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Hungry: What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me about Life, Love, and the Power of Good Food
"The book is as much about nourishment as it is food. Barnes' affection for the fraternity brothers carries the narrative. . . . A heartening memoir of good food and tough love."
--Kirkus Reviews
Newly arrived in Seattle, Darlene Barnes stumbles on a job ad for a cook at the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity on the University of Washington campus, a prospect most serious food professionals would automatically reject. But Barnes envisions something other than kegs and corn dogs; she sees an opportunity to bring fresh, real food to an audience accustomed to "Asian Surprise" and other unidentifiable casseroles dropped off by a catering service. And she also sees a chance to reinvent herself, by turning a maligned job into meaningful work of her own creation: "I was the new girl and didn't know or care about the rules."
Naively expecting a universally appreciative audience, Barnes finds a more exasperatingly challenging environment: The kitchen is nasty, the basement is scary, and the customers are not always cooperative. Undaunted, she gives as good as she gets with these foul-mouthed and irreverent--but also funny and sensitive--guys. Her passion for real food and her sharp tongue make her kitchen a magnet for the brothers, new recruits, and sorority girls tired of frozen dinners.
Laugh-out-loud funny and poignant, Hungry offers a female perspective on the real lives of young men, tells a tale of a woman's determined struggle to find purpose, and explores the many ways that food feeds us.
--Kirkus Reviews
Newly arrived in Seattle, Darlene Barnes stumbles on a job ad for a cook at the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity on the University of Washington campus, a prospect most serious food professionals would automatically reject. But Barnes envisions something other than kegs and corn dogs; she sees an opportunity to bring fresh, real food to an audience accustomed to "Asian Surprise" and other unidentifiable casseroles dropped off by a catering service. And she also sees a chance to reinvent herself, by turning a maligned job into meaningful work of her own creation: "I was the new girl and didn't know or care about the rules."
Naively expecting a universally appreciative audience, Barnes finds a more exasperatingly challenging environment: The kitchen is nasty, the basement is scary, and the customers are not always cooperative. Undaunted, she gives as good as she gets with these foul-mouthed and irreverent--but also funny and sensitive--guys. Her passion for real food and her sharp tongue make her kitchen a magnet for the brothers, new recruits, and sorority girls tired of frozen dinners.
Laugh-out-loud funny and poignant, Hungry offers a female perspective on the real lives of young men, tells a tale of a woman's determined struggle to find purpose, and explores the many ways that food feeds us.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
December 6, 2013
I liked this progressively better as I went along. The irascible authorial tone put me off at first. Well, at first and at second. I ended up firmly on her side, but she does come off like a special snowflake sometimes. I liked the glimpse inside the frat house, and I liked the descriptions of the denizens therein. I was less enamored with her memoirish bits, where she was bitter about the billionaire she cooked for in Texas and the like. I really enjoyed reading the interactions between her and the guys- enough so that I'm looking forward to reading her blog archives, for Pete's sake. I suspect that if I met Barnes in real life we'd get on like a house afire.
August 26, 2013
What drew me to Darlene Barnes' memoir Hungry: What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me About Life, Love and The Power of Good Food was that we had some things in common: she had two sons and was getting ready for 'empty nest syndrome' as she sent her last son off to college, and she liked to cook.
Barnes married a man in the Canadian military, so they moved from base to base. He eventually ended up as an engineer and they lived in Texas. She found a job working as a personal chef for a very wealthy (and a wee bit crazy and self-involved) family. What she liked best about the job was getting to taste the lunches that the Korean maids brought in- Korean vegetable pancakes and chili pastes- and the fresh corn tortilla tacos the gardeners ate. Her wealthy clients insisted on Kraft cheese singles and fat-free yogurts, not exactly healthy or tasty.
When her husband took a job with Microsoft in Seattle, Barnes applied for a job as a cook at a fraternity house at the University of Washington. Her prickly personality and penchant for cursing earned her a reputation as someone not to be messed with, a definite plus with the frat members and the vendors, who were not accustomed to a frat cook who questioned what they were selling.
Barnes thought the job as a cook for a fraternity to be a "puzzling occupation, like circus clown or spy." But she was told she would have the ability to create her own menus, within the budget restraints given, and to make the job whatever she thought it should be.
She knew how to deal with young men, as she had two of her own, but there were moments that gave her pause. Stepping over broken glass on the way to basement storage and having to install a childproof device on the freezer after finding it unplugged three times made her apoplectic. But the respect and kindness the young men showed her convinced her she had done the right thing in taking the job.
Barnes was appalled at the kind of food that the men were used to; they had grown up on Pop-Tarts and Kraft mac and cheese. Still, they were willing to give her food a try. Instead of the frozen meatballs and fajitas the last cook served, Barnes made hers fresh. Her goal was to get them to eat healthier, to try new things, like kiwi fruit.
