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klagge's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun read that I mostly finished on a long plane ride. I remember reading Chin's "Urban Forager" column in the NY Times several years ago. The book combines stories about here experience as an urban forager with stories about family (her relationship with her parents and grandparents) and her own search for a good partner. At times I felt like she tried to draw parallels a little too strongly, but mostly I thought it worked. And after reading her extensive discussion of reishi mushrooms, I just saw one in the farmers' market today!
paintedhuman's review against another edition
4.0
A charming memoir on finding oneself through relationships with failed partners, her family, and her broader community, tied together in a forager's basket of textures and scents and recipes. Every chapter focuses on a plant growing wild in New York and relates to a Really Good Story.
I'm reminded of another beloved book: Joy Horowitz's "Tessie and Pearlie", in which she honours her grandmothers with interviews, anecdotes and more recipes. It lived with my cookbooks for years, and I'm sorry this one cannot join it. The library calls it back for someone else.
I'm reminded of another beloved book: Joy Horowitz's "Tessie and Pearlie", in which she honours her grandmothers with interviews, anecdotes and more recipes. It lived with my cookbooks for years, and I'm sorry this one cannot join it. The library calls it back for someone else.
allthingsjennifer's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book! I thought it was going to be more of a history of foraging...but was SO excited to find that the author told her story, as well as her story of discovering the wonderful world of yummy plants. After finishing this book in just a few hours, I felt like I came home to a kindred spirit and shared a cup of tea together over stories of childhood.
LOVE this book.
LOVE this book.
hmicheles's review against another edition
4.0
This was a cute, easy to read book. It follows the author through a small period of her life and while she reflects on her life, she forages for wild food. At times the two pieces didn't come together but overall I enjoyed it and it was a quick read.
ldv's review against another edition
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.
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.