Lucky Peach, Issue 10 by David Chang, Chris Ying, Peter Meehan (2014) Paperback

by Chris Ying

Lucky Peach is a new journal of food writing, published on a quarterly basis by McSweeney’s. It is a creation of David Chang, the James Beard Award–winning chef behind the Momofuku restaurants in New York, Momofuku cookbook cowriter Peter Meehan, and Zero Point Zero Productions—producers of the Travel Channel’s Emmy Award–winning Anthony No Reservations.The result of this collaboration is a mélange of travelogue, essays, art, photography, and rants in a full-color, meticulously designed format. Recipes will defy the tired ingredients-and-numbered-steps formula. They’ll be laid out sensibly, inspired by the thought process that went into developing them.Each issue will focus on a theme (Issue One’s theme is “Ramen”), with contributions from Harold McGee, Ruth Reichl, John T. Edge, Todd Kliman and a cavalcade of other writers and artists. The reader will meander through arguments about the superiority of yellow alkaline noodles over Italian egg pasta; a taxonomy of ramen-package characters; an eating tour of Japan helmed by an over-stuffed and nauseated, but nevertheless intrepid, David Chang; and a booze-fueled rant on mediocrity in American cuisine with chefs Chang, Bourdain, and Wylie Dufresne set in the Spanish Basque country.The aim of Lucky Peach is to give a platform to a brand of food writing that began with unorthodox authors like Bourdain, resulting in a publication that appeals to diehard foodies as well as fans of good writing and art in general.

Genres: Food, Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food Writing, Culinary, Japan

Paperback

First published June 7, 2011

Reviews

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

**NOTE!!!!*** In the recipe for alkaline ramen noodles, DO NOT use 4 tbsp of baked soda as the recipe says to. 4 tsp is what you want. For the love of god, teaspoons, not tablespoons. I will be tasting metal for weeks.

An extremely fascinating and informative read. I'm a bit of an asian noodle bowl fiend, so I picked up a lot of good ideas and recipes from this magazine (and a pasta roller to make some of them happen). Super excited to try some of the ideas out.

Alongside amazing recipes and unusual cooking techniques are short stories, transcripts of drunken talks between world-famous chefs, wonderful ramen-themed art, and a travelogue of a tour through Japan's ramen culture. Merely reading all of this filled me at once with a deep satiety and an even deeper craving for delicious noodles.

[Michael Satoh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome gift!

[Lizbeth G · Rating 5 out of 5]

The debut of Lucky Peach--Ramen remains my favorite. As a journal it delivered all that could be expected. The feature articles were well written, entertaining and informative. The Gourmet Club, a short story was something I had not expected from this journal, and was a bonus capping off the issue.
I did not try any of the recipes but studied them for inspiration. Lucky Peach Ramen gave me a better understanding of food, and the planning that goes into delivering great food and the precision in executing a delicious dish.
It was surprising how fun it was to read; great photos, a fun layout and edgy illustrations made the issue special. I had not seen anything like it. David Chang and all the contributors published an excellent journal in the Ramen issue that I highly recommend.

[Sara Habein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucky Peach represents what can be great about the magazine industry. Founded by Momofuku chef David Chang, the publication brings together his passion for innovation and his loyalty to doing singular, often simple, things well. Issue #1 is ad-free and dedicated almost entirely to one subject — ramen. The good stuff, the real stuff, straight out of Japanese back alleys and from old-school noodle masters. Perhaps only through McSweeney's could this sort of indulgence be encouraged on a large scale. As someone who publishes a magazine composed largely of my own whims, I love what they've done.

It is a really solid, interesting collection of food talk, and I'm considering getting a subscription. As a quarterly publication, I'm curious to see what other themes Chang and company take on, and I'm always wanting to read more from Anthony Bourdain. And though I'm not so naïve as to expect less pork products in future issues, I look forward to seeing what other dishes they feature that I may want to try on my own. It's a different sort of food porn, this magazine, and it's both aspirational and reassuring. "Look, we may be working professionals," it seems to say, "but everyone — everyone — can always do better."

(The full review can be seen on Glorified Love Letters.)

[Shoshanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read about half and skimmed the rest of this and I have to say, I'm disappointed. I had high hopes for this, coming from the McSweeney's crew and addressing some of my longest-standing obsessions. I guess I'd expected something like Gastronomica but with a sense of humor. Lucky Peach does have some good, thought-provoking, interesting articles (a history of the original Momofuku guy who invented instant ramen, something about the weird New Orleans noodle culture known as yakamay), but a lot of it is David Chang & Co. jacking each other off. Their passion is admirable, but without adequate editing it reads like a cross between a high school zine and Momofuku advertorial. Don't get me wrong - I love high school zines and think they are one of the most important forms of American culture - but these guys aren't in high school and inside jokes, plumage displays and long-winded, arrogant rants aren't what I wanted when I forked over $10. Maybe it would be more interesting to someone who is entrenched in the NYC foodie scene and wants a behind-the-curtain look, but if that's what they were going for they should have stuck with more targeted, localized distribution instead of making a national magazine. The food writing world, glutted with mediocre blogs and tired polemics about production politics, is in desperate need of well-written, fresh, fun, smart new voices. Lucky Peach is a step in the right direction, but still has a ways to go.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good food journal: there's plenty of variety, quirk, and exploration. What I think of as the McSweeney's voice shines through best in the recipes, which are riddled with loving embellishments. They're not ordering you around like most recipes; they're shmoozing with you, candidly. They are fun to read. Meat is not browned, it's "decisively browned." Alkaline dough is mixed to form "a crumbly, pebbly alliance... it will be a tougher sparring partner than any flour dough you've ever tried to make." Later, we're told to "knead for another 5 minutes. (You will curse and sweat.)" There's even a recipe in verse. I have a whole website about that! (breadpoets.org: Peter Meehan, be my collaborator?)