She decided that it was easy to make salad dressing from scratch, so she stopped buying bottled. This simple decision led her to question what else she could make from scratch, like soups, salsa and sauces. From there, she began a quest to use as much locally produced foods as possible. From fruits and vegetables to beef and chicken, Barnes questioned her vendors and sought out the best food she could buy for the guys.
The food service company sales reps were not as receptive as the frat guys. They often found Barnes to be argumentative and a general pain compared to the other fraternity and sorority cooks who just served packaged or frozen foods, but some grew to respect her way of thinking.
Barnes takes us inside the fraternity and introduces us to some of the guys. She talks about the ones she likes, and the few she felt were lazy. She watched as they pulled together during a few tragedies and answered their frequent text messages with cooking questions, even as she was on vacation in Istanbul with her husband. Her relationship with the guys is touching and sweet, even though she plans to quit every single summer.
I enjoyed Hungry immensely; Barnes' cranky, honest personality shines through. Her decision to make frat food tastier and healthier inspired me to be more mindful of what I'm buying and preparing for my family. I felt like I was right there in the frat kitchen with her, and if the Food Network is smart, they will snap her up and give her a show. I'd watch in a heartbeat.
I also like that there are many recipes throughout the book, and I'm going to try most of them, starting with Blueberry Cornbread now that blueberries are in season. (See, I learned something already!)
Barnes married a man in the Canadian military, so they moved from base to base. He eventually ended up as an engineer and they lived in Texas. She found a job working as a personal chef for a very wealthy (and a wee bit crazy and self-involved) family. What she liked best about the job was getting to taste the lunches that the Korean maids brought in- Korean vegetable pancakes and chili pastes- and the fresh corn tortilla tacos the gardeners ate. Her wealthy clients insisted on Kraft cheese singles and fat-free yogurts, not exactly healthy or tasty.
When her husband took a job with Microsoft in Seattle, Barnes applied for a job as a cook at a fraternity house at the University of Washington. Her prickly personality and penchant for cursing earned her a reputation as someone not to be messed with, a definite plus with the frat members and the vendors, who were not accustomed to a frat cook who questioned what they were selling.
Barnes thought the job as a cook for a fraternity to be a "puzzling occupation, like circus clown or spy." But she was told she would have the ability to create her own menus, within the budget restraints given, and to make the job whatever she thought it should be.
She knew how to deal with young men, as she had two of her own, but there were moments that gave her pause. Stepping over broken glass on the way to basement storage and having to install a childproof device on the freezer after finding it unplugged three times made her apoplectic. But the respect and kindness the young men showed her convinced her she had done the right thing in taking the job.
Barnes was appalled at the kind of food that the men were used to; they had grown up on Pop-Tarts and Kraft mac and cheese. Still, they were willing to give her food a try. Instead of the frozen meatballs and fajitas the last cook served, Barnes made hers fresh. Her goal was to get them to eat healthier, to try new things, like kiwi fruit.
She decided that it was easy to make salad dressing from scratch, so she stopped buying bottled. This simple decision led her to question what else she could make from scratch, like soups, salsa and sauces. From there, she began a quest to use as much locally produced foods as possible. From fruits and vegetables to beef and chicken, Barnes questioned her vendors and sought out the best food she could buy for the guys.
The food service company sales reps were not as receptive as the frat guys. They often found Barnes to be argumentative and a general pain compared to the other fraternity and sorority cooks who just served packaged or frozen foods, but some grew to respect her way of thinking.
Barnes takes us inside the fraternity and introduces us to some of the guys. She talks about the ones she likes, and the few she felt were lazy. She watched as they pulled together during a few tragedies and answered their frequent text messages with cooking questions, even as she was on vacation in Istanbul with her husband. Her relationship with the guys is touching and sweet, even though she plans to quit every single summer.
I enjoyed Hungry immensely; Barnes' cranky, honest personality shines through. Her decision to make frat food tastier and healthier inspired me to be more mindful of what I'm buying and preparing for my family. I felt like I was right there in the frat kitchen with her, and if the Food Network is smart, they will snap her up and give her a show. I'd watch in a heartbeat.
I also like that there are many recipes throughout the book, and I'm going to try most of them, starting with Blueberry Cornbread now that blueberries are in season. (See, I learned something already!)
