food for thought :: talking with my mouth full

Talking With My Mouth Full - Crab Cakes, Bundt Cakes and Other Kitchen Stories by Bonnie Wolf is the second book that the Food For Thought book club has read. it was an easy, simple read. (although i admit to not being finished with it yet.)

the book is a collection of . . . essays, i guess. i have trouble describing the book because i can't get past how different it was from what i expected. the phrase "other kitchen stories" invoked more of an autobiography to me. i don't know why. and aside from book reading, i found this an interesting study in expectations. my expectation colored my experience of this book.

i thought i was getting stories from the author's life in the kitchen--in depth, character-filled ones. ones that would make me wish i had an aunt so-and-so who taught me to cook the perfect lasagne or whatever--more like the stories in Ruth Reichl's books. but that is not what this book is.

this book is a collection of very lightly penned essays on different foods and meals. wolf mentions her history with the foods. she then also mentions her pal megan or joe have said about the foods and how they have been affected by eating or how they eat it or what flavor, etc. it's all very nice. but not at all in depth. not real substantive. and again, not what i expected. this book is like a light butter cream frosting, but no really yummy, filling chocolate cake underneath.

that being said, i did enjoy the book. it was fun to chat with wolf about popovers, ice cream and state fair foods. i enjoyed her tone and her casual way. she doesn't take food or cooking too seriously. she's down-to-earth, i'd say. she has a really comfortable, come-in-for-a-cup-of-tea style. for me, i guess i just needed a little more to grab me. it was too easy to put the book down and not come back to it.

the one recipe that i could not stop thinking about was her mom's German Pancake. YUM! so i had to make it. and it was really good. really good. my son and i downed about half of it in one sitting.

given that i don't have permission to reprint the recpice so i shouldn't give it to you, but picture a giant popover wrapped around apples and cinnamon. it's really simple. the "cake" is eggy and moist. the book is loaded with recipes. that alone is a great reason to pick up a copy or borrow it from your library.

Food For Thought :: Waiter Rant

so, it's our first end-of-the-month review! and the first book we all chose was WAITER RANT by
steve dublanica to check the blogroll and read other Book Club posts, go here.

i have to say, i really enjoyed this book. it was, in large part, all i had hoped it would be. it was funny, sorta cynical, but with a heart underlying it that made me feel like i was reading about someone's real life and not just, unrelated, "rants."

the book is filled with hilarious bits about crazy, cranky customers, which, having been in food service in a touristy, upper-crust realm, i could relate to. and while there were times that i felt like, "hey waiters can be cranky and nasty without provocation, you know!" i also felt like he conceded that there were jerky waiters out there, too. (and don't get me started on the food spitting.)

the aspect of the book that i felt a little. . . frustrated with is the whole "break up" he underwent with The Bistro and its' staff. i understood that it was a co-dependent relationship and one that served as illustration of the writer's self-esteem issues and lack of direction in life, but i didn't need all the melodrama surrounding his leaving. he was acting like he'd just been freed from a wrongful prison sentence or something. it was just a job, dude! and there's thousands of other/better restaurants out there to work at.

i got frustrated with him. i'm supposed to feel sorry for him and his awful situation, but, i have little patience for that. if it sucks, get out of it. stop whining. and i realize that it's harsh in a way. it's not that easy for some people to up and make a change.

i also realize that it's a good reflection of how i treat myself. i'm really hard on myself in the same way. and i know full well how hard it is to make real change when your self-worth is tied up in the decision. so, who am i to judge.

overall, i'm really glad we chose it and it was a fun read. and that's my rant on Waiter Rant. . . did anyone else perceive his anger and language to escalate througout the book. i felt like, "he sure is swearing a lot all of a sudden!" it sorta crept up on me. i felt a little like he was having a personality change or something. but maybe that's what being at The Bistro did to him!

on to the next book. i can't wait to find out what it is. . .

Food For Thought :: Book Club FAQs and Blogroll

if you have made it to this post, then you're thinking of joining up with Food For Thought. we'd love to have you, of course! faq's below.

here is our current blogroll:

melody of my trap door
tami of tami's kitchen table talk
jacque of daisy lane cakes
jessica of mango missives
arika of my yumy life
belle of muse in the kitchen
michelle of culinography
kerri of k&k's baking
sharon of view from my treehouse
guiltless glutton of glutire
jen of piccante dolce

here's the list of who will be picking books when:

december/january 2008/9 - tami of tami's kitchen table talk
february 2009 - melody of my trap door
march 2009 -
april 2009 -
may 2009 -

FAQ's

:: every month we read a book (sometimes we might take 2 months to do 1 book). on the chosen date, we all post our thoughts on the book. if there are recipes, we choose one to do. or we create a dish inspired by the book.

:: books are chosen by voting. each month a member offers 2 books for us to vote on as well as the posting date for that book.

:: on this page i will keep the blogroll as well as the list of who is picking books for which month.

:: to get on board, just comment here or email me (kate AT the clean plate club DOT net) and i'll add you to the blogroll. that's it! happy reading!