Tender At The Bone

I thoroughly loved this book and have now just finished her second book, Comfort me with Apples. She writes so that you feel you could me there with her and experience what she is describing.
What really struck me as I read this book is that this was a generation that went off, supported themselves AND lived their ideals for a better world. But they supported themselves, didn't want or need hand outs from parents or the government. This is such a contrast to many of today's 20-somethings. I know too many that are living on government support and they do nothing, unless you consider playing video games and watching TV something.

I loved Garlic and Sapphires, so I was interested in reading more of her books. Tender at the Bone, was an easy read and was a good story. Not as good as Garlic, but she's such a good story teller and I love reading about people in the food industry, or whatever you would call it. :) I enjoyed it!

I love this author. She writes about life and food in such a way that you want to run out and learn to do the same. You want to try each recipe in the books and head to frence and learn french. Great read. Cannot wait to read the next.

This is a hidden treasure found in the daily deals. The best $1.99 ever spent for a day of total entertainment and interesting trips over the globe. A real find, treat yourself to this book for a fun day and then go make some deviled eggs or matzah Brie!

Reading her stories make me want to create something totally delicious! This is the second of her books on food that I have read. The first being Garlic & Sapphires. Enjoyed both so much, looking forward to another.

This autobiography of the noted food author and critic Ruth Reichl is as uneven as any dining experience at a famous restaurant might be: the first course was amazing but towards the end of the repast, you wonder if it was all at the top of the game.

The memoir starts out with the shocking story of Ruth's bipolar Mom, famous for winging meals creatively and cheaply out of meats past their prime served tartare (raw) and an entire gemisch of Horn and Hardart end-of-day take away boxes, mixed into a mold-furred pudding and served to paying charity party guests. For a son's engagement party. Oy. Vey. 27 people poisoned, having their stomachs pumped at hospital and Reichl's mom sniffs "we are FINE and we ate EVERYTHING." This isn't remotely funny--you can die from that and nothing the family did seemed to derail her from her harebrained schemes.

As often happened unpredictably, with a frankly nutty mother, Ruth made an offhand remark about learning French which landed her at (hey, let's have a vacation in Montreal) a French-Canadian boarding school, adrift in an incomprehensible language. But her intrepid and independent nature, developed by a mom who'd pay her at age 8 to "babysit herself", led her out and about Montreal's bars and patisseries, discovering smoked meat (like corned beef or pastrami, peculiar to Montreal) and of course, the French eclairs, vol-de-vents and other fantasies that the French speaking Canadians make as their French cousins do. A trip home with the daughter of an ambassador was reward for one of these forbidden jaunts with a school chum. And her budding gourmand spirit impressed the Ambassador so much, he instructed Madame to have dinner "avec les enfants"--unheard of, with a chartreuse de partridge.

The descriptions of her discovery of cuisine, sharpened by years of contrast between great food (her Aunt Birdie's cook Alice) and simply horrific (Mother), are what makes this a great memoir. Her later years, and descriptions of college are not so piquant. I was hoping for more in this department, as we went to the same school four years apart and her years were the most amazing time--the mid 60's with all the commune and hippy experiences and her in the very midst of them. I was hoping for better--but still, this is a fine memoir and kept my attention.

Only having recently begun to read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book - at least once I got past the first chapter, which seemed slow. Perhaps it was because I grew up in the same time as that described in the book; or maybe because of the delightful descriptions of the circumstances encountered throughout; but whatever the reason, I did not want the story to end. I can only thank Ruth Reichl for sharing part of her life with us.

Ruth Reichl is a delightful story teller. Her memory of past events is quirky and imaginitive, and her life is better than fiction. Be prepared for a "page-turner" that is hard to put down. Perfect for summer reading.

This memoir offers an honest but loving look at a family struggling with mother's mental illness. I've read this twice, a few years apart, and enjoyed it just as much the second time. Well written, the author does a great job of "show, don't tell." She deftly explores her own growth as she dances around her mother's illness through childhood and adolescence, finally becoming an adult free from the fear of following in her mother's path.