December 27, 2013
I initially chose this book because of the title…I just had to know the story behind it all. But as I flew through the pages, I was given more than just a backstory: I was treated to a rare glimpse of fraternity life, peppered with tips and tricks on how to be the odd-girl-out, and encompassed by a love of food and the community it creates such as I had never been a part of before. Darlene Barnes is bossy but loving, tough but fair, and above all else, she is a woman on a mission. Hired to cook lunch and dinner for 50-80 frat brothers five day a week, the learning curve was steep and the long term goals occasionally forgotten. But Barnes sought to revolutionize frat food in the kitchen that became her kingdom. In a world where just heat and serve entrees were considered the best that could be done, she sought to bring real food made with love, as well as, local, fresh ingredients to her boys.
February 18, 2014
Barnes writes a memoir that reads more like an extended outline than a memoir. Barnes covers her childhood, her experience working for a Texas Billionaire, and her time as a chef in the Fraternity house in Seattle. While all of these events are mentioned in a scrambled pattern, there is very little detail. The only thing the author makes clear (through repetition) is that she is a self-proclaimed difficult person to work with. I wanted more detail on what she cooked with the organic and local ingredients she worked so hard to procure, more personal details or even descriptions to help form some mental image of the people she worked with for so many years. So much telling and so little showing left me feeling as if I'd read a report rather than a memoir.
August 15, 2017
Needed a feel good memoir and this one certainly was entertaining. Darlene Barnes has a strong sense of voice and opinion about food, respect and fraternities. This is not Animal House with a mix of Bourdain. As with most chefs, Darlene Barnes is a strong personality not to be messed with. She is hired to cook for a frat house and you can tell that there is some misgiving if not downright resentment about doing this in a house full of young men who are fraternity brothers. There are some hijinks but what this writer's memoir reveals is how food unites people, even when there are those who are averse to good food or food that is good for you.
Despite her being at times very hard-nosed about her kitchen and her role in the house, she softens when she writes of certain frat brothers who stood out for their quirks or their mutual respect for their cook. There are a few times when tragedy hits and it hits everyone hard.
I could relate strongly to this woman's quest to feed her charges. They are her employers so to speak but she also feels a responsibility to contribute to their food education. Very much like what I try to do when I am in charge of our school's nutrition program.
A good summer read for those of us who don't care for spy novels of mystery books.
Despite her being at times very hard-nosed about her kitchen and her role in the house, she softens when she writes of certain frat brothers who stood out for their quirks or their mutual respect for their cook. There are a few times when tragedy hits and it hits everyone hard.
I could relate strongly to this woman's quest to feed her charges. They are her employers so to speak but she also feels a responsibility to contribute to their food education. Very much like what I try to do when I am in charge of our school's nutrition program.
A good summer read for those of us who don't care for spy novels of mystery books.
January 31, 2020
Having been in a sorority and having someone cook for us, I thought the idea of this memoir was a great one. I really liked reading about her experiences cooking for different people, and especially for the fraternity guys. Where the book falls a bit short is that it could be culled down to talk more about the food and specific instances than a step-by-step chronicling of her life, which got old after a while.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
September 14, 2018
Interesting book about a woman who cooked meals for a frat house at the University of Washington. Recipes are included. She made it her mission to cook fresh healthy meals and demand these fresh ingredients from food suppliers before it was popular. Her stories about the young men in the house were amusing and touching.
May 2, 2018
This book was probably more of a 3.5 on the star scale, but I'm a sucker for memoirs. You can feel Barnes' passion through her reflections; she really loved these boys and it reminded me of how I feel about my students. It was a very quick read, if not a little disjointed.
December 20, 2018
An interesting look inside a Frat House, but the story was definitely mostly about Darlene, rather than the rest of the people around her.
Read
October 31, 2020interesting take on food..
September 10, 2016
Hungry: What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me about Life, Love, and the Power of Good Food is a memoir written by Darlene Barnes. Darlene has always loved food and loved to cook. Some of her earliest memories are of the good fresh food eaten at her grandparent’s home and to this day she feels strongly about buying locally and fresh. I’m not sure she ever imagined herself as the chef at the fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi feeding fifty to eighty young guys at any one time but that’s exactly the path her life took and ultimately it changed her — in good ways.
In the long run working as a chef at the fraternity was a good move for Darlene for a few reasons. First she got to do what she loved and also introduced these young men to food a whole lot better for them than Mac and Cheese. Secondly nobody else would likely have her – at one point she makes a comment that a self-attached muzzle could be helpful at times. That made me laugh out loud! Darlene doesn’t hesitate to let us know in her memoir that she’s very outspoken and spunky and this is all packed into a woman not much over five feet tall. She tells it how it is and fights for the things she believes in such as sourcing food locally and using only fresh ingredients. She made life a nightmare for her suppliers and I admired her for sticking to her guns. So while life with these guys was more often than not driving her crazy it was still a place she could ultimately be herself and that’s never a bad thing. Funny enough she would be planning on leaving every year and then one of the guys would say ‘I love you Darlene’ and she’d be back for another round.
