Book Three: Corks & Forks
1.20.2007
Corks & Forks: Thirty Years of Wine and Food, Robert Finigan
I didn't really like this book all that much. For several reasons. The first is that I'm probably not the intended audience for this book. I don't know a lot about wine, and this book seems to assume that you do. Also, I felt deceived by it. There's way more cork than fork going on here. Aside from a handful of profiles of famous chefs, there's really very little food writing in this book. And most of the wine writing is way too pretentious for my tastes. Sometimes the book felt like one giant name drop. Again, perhaps that's the point of the book, but Finigan's self-satisfied air along with his confusing and flowery writing left me irritated with him. Good thing it was only 160 pages. There were a few short anecdotes that were amusing, but not enough to make this a worthwhile read for me. And darn it, I was really looking forward to a good foodie book!
(In contrast, The Accidental Connoisseur, which I read last year, is a terrific and funny and super well-written book about wine. I would recommend that one over this poop pile any day.)
I didn't really like this book all that much. For several reasons. The first is that I'm probably not the intended audience for this book. I don't know a lot about wine, and this book seems to assume that you do. Also, I felt deceived by it. There's way more cork than fork going on here. Aside from a handful of profiles of famous chefs, there's really very little food writing in this book. And most of the wine writing is way too pretentious for my tastes. Sometimes the book felt like one giant name drop. Again, perhaps that's the point of the book, but Finigan's self-satisfied air along with his confusing and flowery writing left me irritated with him. Good thing it was only 160 pages. There were a few short anecdotes that were amusing, but not enough to make this a worthwhile read for me. And darn it, I was really looking forward to a good foodie book!
(In contrast, The Accidental Connoisseur, which I read last year, is a terrific and funny and super well-written book about wine. I would recommend that one over this poop pile any day.)
posted by arajane at
9:03 PM
1 Comments:
More food reading for you: 1) "Omnivore's Dilemma" (M. Pollan)—my friend read this for a class in urban planning/sustainable communities. He found it more fascinating/thought-provoking than mouth-watering. 2) "Feeding a Yen" (Trillin) = fantastic! 3) "Women Who Eat: A New Generation on the Glory of Food" (ed by Leslie Miller)—a quick read with some fun or poignant essays. 4) "Cornbread Nation 1" (ed by J. Egerton)—more good essays. I know you're a Northwest girl & might not really be into Southern cooking. But read "Cornbread" if you like Southern cuisine at all. I say this as a girl who grew up w/ cornbread and grits, loves iced tea, appreciates collard greens, and likes a juicy peach. I never turn down red velvet cake on my b-day, or pecan tarts at Thanksgiving. Ha, my MHC roommate (a Bostonian) teased me for my love of grits & my disappointment the dining halls didn't have it, AND the fact that I wrote a letter to dining services requesting the dorms offer grits at breakfast. (The request got denied).
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