Jeffrey Steingarten has my dream job. He is an attorney who is now the food critic for Vogue. This means he gets to play with cool gadgets and travel to exotic locals to eat amazing food encouraged by the best chefs on the globe. His two books, "The Man Who Ate Everything" and "It Must Have Been Something I Ate" are so wonderful that they could turn even the most hardcore "eat to live" advocate into someone who sees the beauty in an amazing gourmet feast.
He deals with the science of food- not food fads and makes gourmet something you can actually understand and appreciate.
His only shall I say, small failing, is that he claims that Memphis bar-b-que is the best. Those of us who live in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee know that only vinegar based bar-b-cue sauces, only *pulled pork* and only vinegar slaw are part of true bar-b-que. Since Big Bob Gibson's here in North Alabama is the reigning World Championship bar-b-que (Although I think MadDog's and Whitt's are better), I can only assume his failure to acknowlege our superior product is due to someone from Memphis preventing him from trying our vastly tastier Bar-b-que.
On to fiction. Well, sort of. About 2 years ago I got really into Bruce Chatwin. Unfortunately due to his death in 1997 I completed the body of his works rather quickly. First, I absolutely love travel writing. "What am I doing Here" is loosely autobiographical and a really good read- he leads the kind of life we all imagined we would when we were children. The book is about where he goes to do research for his books, the people he knows, and the coups he witnesses. At one point in his life he did providence research for Southeby's so his knowledge of antiques and architecture is incredible-- he also stressed himself out so much he was struck by hysterical blindness. His command of the English language when he is writing well is a true pleasure. "The Viceroy of Ouidad" (former opulence of a regime confronting modern government and culture) "Patagonia Revisited" (with Paul Theroux) "Songlines" (about Australian Aboriginal culture) "Utz" (eastern European glass collection and governmental seizure of invaluable collections) -- they are all great. So great in fact, that I have procured 1st editions of each. I also read his autobiography which gives some great insight into a person who died way too young, although it does drag at times and spends perhaps too much time destroying the persona Chatwin cultivated. ("Bruce Chatwin" by Nicholas Shakespeare)
Another book in the "travel writing" genre is "Sir Vida's Shadow." Great travel writing, and an insight into (east) Indian Culture made this book one I didn't put down.
Have a great weekend!
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