I enjoyed reading this and I admire Darlene’s support of sourcing local and fresh food. She would likely have a heart attack if she saw some of the ‘fake’ food I sometimes eat. I will say that reading this invigorated my wanting to eat more fresh and for the most part I already do. I also enjoyed reading about the relationships that Darlene formed with some of these guys. There were many she didn’t connect with but there were also a lot she did and those are friendships formed for life. Many think that life in a fraternity is just one big party and while there are a lot of parties Darlene opens our eyes to the fact that it is also just a bunch of young guys living a normal everyday life.
Even better are the recipes that Darlene includes at the end of each chapter and what I liked best about them is that they are good old home cooking – my favorite! She reiterates something I firmly believe in and that’s that so many of our memories are tied into food and many of mine come from the plain but yummy food my mom has always cooked. Some of the recipes from the book that I’d like to eventually try are: Black Bottom Pie, Parker House Rolls, Blueberry Cornbread and so many others and because I love soups so much – Chicken Tortellini Soup and Chicken Tortilla Soup. I think this is a memoir that would appeal to foodies and to people interested in a behind the scenes look at a frat house but also a look at a woman who learned a lot about herself from a bunch of frat guys!
In the long run working as a chef at the fraternity was a good move for Darlene for a few reasons. First she got to do what she loved and also introduced these young men to food a whole lot better for them than Mac and Cheese. Secondly nobody else would likely have her – at one point she makes a comment that a self-attached muzzle could be helpful at times. That made me laugh out loud! Darlene doesn’t hesitate to let us know in her memoir that she’s very outspoken and spunky and this is all packed into a woman not much over five feet tall. She tells it how it is and fights for the things she believes in such as sourcing food locally and using only fresh ingredients. She made life a nightmare for her suppliers and I admired her for sticking to her guns. So while life with these guys was more often than not driving her crazy it was still a place she could ultimately be herself and that’s never a bad thing. Funny enough she would be planning on leaving every year and then one of the guys would say ‘I love you Darlene’ and she’d be back for another round.
I enjoyed reading this and I admire Darlene’s support of sourcing local and fresh food. She would likely have a heart attack if she saw some of the ‘fake’ food I sometimes eat. I will say that reading this invigorated my wanting to eat more fresh and for the most part I already do. I also enjoyed reading about the relationships that Darlene formed with some of these guys. There were many she didn’t connect with but there were also a lot she did and those are friendships formed for life. Many think that life in a fraternity is just one big party and while there are a lot of parties Darlene opens our eyes to the fact that it is also just a bunch of young guys living a normal everyday life.
Even better are the recipes that Darlene includes at the end of each chapter and what I liked best about them is that they are good old home cooking – my favorite! She reiterates something I firmly believe in and that’s that so many of our memories are tied into food and many of mine come from the plain but yummy food my mom has always cooked. Some of the recipes from the book that I’d like to eventually try are: Black Bottom Pie, Parker House Rolls, Blueberry Cornbread and so many others and because I love soups so much – Chicken Tortellini Soup and Chicken Tortilla Soup. I think this is a memoir that would appeal to foodies and to people interested in a behind the scenes look at a frat house but also a look at a woman who learned a lot about herself from a bunch of frat guys!
August 14, 2016
I bought this book for three reasons: I love memoirs; I was fascinated by the premise of stay-at-home-mom-turned-frat-cook; the author graduated from my university and my program, so I wanted to support a fellow alum. Unfortunately, I am stuck on chapter 10 and I cannot muster up enough enthusiasm to continue.
What I did like about "Hungry" was Darlene herself. She sounds a lot like me - a third culture kid, college educated, married young and ended up choosing a more domestic existence over a high-powered career. Like her, I struggle with how to find meaningful work outside of the home, and I really applaud her for having the guts to go out there and pursue work as a chef without any "real" culinary qualifications.
But though I do admire her as a person for what she's done, I can't say I enjoyed how she has presented her life story in book form. She did a lot more telling than showing, and the story felt bland and repetitious as a result. Over and over again we were told about her horrible former employer, and her dislike of processed food, how no one in the restaurant world respects frat cooks, and - what irked me the most - how she was so different from the other frat cooks because she wanted to do everything from scratch and provide the guys with a fresh, balanced diet. On page 141, she writes that "I would sometimes have to explicitly state my wonderfulness," which for me is the main problem with the narrative.
As for the frat guys, they remained cardboard characters - I never got a real sense of their personalities. What made them special, what differentiated them, what exactly about them taught her about "life, love, and the power of good food," as the subtitle states? Maybe there were too many characters to cover, and in the end they became a blur of names. The only one I still recall is Kevin, because of very tragic circumstances - and even then, I barely felt anything when I read the author's rushed account of the tragedy.
