I recently received a copy of Marco Pierre White's The Devil in the Kitchen as a gift. I first heard of the chef in stories told by Mario Batali and got a more extensive view of his frantic behavior in Bill Buford's Heat. As of chapter 8, the book is a delicious little glimpse into White's fabled cooking career and got me thinking about some of the books that really got me into reading about food and other kitchen related nonsense.
*Be forewarned, these books will make you want to EAT. They contain some loving, mouthwatering and at times sweetly delicate homages to food--lots and lots of delicious, finger-licking food.*
The Tummy Trilogy by Calvin Trillin
Although this is really three books in one, its petite 400 pages makes me feel okay considering it a single work. The triple homage to food is a love letter to ribs, burgers and just about any food that comes out of New Orleans.
Trillin ran around the country in the 70's and 80's writing for the The New Yorker and chomping down just about anything he could get his hands on. He makes you love food and more importantly, want to eat as much as possible. A reason why this book makes me so happy is that Trillin can't cook a lick! Unlike the other authors on this list, Trillin doesn't fancy himself a chef, and would never be caught in the kitchen. He is just a food happy guy who loves to eat...and eat...and eat. A huge advocate of indulging in the local specialties, Trillin is capable of making the most staunch health nut want to roll around in a greasy euphoria of fatty rib tips and greasy fried chicken.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
I must admit that I really enjoyed this book. Bourdain is an interesting fellow; I can't decide whether he is a passionate food lover or just some self-centered ass. After reading another one of his books--it was a A Cook's Tour, I've yet to indulge myself with Bourdain's Fiction-- seeing him on television and eating at his restaurant, I am still hung up on the guy's personality. Either way his writing chops are sharp and his stories make for good reading. Despite what you may think about him, this one is worth the read. It was recommended to me by a former co-worker who seemed liked one of Bourdain's beloved kitchen delinquents and I would happily pass that recommendation on to anyone.
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
This one made me hungry. Like Trillin, Buford spent time with The New Yorker. Fancying himself a decent cook, he meets Mario Batali at a party and convinces the larger-than-life-chef to let him extern at the three-star Babbo in NYC. Buford ends up quitting his day-job, diving head first into the culinary footsteps of Batali and ends up with this book four years later. Heat is great because Buford unapologetically indulges us in all his screw-ups and triumphs. He goes into this adventure knowing he can't cook well, and sets out to improve his skills. This book really shows how food can make one obsessed (Buford ends up butchering an entire pig in his Manhattan apartment! How can you not love that?) and gives me hope that I can one day successfully be a kitchen slave too.
We had a Christmas party at the bakery. Everyone brought in some goodies to share and beers to drink so we would all walk out into the snowstorm later that night happy, fat and just a bit drunk. My contribution was a giant batch of plantainos, those salty fried plantains my grandmother taught me to make. After drinking a few beers and eating far too many sweets a friend came up to me with a gift. In honor of my trip to Spain, I was given a box of Dona Jimena Pastas De Espana: Assorted Spanish Delights.
Naturally I was ecstatic. I love delights, especially Spanish ones. So I immediately tore open the box and shared with friends. After I got home I started inspecting the box to see what the hell it was I was eating. Everything seemed fine until I looked at the ingredient list: wheat flour, sugar, animal fat…
Wait a second; the Spaniards put pork fat in their pastries!! This place is going to be even better than I thought!
Although I feel guilty that my vegetarian friend wolfed down one of these succulent suet sweets with me, I must admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for animal fat. Most carnivores do, but they try and hide it. I remember when I was a kid and I used to snag the fried chicken skins from my grandmother’s plate and I am sure that most people have some similar memory—taking the extra piece of chicken just to chew the crispy skin, sneaking a few slices of bacon beneath pancakes, pouring a bit of those velvety drippings on top of your portion of thanksgiving turkey.
Anyways, the pork fat candies got me thinking about the other delights that await me in this mystical, pork worshipping land called Spain. Since I can’t bite into the tasty concoctions yet, I’ll have to busy myself with a few scraps of writing about the tasty stuff.
I’ve decided to take the plunge and record all of my thoughts onto a computer. While this may seem like an attempt to boast my ego—who doesn’t think twice before reading one of their friends blogs?—I am basically starting it to keep a delicious record of all the tasty food I eat.
Although this blog idea has been floating around in my head for a bit, I was inspired to write this today by a friend during work this morning. We were standing around the kneading table, prepping bread for the day when he started talking about his new year’s resolution. “What is it,” I asked. “Well, I wanted to be as vague as possible. This year my new year’s resolution will be to take it to the next level.”
Genius…
…Pure genius
Anyways, after taking everything to the next level at work today (you can imagine how that phrase never gets old…what can’t be taken to the next level? The sky is the limit, until of course you take it to the next level) I am now sitting at my desk taking my food obsession to the next level—the gastronomic blog.
I figured the best way to start off this rambling, tangential journal of my eating adventures is to state some things about myself:My name is Justin Lloyd, I work at a bakery in Vestal, NY, attend Binghamton University and will be going to Spain to study for a semester in a few weeks. I have an ongoing list of restaurants I need to eat at. Most of them are in New York City and I have spent many hours reading about everyone and everything related to them. I write a food section in a magazine at school and like to pretend I have good taste. I cook a lot, have cut many of my fingers, and burned other appendages. I look forward to slaving in a sweaty, hot kitchen in the next few years and waste time reading about people who have done or do the same. I like to drink/brew beer and will eat everything that is one my plate. Slow and steady is my chomping motto and I stand by it. Also, I play music—most recently an 80’s cover band that couldn’t take itself seriously—and will probably chatter your ear off if you don’t tell me to shut it.
Anyways, I plan on really getting this thing off the ground when I head to Europe. Until then I will fill it with foggy memories of fanciful meals I’ve had in the past year or so. Everyone else gets to tell the world their opinions; I feel it’s time for me to let my taste buds do a little bragging…or at least a pitiful whimper now and then.
A thirsty individual looking to sample, explore and immerse himself in all things food and drink. Currently living in New York, Justin is waiting tables to steal kitchen tricks, practice his Spanish and make enough tips to indulge his eating and drinking habit.
Trillin
