The Man Who Ate the World by Jay Rayner

Can you tell I've been on holiday? Yes, I did  a little bit of reading. The Man Who Ate the World by Jay Rayner was the last of the stack...I read it on the Eurostar to and from Paris, which I thought was very apropos.

I really enjoyed this. Immensely. I sorta want to read it again. I was so engrossed in this that two different Eurostar staff members stopped me to ask what I was reading. (Love Eurostar Leisure Select.)

Rayner has a fantastic ability to use the richest, fattest, most lovely words in describing dining and restaurants and food.  And he's funny. I laughed out loud when I got to the Tokyo chapter and he talks about trying to find a restaurant..."It looks like the kind of place where a woman with too many cats might lead a life of quiet desperation." (For the record, I am allergic to cats.) I loved that he flew all the way to Geneva to find the white wine vinegar his mother-in-law favors, only to fnd that Genf is closed down for a bank holiday. What I want to do now is re-read and see if I can rank the restaurants by Jay's loveliness of experience. He spends a lot of money on a lot of food in The Man Who Ate the World, but the funny (but perhaps not surprising) part is that he doesn't always get bang for his buck. You, however, will not have that problem if you head out and buy this now. It's really very very good.

Comments

[Dave]

While it's all well and good buying books to read all about food, I can think of no better way to fix my craving for all things gastronomic than by indulging in sweet little blogs like this.

Top marks for your excellent writing style - detailed without being pedantic, fruity like a good wine and leaves a lovely taste in the mind.

Great work!

[Helen Yuet Ling Pang]

Oh, I'm really glad to hear this. It's sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I'm looking forward to it. I've just finished Nigel Slater's Eating for England, which is a fun, easy read and particularly enjoyable if you grew up here!

[Niamh]

Oh, this is one I really want to read. Nice review, it sounds great!

[Jessica@Foodmayhem.com]

I'm just finishing up Fork It Over by Alan Richman so I'm going to pick up this recommendation of yours....btw Fork It Over is just ok, not great.