Maybe the distance and coldness I felt in the writing is the result of the author trying to cover six years in a couple hundred pages. I got the impression she rushed through a lot, skipped over a lot, and couldn't recall a lot. I know she has a blog, and perhaps her blogging voice is far more vivid, immediate, and engaging. But while I can't recommend the book, I still admire the author's life story, and her tenacity in pursuing a meaningful career.
What I did like about "Hungry" was Darlene herself. She sounds a lot like me - a third culture kid, college educated, married young and ended up choosing a more domestic existence over a high-powered career. Like her, I struggle with how to find meaningful work outside of the home, and I really applaud her for having the guts to go out there and pursue work as a chef without any "real" culinary qualifications.
But though I do admire her as a person for what she's done, I can't say I enjoyed how she has presented her life story in book form. She did a lot more telling than showing, and the story felt bland and repetitious as a result. Over and over again we were told about her horrible former employer, and her dislike of processed food, how no one in the restaurant world respects frat cooks, and - what irked me the most - how she was so different from the other frat cooks because she wanted to do everything from scratch and provide the guys with a fresh, balanced diet. On page 141, she writes that "I would sometimes have to explicitly state my wonderfulness," which for me is the main problem with the narrative.
As for the frat guys, they remained cardboard characters - I never got a real sense of their personalities. What made them special, what differentiated them, what exactly about them taught her about "life, love, and the power of good food," as the subtitle states? Maybe there were too many characters to cover, and in the end they became a blur of names. The only one I still recall is Kevin, because of very tragic circumstances - and even then, I barely felt anything when I read the author's rushed account of the tragedy.
Maybe the distance and coldness I felt in the writing is the result of the author trying to cover six years in a couple hundred pages. I got the impression she rushed through a lot, skipped over a lot, and couldn't recall a lot. I know she has a blog, and perhaps her blogging voice is far more vivid, immediate, and engaging. But while I can't recommend the book, I still admire the author's life story, and her tenacity in pursuing a meaningful career.
January 25, 2015
When alumnus Alex...heard that I was planning to leave one year, he laughed it off with the question I kept asking myself: "Where is she going to go? Where else can she do whatever the hell she wants and talk shit about her customers?" There wasn't anywhere else like that and I knew it well (76).
Funny, lighthearted look at cooking for a fraternity. Barnes describes her initial terror at the scale of her job—two meals a day, five days a week, for fifty loud and opinionated male college students—and her dawning realisation that the standards are really, truly, appallingly low. She set out to provide 'real food', as opposed to processed comestibles with colours not found in nature. An uphill battle, sounds like.
She's at her best when talking about the boys in the house, 'my guys', as she calls them. When talking about individuals, she (wisely, I think) sticks primarily to anecdotes about the guys she liked—the sweet notes they left, or the ones who helped without being asked, or just genuinely funny moments.
I would still lose it at times and post notes like this: DO NOT PUT JUST ONE GODDAMN CUP THROUGH THE DISHWASHER AT A TIME, or EATING THE CRAB BISQUE LEFT OUT OF THE FRIDGE OVERNIGHT WILL MAKE YOU HATE YOUR LIFE. But I would remove them minutes later, realizing the futility and not wanting to be further demoralized by the inevitable snarky rejoinders (129).
It's definitely in the realm of 'jobs I never knew I didn't want', but enjoyable to read about. It's striking, though...my s.o. lived in a (coed) co-op for five years, and there the students did their own menu planning and shopping and cooking, day in and day out (thought dinner only), and while it certainly wasn't as fancy as the stuff Barnes talks about (stir-fries, stews, lasagna...'anything that scaled well', my s.o. says)...I find it astounding how, oh, willfully inept the frat brothers seem, not to mention how low the standards were/are. Must remember to give thanks that I was never a teenage/early 20s boy, and that I never will be.
Funny, lighthearted look at cooking for a fraternity. Barnes describes her initial terror at the scale of her job—two meals a day, five days a week, for fifty loud and opinionated male college students—and her dawning realisation that the standards are really, truly, appallingly low. She set out to provide 'real food', as opposed to processed comestibles with colours not found in nature. An uphill battle, sounds like.
She's at her best when talking about the boys in the house, 'my guys', as she calls them. When talking about individuals, she (wisely, I think) sticks primarily to anecdotes about the guys she liked—the sweet notes they left, or the ones who helped without being asked, or just genuinely funny moments.
I would still lose it at times and post notes like this: DO NOT PUT JUST ONE GODDAMN CUP THROUGH THE DISHWASHER AT A TIME, or EATING THE CRAB BISQUE LEFT OUT OF THE FRIDGE OVERNIGHT WILL MAKE YOU HATE YOUR LIFE. But I would remove them minutes later, realizing the futility and not wanting to be further demoralized by the inevitable snarky rejoinders (129).
