A Fork in the Road

October 7, 2013
As Oseland, who is the editor-in-chief of Saveur, points out in his introduction to this richly appetizing and sometimes humorous collection of travel stories by food critics, chefs, and writers, âAt their most intense, these tastes of the new reveal something about the place youâre in and about yourself.â Among the stories from the bookâs 34 contributors are a tale of eating fish heads and rice on a boat from Jakarta bound for Singapore by PW reviews director Louisa Ermelino; Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughanâs account of his search for the perfect âcue in Georgia; and the London Observer restaurant critic Jay Raynerâs description of an encounter with oysters in Colchester, where âeating them is like being slapped around the face with spray off the bow of a wave-crashing yawl.â Other notable entries include novelist Andre Acimanâs story about his âlast supper in Tuscany,â food writer Josh Ozerskyâs âmelancholicâs guide to eating in Paris,â and Wall Street Journal food editor Beth Kracklauerâs paean to chicken livers. Marcus Samuelsson, a contributor and owner of Red Rooster in Harlem, sums up the tone of the collection best: âItâs my curiosity about different cultures that keeps me tasting and seeking, and I donât even want to lose my constant search for the next bite that I have to have.â

December 1, 2013
A savory collection of personal narratives about the "fabulous and even miraculous" ways that food revives "the great, exciting promise of life." Saveur editor in chief Oseland (Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, 2006, etc.) invites readers to feast on writing by distinguished restaurant critics, writers, cookbook authors and chefs that celebrate the "tastes and sensations...[that] alter our view of the world." The book's opening essay recounts British restaurant critic Giles Coren's first, and last, encounter with Hostess Twinkies. To Coren's boyhood self, these sugary confections symbolized both the golden promise of America and, by extension, the "endlessly thrilling" meals Americans always ate. Food, however, does not evoke place alone. As novelist Francine Prose shows in her essay about a Christmas holiday spent in France, it can also be tied to memories of finding gustatory, if slightly guilty, pleasures in unexpected situations. For others--like poet and memoirist Frances Mayes, who talks about her life-changing decision to study cooking in Provence, and chef Marcus Samuelsson, who describes his risky but scrumptious encounter with fugu--food has been salvation. Exciting and exotic as it can be, the best food is sometimes the simplest. Food critic Alan Richman discovered this truth on a trip to post-Arab Spring Egypt, where his happiest culinary experience was with the "unsophisticated [and] unruly" dishes eaten by ordinary people. But for chef Martin Yan, who affectionately recalls his impoverished mother's modest yet magical kitchen in rural China, the most mouthwatering dishes are often born at home. Funny, insightful and revealing, Oseland's anthology is not just a delightful adventure in world cuisine, but also a thoughtful exploration of the emotions that so often accompany cooking, dining and eating. Other contributors include David Mas Masumoto, Sigrid Nunez, Michael Pollan and Rita Mae Brown. Delicious reading for the discerning foodie.

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