What am I reading this week? Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl.
From the time I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. But from the time I reached adulthood, I wanted to be a food critic.
Not because I thought I’d be all that great at it, but because it just seemed like “the life.” You go out to eat all the time, try exceptional dishes, and get to write about it. I considered this about as win-win as a job could get—especially as those meals were paid for by your employer.
So, when I came across Ruth Reichl’s memoir about her time as the food critic for the New York Times, I considered this the perfect time to live vicariously through someone else’s eating adventures.
Garlic and Sapphires describes the years that Reichl spent covering restaurants in New York and the things she had to do just to do her job. Apparently, being one of the most powerful food critics in the world means that restaurants know you. Really know you.
The book chronicles the lengths Reichl went to in order to dine anonymously. Because once someone at a restaurant recognized her, they immediately pulled out all the stops. Definitely nice, but also inauthentic.
Garlic and Sapphires is a mix of memoir, food reviews, and recipes. If you love food, love New York, and love reading about how restaurants really work, this book is perfect for you.
My honest review of Garlic and Sapphires…
Garlic and Sapphires really delivered on the food. Reichl writes about food with an attention to detail and flavor that makes you feel like you’re with her at the table, if not eating the food yourself. Even when she’s talking about something you’ve never tried personally, her descriptions make you think that you have.
As someone who loves food, I really enjoyed reading about her culinary adventures. From the fanciest restaurants to the tiny hole-in-the-walls, to her own cooking with her son, it was like another world. As a trained chef, Reichl shares recipes and practical instruction that can be used by even the simplest home cook out there (like me).
There were times when I skimmed some of the food descriptions in Garlic and Sapphires—not because they weren’t well-written, but because I started to become overwhelmed and maybe even a little desensitized. Like eating an amazing 14-course meal, at some point, you start to get full.
And the disguises… Some of the funniest and most touching moments happened when Ruth Reichl wasn’t even Ruth Reichl. Her disguises and personas were interesting and wild—and maybe even a little bit of fantasy-fulfillment for those of us who have ever wanted to be someone new, if only for a day. (Spoiler alert: it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.)
Garlic and Sapphires is a humorous tell-all about the New York restaurant industry, life as a big-deal food critic, and what food and the eating-out experience mean to each one of us.
If you’re looking for a light read that will take you into restaurants many of us will never experience, all while making you salivate over delicious food, then Garlic and Sapphires is the perfect book for you.
Happy Reading!
(Garlic and Sapphires is available for FREE in audiobook form. Just sign up for the FREE AUDIBLE trial and cancel whenever you want!)
So, what are you reading this week? Have any suggestions for me?
Interested in more on books? Then check out these posts:
Why I Read So Much & How You Can Read More, Too
My September Reading List Picks
What I’m Reading… Present over Perfect
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