It's definitely in the realm of 'jobs I never knew I didn't want', but enjoyable to read about. It's striking, though...my s.o. lived in a (coed) co-op for five years, and there the students did their own menu planning and shopping and cooking, day in and day out (thought dinner only), and while it certainly wasn't as fancy as the stuff Barnes talks about (stir-fries, stews, lasagna...'anything that scaled well', my s.o. says)...I find it astounding how, oh, willfully inept the frat brothers seem, not to mention how low the standards were/are. Must remember to give thanks that I was never a teenage/early 20s boy, and that I never will be.
February 21, 2014
Darlene Barnes’ Hungry feel like a 3.5 star rating to me, but there are no ½ stars available. She writes of her experience as a chef for a fraternity. She writes with humor and includes some tasty recipes at the end of each chapter.
She loves natural food, not food made from frozen or dry ingredients. That made her a maverick among other fraternity chefs. Also, she paid attention to food safety which was unusual in the other houses and in the restaurants that she worked for. Good food made from natural ingredients is her mission.
She goes into her life backstory and it is easy to understand why her personality turned out the way that it did. She had one rich couple in Plano for a client in the past who did not want to stray from their wonder bread type of menu. She was very unhappy so she quit. She needed a job where she could make her own decisions and prepare food that would make her proud. That job for the fraternity at University of Washington lasted from 2006 to 2013. Preparing and cooking the food was an enormous undertaking but she bonded to the students and the personnel so it was difficult to leave.
She moved from Texas to Seattle and instantly felt at home. Although she didn’t have a culinary degree she was able to get most of the students love her food.
The book is an interesting inside to fraternity life and included a few pranks and one very sad situation. Unhappy at most of her previous jobs she bloomed at the fraternity. The only fault that I find with it is that there just didn’t seem to be enough of a story.
I recommend this book to people who are interested in food preparation and fraternity life.
She loves natural food, not food made from frozen or dry ingredients. That made her a maverick among other fraternity chefs. Also, she paid attention to food safety which was unusual in the other houses and in the restaurants that she worked for. Good food made from natural ingredients is her mission.
She goes into her life backstory and it is easy to understand why her personality turned out the way that it did. She had one rich couple in Plano for a client in the past who did not want to stray from their wonder bread type of menu. She was very unhappy so she quit. She needed a job where she could make her own decisions and prepare food that would make her proud. That job for the fraternity at University of Washington lasted from 2006 to 2013. Preparing and cooking the food was an enormous undertaking but she bonded to the students and the personnel so it was difficult to leave.
She moved from Texas to Seattle and instantly felt at home. Although she didn’t have a culinary degree she was able to get most of the students love her food.
The book is an interesting inside to fraternity life and included a few pranks and one very sad situation. Unhappy at most of her previous jobs she bloomed at the fraternity. The only fault that I find with it is that there just didn’t seem to be enough of a story.
I recommend this book to people who are interested in food preparation and fraternity life.
December 9, 2014
I accidentally stumbled upon this book as I was on my way to find a plumbing book at the library (I found the cooking/food books on the same isle as plumbing quite funny...). I read the blurb on the inside cover and thought the book could be interesting.
Comprising multiple years as a Frat cook, Darlene Barnes weaves her memoire in and out of past experiences with food and her life as head, and only, cook at a UW Frat house. The book is not about Frat life or really about cooking, but how food can bring the most unlikely of people together. Over the years Barnes grows close to many of the young men and has some major ups and downs along the way.
I sometimes became lost in the long paragraphs and was a little disappointed in some of her language (which if Barnes ever reads this sentence would more than likely rattle off a profanity laced tirade in a drunken email sans emoticons). Besides these two downers I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I laughed out loud and uncontrollably (almost to tears) throughout the book. I was never in a frat and only carried the same stereotypical opinions of a frat as Barnes did in the beginning - just a bunch of wild, drunk, partiers who wind up in dead end jobs or kicked out of school. I welcomed the new side of the super secret brotherhood from the eyes of their cook.
I would recommend the book to people who enjoy food (as the book contains several recipes she used on the hungry boys). I would not recommend the book to those who squirm at sexual innuendo or profanity (as both are found in the book, but not in every chapter).
Comprising multiple years as a Frat cook, Darlene Barnes weaves her memoire in and out of past experiences with food and her life as head, and only, cook at a UW Frat house. The book is not about Frat life or really about cooking, but how food can bring the most unlikely of people together. Over the years Barnes grows close to many of the young men and has some major ups and downs along the way.
