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matthewwester's review against another edition
4.0
If you think you might be interested in a bunch of reflections by talented writers on eating alone then you should definitely check out this book, it didn't disappoint. This is partially a book about food (beautiful descriptions, short recipes, etc.) and partially a book about the social dynamics of cooking or eating by yourself.
I read it because someone recently said I never cook. Challenge accepted! So I read this, glanced through a couple cookbooks, picked out a bunch of recipes to try out, and so there you go, time will tell. Anyway, good read.
I read it because someone recently said I never cook. Challenge accepted! So I read this, glanced through a couple cookbooks, picked out a bunch of recipes to try out, and so there you go, time will tell. Anyway, good read.
doubletroubledogmom's review
5.0
You can't get better than the title "Alone in the Kitchen with an eggplant" and you really can't get much better with us wrote essays for this book: Dan Chanon, Nora Ephron, Ann Patchett, Beverly Lowry......
If you've ever had to travel frequent and eat alone or your living single this is a fantastic book about cooking for one-- or trying to.
Interesting escapades on first time cooks to even some great receipes.
Please check out the essay entitled: Wild Chili-- it's fantastic. That's saying alot since I'm Chile purist.
Recipes include: Truffled White Toast, Salsa Rosa, Il Toast, Grilled Curried Shrimp Quesarito with Avocado Raita.
My favorite quote: It is certainly true that cooking is therapeutic, creative and all those other faintly creepy self-helpish words. I would love to tell you that learning to cook was part of my journey toward actualization. I would love to tell OPrah this.. I would love to tell Oprah this while weeping. But I learned to cook for a much simpler reason: in the abject hope that people would spend time with me if I put good things in their mouths. It is, in other words, a function of my desperations for emotional connections and acclaim.
If you've ever had to travel frequent and eat alone or your living single this is a fantastic book about cooking for one-- or trying to.
Interesting escapades on first time cooks to even some great receipes.
Please check out the essay entitled: Wild Chili-- it's fantastic. That's saying alot since I'm Chile purist.
Recipes include: Truffled White Toast, Salsa Rosa, Il Toast, Grilled Curried Shrimp Quesarito with Avocado Raita.
My favorite quote: It is certainly true that cooking is therapeutic, creative and all those other faintly creepy self-helpish words. I would love to tell you that learning to cook was part of my journey toward actualization. I would love to tell OPrah this.. I would love to tell Oprah this while weeping. But I learned to cook for a much simpler reason: in the abject hope that people would spend time with me if I put good things in their mouths. It is, in other words, a function of my desperations for emotional connections and acclaim.
jenmcmaynes's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. A mostly enjoyable collection of essays about the act of cooking for one or dining alone. While most of the pieces offered similar words of insight concerning taking care of oneself, cooking as an act of love, and the guilty pleasures of pleasing one's self, a few pieces did touch on other aspects ("Thanks, but No Thanks" by Courtney Eldridge delves into classism and poverty; "White-on-White Lunch for When No One is Looking" by Anneli Rufus deals with weight issues; and "Instant Noodles" by Rattawut Lacharoensap looks at the ex-pat's longing and inability to get the food from home). I appreciated these pieces more, if only because they offered a different perspective from the general tone of the book. Not that the typical essay was bad; it was just that, after awhile, they tended to blend together. Perhaps this book would be best savored in small bites, instead of a giant gulp? ;-)
ivanssister's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the fact that there was a wide range of stories here. Not everyone who eats or cooks alone has to do it gourmet.
sloatsj's review
2.0
Some of these essays were funny but overall I felt I was going to o.d. on navel-gazing. I guess I shouldn’t have expected otherwise. There was too much “I was poor,” “I was young,” “I was a struggling writer,” “My kitchen was the size of a placemat.” I would have been more receptive if I were a foodie myself but I definitely am not. (The book was a present.) Reading about food doesn’t stoke my appetite: “I ate eggs,” “I ate mushrooms,” “I ate my boogers,” can’t elicit much more than a patient yawn from me. If I’m home alone for dinner (hallelujah!), there’ll be no dinner. I am a poor, struggling writer with a small kitchen who likes her solitude straight up.
zosia1995's review
5.0
Reading this book was like eating the perfect solo meal; it was fabulous. The writing is inspiring, funny and comforting. I’ve loved dining out solo for years but find it a challenge to cook real plated sit down meals for just myself at home. I’m now both inspired to give it another try and to be comfortable eating cold leftovers standing over the sink. It’s all good as is this book.
mrsdragon's review
4.0
A collection of short essay centered around eating alone. How do people really feel about eating alone? Cooking alone? And what DO you cook when you cook for just yourself?
There is a tenderness that runs through the collection, a theme of taking care of yourself, when only you are there to do so. The idea of being a good steward of your emotional state. Of connecting with family, with loved ones, with fond memories. Of staking out space for yourself. Of deliberately eating alone.
There is a tenderness that runs through the collection, a theme of taking care of yourself, when only you are there to do so. The idea of being a good steward of your emotional state. Of connecting with family, with loved ones, with fond memories. Of staking out space for yourself. Of deliberately eating alone.
annaptobias's review
2.0
Was really looking forward to this when I first heard of it. Considering it took me many many months to finish, you're correct in assuming that it didn't meet my initial expectations. Instead of celebrating food and solitude and what's great about both, some of the essays in this collection felt too whiny. There were some gems, but overall, it was merely okay.
katiez624's review against another edition
4.0
I loved how brief and honest these essays were about eating alone, like tiny morsels of a chewy, homemade cookie - sweet, buttery, and such a treat.
The stories were reflective, revealing, and humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to these short vignettes of various writers' experiences with cooking and dining alone.
Some of the stories are a bit disjointed and scattered, but for the most part, the stories were quirky and showcased a snippet of their personality and writing style.
The stories were reflective, revealing, and humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to these short vignettes of various writers' experiences with cooking and dining alone.
Some of the stories are a bit disjointed and scattered, but for the most part, the stories were quirky and showcased a snippet of their personality and writing style.