I hope Harold McGee (the dough recipe) becomes a regular fixture. I would like to see a little more fiction -- the short story was delightfully weird (which is to say it was Japanese). I noticed a few typos and design oddities, and some features could have used a little more editing down to the meat. But who am I kidding? This is ramen we're talking about: sometimes there's good reason to leave in the fat.

[Kristina Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the concept of this magazine -- a cross between a literary journal and a food magazine, it also explores areas like travel and art, graphic stories, and photography--each issue a compendium on a particular topic, it's a brilliant publication. I've been collecting these since the inaugural issue in summer 2011 but never read them cover to cover. It's high time I corrected that. Issue No. 1 is on ramen, and it did not disappoint, from information on the history of ramen, to a digression about eggs, and finally a weird short fiction piece on a gastronomic society in Japan. Now, on to Issue No. 2!

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable food journal. I like the fact that Lucky Peach is going with a different theme for every issue, and I certainly learned a whole lot about ramen in this one--I found the Specifist's Guide to the Regional Ramen of Japan especially interesting. I also really enjoyed the recipes for different things to do with ramen noodles--Instant Ramen Cacio e Pepe, Instant Ramen Fideos, Instant Ramen Gnocchi Parisienne, Ramen-Crusted Skate... Though this does have a few rough spots, over all, it's a fantastic first issue, and I'm excited to see what the Chang gang covers next time!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just got this edition and couldn't put it down. While the Ramen recipes are a bit aggressive and out of season for my summertime tastes there are many more eclectic bits to enjoy. You know a magazine's hitting all the right notes when you want to get out of bed and cook eggs at midnight or go online and shop for the perfect Ramen noodle. If you've tried any of those crazy egg preperations please let me know. I don't know where to begin. Can't wait to see what the LuckyPeach App looks like when it launches.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wildly fun magazine/book to read, centered around taking chances with your food. There are entries written on and about RAMEN, and a terrific excursion into the Japanese world of Ramen, people who have made Ramen their own, an all-too-brief rating about ramen by Ruth Reichel, and a very funny drunken rant between Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, and Willie Dufresne. Good art, and NO ADVERTISING! Gotta love that. Five stars overall from me.

For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Lucky_...

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I certainly know a lot more about ramen now. Unfortunately, until now I've only had the instant variety. That is one thing I plan to rectify ASAP.

Enjoyed the articles, general approach, drawings, and photos. I really liked the presentation of the recipes, though it's doubtful many will be made in my kitchen.

I didn't fall for the short story that closes this issue. I would actually redirect people to Neil Gaiman's short story "Sunbird" which was featured in another McSweeney's book, Noisy Outlaws....

[Vi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a food quarterly that is part food reviews, part first-person narrative, part food blogging and part best of list and written in a macho and in your face "who's better than whom" writing. No f* words are dropped and no food ingredient too odd to not analylze. This is food writing that doesn't give a f* about ingredients, but wants to talk about the art and craft of changing good ingredients into the food of the gods.

I will probably subscribe and donate it to the library.

[joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my FAV Lucky Peach issue! I love ramen & the "How to Poach an Egg" is a jewel. The Ramen Road is informative and makes me want to take the trip. There's a reason the first edition & only printing (so far) garners big buck on eBay! If you like cooking, ramen or just a new way (sorta book, sorta maga-manga-zine) to read about food, you need to read Lucky Peach Issue #1.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely produced quarterly journal...looking forward to seeing what future issues hold.

Weakest element was the fiction by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki. Best was the lead story, Things Were Eaten, an account of slurping ramen at various shops in Japan.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this was kind of like being a fly on the wall of a boys' club. In some ways it was hysterical, illuminating, fascinating, and fun. In other ways, it was confusing, obnoxious, and I wished I had left it alone. I'm still intrigued enough by its style to consider reading the next one, though.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess this is technically a magazine, but at 174 pages of mostly prose it is decently long. And it's really, really good. The whole thing makes me want to fly back to Japan as soon as possible to enjoy some ramen. I hope the future issues live up to this one.

[waits4thebus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The indie food quarterly. Typos add to the endearing charm. Completely brazen, ego-driven pieces on eating around the world, weird recipes I'll never try, cool graphic design, funny pieces by heavy-hitters. Loved it.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize magazines were part of Goodreads. While I can't decide how I feel about that I am happy to give Lucky Peach some more props. I was thrilled before it came out and it has yet to disappoint. It is the perfect blend of visual, cooking and word art.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A breath of fresh air in the arena of food publications.

A lot of good content, maybe the RAMEN BIBLE!

Very, very funny, even the throw away piece by Tony Bourdain.

[Diana Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait for the next issue. First issue is an A++++. Everything David Chang touches is golden, and then add Anthony Bourdain to the mix??? Great collaboration. Ready for more.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. effing. good. Can't wait to hand this over to my brother Joe at Christmas....

[Schlomo Rabinowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may have to get a subscription, this mag is that good and that fun.

[Claudine Co · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of Meehan's writing style. Too. much. testosterone.

[Dan]

This is a wonderful food journal that I learned a ton of stuff from. I look forward to issue 2

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just for stoned ramen lovers

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noodles are my favorite food group.

[Rodrigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

La mejor "revista" de comida hoy en día. Una delicia.

[Amy Peavy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably one of my favorite issues. Stories were easy to read and I learned so much about ramen.. I can't wait to try the real stuff!!