I sometimes became lost in the long paragraphs and was a little disappointed in some of her language (which if Barnes ever reads this sentence would more than likely rattle off a profanity laced tirade in a drunken email sans emoticons). Besides these two downers I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I laughed out loud and uncontrollably (almost to tears) throughout the book. I was never in a frat and only carried the same stereotypical opinions of a frat as Barnes did in the beginning - just a bunch of wild, drunk, partiers who wind up in dead end jobs or kicked out of school. I welcomed the new side of the super secret brotherhood from the eyes of their cook.
I would recommend the book to people who enjoy food (as the book contains several recipes she used on the hungry boys). I would not recommend the book to those who squirm at sexual innuendo or profanity (as both are found in the book, but not in every chapter).
September 24, 2013
I was drawn to this book because I live near Seattle, know ex UW fraternity guys and my son-in-law is a sales rep for a food company that has many of the UW Fraternity and Sorority accounts. (But not Alpha Sigma Phi)
After Darlene Barnes' husband accepts a job with Microsoft, Darlene finds herself in Seattle, with 2 grown sons gone and the "empty nest" syndrome. Having been an English major, she found herself with limited job opportunities. Based on one year's experience being the chef for a wealthy Texas businessman, Darlene applied for the chef job at Alpha Sigma Phi. She creatively brought a home-cooked meal to her interview and landed the job.
Darlene tells about her struggles of trying to provide nutritious meals using natural, organic, whole, locally grown foods. She shares her connections with some of the fraternity's members over the 8 years she worked there.
I am only giving this book 3 stars for two reasons. First, I did not find it "laugh-out-loud" funny. I would call it just charming. Second, she wrote about too many of the frat members. I wish she had focused on the stories of just a handful and we could have gotten to know them more in depth.
After Darlene Barnes' husband accepts a job with Microsoft, Darlene finds herself in Seattle, with 2 grown sons gone and the "empty nest" syndrome. Having been an English major, she found herself with limited job opportunities. Based on one year's experience being the chef for a wealthy Texas businessman, Darlene applied for the chef job at Alpha Sigma Phi. She creatively brought a home-cooked meal to her interview and landed the job.
Darlene tells about her struggles of trying to provide nutritious meals using natural, organic, whole, locally grown foods. She shares her connections with some of the fraternity's members over the 8 years she worked there.
I am only giving this book 3 stars for two reasons. First, I did not find it "laugh-out-loud" funny. I would call it just charming. Second, she wrote about too many of the frat members. I wish she had focused on the stories of just a handful and we could have gotten to know them more in depth.
December 3, 2013
I didn't even know that a job as a "frat cook" existed until I read this book. Not that I would have taken it, I'm just saying. I was not into the Greek life when I was in college, but these guys made it seem not so bad. Chef Darlene kind of annoyed me with all her preaching on locally sourced, fresh good. Kraft Mac N Cheese is not the devil. Sorry. In fact, I might go eat some right now...after all, it's the cheesiest.
I get it, though. All food should not come frozen in a container. I'm just not sure that her repeatedly huffing and puffing about it was necessary. It did sound like the boys in the house really loved though - which was obviously a connection they needed.
Was it a good read? Yep...I really like reading books about the food world. Were the recipes a little weird? It felt like the author couldn't decide whether to write a memoir or a cookbook, so she did both. The recipes aren't much to write home about - some soups, dressings, a rub or two. But they do have fresh ingredients.
I liked it, it was fun, but I think that it would have been a little more cohesive without the recipes.
I get it, though. All food should not come frozen in a container. I'm just not sure that her repeatedly huffing and puffing about it was necessary. It did sound like the boys in the house really loved though - which was obviously a connection they needed.
Was it a good read? Yep...I really like reading books about the food world. Were the recipes a little weird? It felt like the author couldn't decide whether to write a memoir or a cookbook, so she did both. The recipes aren't much to write home about - some soups, dressings, a rub or two. But they do have fresh ingredients.
I liked it, it was fun, but I think that it would have been a little more cohesive without the recipes.
September 4, 2013
Being a "frat cook" was not in Darlene Barnes life plan. A mostly stay-at-home mom while her two sons were growing up, taking on various jobs some food-related and some not while they were high school, before becoming a private chef for a rich Dallas family, Barnes moved to Seattle when her husband took a job with Microsoft wanting to do something and have a career of her own. Seeing an advertisement for sorority chef at the University of Washington, (which she didn't get), Barnes was told by a chef friend to "bring food" when she applied for chef at the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. She was hired and spent the next six years cooking and caring for her guys. "Hungry: What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me About Life, Love , and the Power of Good Food" is Darlene Barnes first book and a fun and engaging foodie memoir.
