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octavia_cade's review against another edition
3.0
Fun collection of mostly well-known stories in the history of food. They're grouped together by type - breakfast, sauces, desserts, and so on - but otherwise there's no real defining factor. They're just stories about food that the author has found interesting, and I don't mean that as denigration. (It's a perfectly fine reason for a collection, and gives the whole an appealing variety and sense of quirk.) Though it must be said the selection's not entirely down to random chance and personal liking. There are a lot of stories from England and France particularly, and while it would be interesting to see a more international focus, it's also entertaining to read about food that I'm personally very familiar with, so six of one and half a dozen of the other there. Where it does fall down a bit, on the other hand, is in the level of repetition. There's quite a lot of it, and perhaps a wider variety of dishes would have gone some way to mitigating this.
Also, I am pleased to see the credit for pavlova given to New Zealand instead of those dessert thieving reprobates across the ditch, as is right and proper.
Also, I am pleased to see the credit for pavlova given to New Zealand instead of those dessert thieving reprobates across the ditch, as is right and proper.
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