, author's severe inferiority complex (re: French cuisine) makes this book less about Italian cooking than its desperate inability to achieve the same cooking techniques as French cooking. Completely overshadowed what could have been actually interesting discussions on Italian culinary history.
Also, author's severe inferiority complex (re: French cuisine) makes this book less about Italian cooking than its desperate inability to achieve the same cooking techniques as French cooking. Completely overshadowed what could have been actually interesting discussions on Italian culinary history.
mittaltushant's review
2.0
TLDR - Skip it and try to find another book on the topic! But if you're stuck in a pandemic well, you can read it.
While it was informative and a little fun, the writing is pretty mediocre. Things seem all over the place, there is no proper order and sometimes it feels like a bunch of restaurant reviews. I also felt that the book focuses solely on the USA which makes quite a bit of sense but seems to betray the title. Moreover, the author's focus on "celebrity" culture is off-putting and seems narrow.
While it was informative and a little fun, the writing is pretty mediocre. Things seem all over the place, there is no proper order and sometimes it feels like a bunch of restaurant reviews. I also felt that the book focuses solely on the USA which makes quite a bit of sense but seems to betray the title. Moreover, the author's focus on "celebrity" culture is off-putting and seems narrow.
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