The predecessor to Michael Pollan/Mark Bitman - eat good local food, prepared simply and you'll be all set. His chapter on wine making made me want to live in a house with a basement just so I could make my own wine... but I'll focus instead on the garden. ( )

So begins a year or so of (mostly) reading what I already own.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's some of the best food writing I've read--on par with An Everlasting Meal, which is a favorite. ( )

Very interesting book. The focus is on how American react to foods from the perspective of someone who was immigrated at some point in the early 20th century. The book itself is about 60 years old at this point, but it feels like it could have been written yesterday. If you like reading about food, pick this one up. I'm very tempted to purchase a copy

Some rough highlights:

* We have a lot of food, but we seem to be at a loss at what to do with it.
* He really stresses trying to grow more of our own food. Grow what you cannot find in your stores. Things like unusual peppers and fruits, herbs that wilt quickly, salad greens. He's got lots of advice for how to also do it by combining food plants with decorative books. So far it's one of the better books I've read on gardening.
* Americans have a love and hate relationship with alcohol. The author describes getting rude looks for taking a shot of alcohol with breakfast, but is mystified by long cocktail parties with sugary strong drinks and little food. He also has a rather relaxed approach to teaching his kids to drink. They get watered down wine, if they want. Not surprisingly, he also recommends creating your own wine. His 150 gallon system might be a bit much for some folks though. ( )

A blend of memoir, discourse on living, memories of Italy, gardening and recipes. How much better can it get! ( )

1st ed. DW. ( )