By Lynn Willoughby
Delicious! ~ Ruth Reichl
Want to read something light while learning about food and culture and comfort? This is the book for you, written by the author of Bon Appetit magazine.
“Food define us” is the theme of this book. “Smells elicit memories, tastes capture our childhood, unique foods remind us of other cultures.”
This book begins with the protagonist writing for a food magazine – “Delicious!” It is a dream job, but then the publication is shut down after some 100 years. However, there has always been a “Delicious Guarantee” for when a published recipe fails, and Billie is kept on staff to answer these calls. What started out as an easy read quickly becomes a mystery.
In the magazine’s library Billie discovers a series of letters from twelve year old Lulu written to James Beard (once employed at Delicious). The letters are written over several years during 1944-46, and so we learn about food rationing, recipes altered to be useful with rationed ingredients, the importance of wild plants and foraging to supplement the restricted diet.
This is a relaxing little read with lots of information about food as the side bar.
- Tender at the Bone
- Comfort Me With Apple
………………..and several others
Who Knew?
Milkweed is similar to Cat Tail, and shoots and new growth stalks of both are edible. However, with a shrinking ecosystem, it’s true value is in feeding Monarch Butterflies who cannot survive without Milkweed.
