Book review: What She Ate, by Laura Shapiro (Amazon / Book Depository) Culinary historian and longtime Newsweek writer Laura Shapiro examines the lives of six very different women through the lens of their relationships to food, cooking, and culinary culture in this lively, readable group biography. "Tell me what you eat," wrote the philosopher-gourmand Brillat-Savarin, "and I shall tell you... Continue Reading →
We Have Nothing to Envy in the World
Book review: Nothing to Envy, by Barbara Demick Amazon "In the futuristic dystopia imagined in 1984, George Orwell wrote of a world where the only color to be found was in the propaganda posters. Such is the case in North Korea." I saw this book mentioned in an article about David Sedaris' special habit when going... Continue Reading →
In Support of the Shy
Book review: Shrinking Violets, by Joe Moran Shyness is about much more than just shrinking away. Violets "shrink" not in retreating from the world but in evincing nature's talent for endless variation and for sustaining life in the most varied habitats. Shyness, too, can flourish in many climates and soils and express itself in many... Continue Reading →