LOVED this book. The author's voice and experiences really were very interesting to me. I love to cook and the idea of fresh and slow food were relatively new to me at the time I read this.

Finished the first book and no longer interested in reading the rest. Well-written but not especially appealing.

I loved this book and now want to read all of Ruth Reichl's books. The combination of food and memoir crossed with confessions about Reichl's love life made this a steamy book. I loved reading about all the ins and outs of food celebrities, and Reichl's life changes throughout the book. Can't wait to read more!

Ruth Reichl’s writing is lovely. There’s a little bit of humor in all the right places. She has very poignant descriptions of relationships and personalities and of course, food.

It’s weird reading about her life in the seventies and eighties and learning about where the food world was then. A lot of things that were weird and new then, are more standard now.

The baby saga at the end was absolutely wild.

I am not a food snob, so I could not appreciate Reichl's food critiques. Where I could relate to her was her struggle to find herself in the midst of her life changes. The section where she discusses her adoption woes was very touching. It was also interesting to see how cooking and food were comforting to her in trying times. Her travels to China was also interesting during a time when traveling in the region was not common.

My second attempt at a Ruth Reichl book and my last. She's always broke but gets one fantastic job after another and flies to Europe frequently. ?? By this second book I was tired of the many pretentious foodie people and many of the adventures seemed very far-fetched.

More great writing, more great recipes...especially the one for baked swiss pumpkin! It's become an annual fall dish.

Jellyfish, rodents, and slugs are the perfect foods for a wicked witch.

Love Reichl's writing. She was a former restaurant reviewer for the NY Times and former editor of the late Gourmet. Needless to say, she is a far more adventurous eater than I. This book is a lovely combination of memoir and food writing (one of my favorite combos). She is a great storyteller. This book should be read with Tender at the Bone, in my opinion.

Much too 'girly' for me, but there are nice stories here. I'm particularly drawn to the chapters on Thai and Chinese food, as that's what I'm cooking now. I probably would have liked to read more about the politics of the relationships between restauranteurs, 'ordinary' diners, and critics. Still was fun to read.

I really enjoy her memoirs and this one was no different. It covers her beginning years as a food writer. There was martial tension through the whole book, which made me uncomfortable. But the food part was so fun! Ruth was right there in the beginning of the California food movement, both in the Bay Area and LA. She even came to Sacramento to eat at Darrell Corti's house! The life part was a little rough, I sobbed through the ending.

2.5 stars. As always, Reichl's writing is incredible, but her actions during these years made me lose a great deal of respect for her. As the memoir starts she has begun working as a food critic for a couple of publications in California. Her husband Doug is an installation artist and his career is just beginning to take off. Rather than compromise and work out a solution that will strengthen their marriage, they begin to lead largely separate lives, which leads to affairs and the end of their marriage. I was kind of taken aback at how unapologetic Reichl was in describing these affairs. Of course she mourned the dissolution of her marriage, but she didn't seem to see anything wrong with infidelity.