spaceykate's review
4.0
"Forager. Noun. One who loves the land so much that she literally eats from it."
I received this book through the First Reads program. Eating Wildly is a tale separated by seasons, spanning a period of years past and present. Each chapter title includes a common and scientific name beneath it, indicating the foraging focus in the following pages amongst Chin's vivid memories. She describes food the way one might detail clothing or a particularly stunning landscape--each description filled with rich adjectives. From the first pages, the reader is immersed in the story. You can almost taste the dishes, revel in the joy of discovering a stubbornly camouflaged mushroom, and feel the heartbreak.
Eating Wildly is a memoir of Chin's life and experiences, threaded through with relationships (both family & otherwise) and foraging adventures. As I read the book and became accustomed to Chin's writing style, I started to appreciate her phrasing gems and the dialogue interspersed with forager talk. Recipes for the foraged foods began to populate the ends of chapters. In the spirit of the Urban Forager, I fully hope to put those recipes to use someday.
Chin's grandparents' house features heavily in the beginning portion of the book. Their house is her safe haven and the birthplace of her food love, a welcome respite from her mother's series of romantic entanglements. Her grandmother reminds me of my own: of failing health in her last years of life, blind in one eye, always questioning about my love life and if I've had enough to eat. Chin's grandmother, on the other hand, had more than oatmeal cream pies and butter-soaked grilled cheese in her kitchen.
The scene in the hospital where Chin recalls her grandmother trying to detach herself from the machines keeping her alive--so she can go on her own terms--is poignant and beautiful. It also serves to highlight the mulberry tree discovery, channeling a moment of mourning into something uplifting. I felt my heart twinging in sympathy. Mulberries, man.
All in all, Eating Wildly is a solid read. Whether you're searching for an imperfect love story filled with its fair share of bumps, a winding path among New York foraging grounds, or an excellent blend of the two, this is the book.
I received this book through the First Reads program. Eating Wildly is a tale separated by seasons, spanning a period of years past and present. Each chapter title includes a common and scientific name beneath it, indicating the foraging focus in the following pages amongst Chin's vivid memories. She describes food the way one might detail clothing or a particularly stunning landscape--each description filled with rich adjectives. From the first pages, the reader is immersed in the story. You can almost taste the dishes, revel in the joy of discovering a stubbornly camouflaged mushroom, and feel the heartbreak.
Eating Wildly is a memoir of Chin's life and experiences, threaded through with relationships (both family & otherwise) and foraging adventures. As I read the book and became accustomed to Chin's writing style, I started to appreciate her phrasing gems and the dialogue interspersed with forager talk. Recipes for the foraged foods began to populate the ends of chapters. In the spirit of the Urban Forager, I fully hope to put those recipes to use someday.
Chin's grandparents' house features heavily in the beginning portion of the book. Their house is her safe haven and the birthplace of her food love, a welcome respite from her mother's series of romantic entanglements. Her grandmother reminds me of my own: of failing health in her last years of life, blind in one eye, always questioning about my love life and if I've had enough to eat. Chin's grandmother, on the other hand, had more than oatmeal cream pies and butter-soaked grilled cheese in her kitchen.
The scene in the hospital where Chin recalls her grandmother trying to detach herself from the machines keeping her alive--so she can go on her own terms--is poignant and beautiful. It also serves to highlight the mulberry tree discovery, channeling a moment of mourning into something uplifting. I felt my heart twinging in sympathy. Mulberries, man.
All in all, Eating Wildly is a solid read. Whether you're searching for an imperfect love story filled with its fair share of bumps, a winding path among New York foraging grounds, or an excellent blend of the two, this is the book.
ssremi's review
3.0
Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love and the Perfect Meal by Ava Chin (Goodreads Author) was an interesting look into foraging in NYC. Chin did a lovely job of exploring how her background led her to foraging and how foraging changed her future. At times, Chin seemed to render herself a victim in situations where she could easily have improved her circumstances which slowed down the pace of the book. Overall, an interesting memoir.
Disclosure: I got this book for free through Good Reads.
Disclosure: I got this book for free through Good Reads.
karalafleur's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a light, easy read that made me want to learn more about foraging! Wrapped up in complicated family dynamics, the story was tied with a bow of that happy ending we all hope to get someday - to be happy with ourselves, our lives, abs if a solid, perfect fit us partner enters the picture, well that’s nice too. Definitely in the Ruth Reichl school of food writing (whom I also happen to enjoy).
astridusa's review against another edition
3.0
This read was a selection for our Food for Thought book club. The author's foraging adventures were interesting and perked my interest to learn more about wild edibles, but after the first few chapters, I found the narratives of millennial angst a bit tiresome.
howjessicareads's review
4.0
A memoir about finding love, forgiving failures, and foraging for food.
mybookishlifestyle's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful, wonderful book! I LOVED everything about it. On Saturday, I will be starting my herbal circle again so this was the PERFECT book to read right before diving back into my herbal studies! There were also so many great references in this book that I can't wait to take a look at. For anyone that loves to forage, or harvest local food, this is a great read. The stories behind the "weeds" and "wild food" really tie everything together. My favorite quote was: "Even on our very worst days, none of us was acting alone. All of the forces of nature driving all of life itself were here, presenting and working around us. And nothing, not a single thing, was standing still" - Ava Chin #mayernikkitchen #shanmullphoto
ldv's review
2.0
More memoir than foraging book. The foraging is the bait, but then the bait gets switched and it turns "American" with her romantic pursuits, identity crisis, and grieving. Maybe she had two book ideas and neither was long enough for a full length book, so she combined them. Meh; as a memoir it's alright, but I was interested in the foraging and that was really just a backstory.
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