My full review, a recipe (delicious coconut blondes) inspired by the book and a chance to win a free copy (enter by Monday 9/9/2013) can be found on my blog review here:
http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
My full review, a recipe (delicious coconut blondes) inspired by the book and a chance to win a free copy (enter by Monday 9/9/2013) can be found on my blog review here:
http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
January 16, 2014
Barnes moves to the Seattle area when her husband accepts a job there. She takes a job as a chef for a college fraternity at the University of Washington, hoping to bring delicious, nutritious meals to the members. That’s the foundation of her memoir.
Had I not read a couple of favorable reviews, I probably wouldn’t have read this book because my first impression was that there would be just a lot of stories of bad college boy pranks. There are some elements of that but Barnes does a great job of balancing between the positive and negative aspects of her profession. It’s more about her belief in giving the guys she’s feeding an appreciation for healthy food, her challenges in making that happen, and there are also some significant and touching moments.
This book was a very nice surprise. 4-1/2 stars.
Had I not read a couple of favorable reviews, I probably wouldn’t have read this book because my first impression was that there would be just a lot of stories of bad college boy pranks. There are some elements of that but Barnes does a great job of balancing between the positive and negative aspects of her profession. It’s more about her belief in giving the guys she’s feeding an appreciation for healthy food, her challenges in making that happen, and there are also some significant and touching moments.
This book was a very nice surprise. 4-1/2 stars.
November 5, 2013
I haven't been in a frat house in a looooooong time, and I've never had a meal in one either, unless jello mixed with....um, let's just skip that anecdote. But Darlene Barnes' memoir about cooking for Alpha Sigma Phi at the University of Washington was unexpectedly interesting. She's great at weaving the details of her life into the larger narrative about her search for meaningful work and passion for quality cooking.
The book chugs along at a nice pace, but by the end you're glad things are wrapping up--it's a good story, but there is just barely enough material here for a full-length book. But if you like to cook and eat, you'll find this a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. No keg stand needed.
The book chugs along at a nice pace, but by the end you're glad things are wrapping up--it's a good story, but there is just barely enough material here for a full-length book. But if you like to cook and eat, you'll find this a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. No keg stand needed.
October 16, 2013
This was an impulse buy, recommended by Amazon due to other browsing, proving that often the best stuff you find is just totally random.
I enjoyed just about everything about this memoir - it did get a little repetitious at times, but honestly, I loved reading about the relationship the author formed with the frat guys and the occasional sorority girl. It's nice to see a portrayal that shows the good and the bad and how together they are reality - instead of vilifying or deifying the Greek culture in the USA.
Of particular note are the recipes included at the end of chapters - I found more than a few inspiring!
I enjoyed just about everything about this memoir - it did get a little repetitious at times, but honestly, I loved reading about the relationship the author formed with the frat guys and the occasional sorority girl. It's nice to see a portrayal that shows the good and the bad and how together they are reality - instead of vilifying or deifying the Greek culture in the USA.
Of particular note are the recipes included at the end of chapters - I found more than a few inspiring!
November 8, 2014
I LOVED this book!! Ms. Barnes humanizes the Greek system of frat boys. They are what we all think they are but she also shows their loyalty to each other and their deep friendships. I fell in love with these guys through her wonderful writing! I felt like I was sitting in her kitchen listening to her stories. She is not the typical warm "house mom" but a passionate chef with a sharp tongue. Her goal with "her guys" is to give them fresh local food and inspire other houses to do the same. She is also trying to get some respect for a job she loves but others look down upon.
September 14, 2013
I was curious about this memoir because my husband is an Alpha Sigma Phi alumni. The author seemed to honor greek life in the way she described the brothers. Her passion for food came through and her feelings about home made/ homegrown organic produce and meat. I found this a little tiring to read about, especially in a fraternity setting. The recipes throughout the book are fun. I enjoyed the overall message ... How some of lifes deepest meaning comes from unexpected and unlikely places. Good read.
August 2, 2013
"Hungry: What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me About Life, Love, and the Power of Good Food" by Darlene Barnes was an absolute joy to read. It reframe Chefs in the Greek system as well as their clients in a more honest and enjoyable way. Check out my full review here: http://blog.collegechefs.com/TabId/11...
July 22, 2013
I enjoyed this book so very much. The author is straightforward, in a charming way, and I found her highly entertaining. I can see why her "guys" became so attached to her...you just know she'd be a blast to share a meal with. The fraternity itself sounds a lot like my husband's in college, bringing back some fun memories of old friends.
July 24, 2013
3.5 stars actually. A loving, yet sometimes harsh and scathing look at how Darlene Barnes came to cook for the Alpha Sig frat at the University of Washington and where she remains 8 years later. Darlene is consumed with providing real food, made from scratch for her frat boys and along the way learning to love what she is doing.
September 1, 2013
Funny, inspiring, and sure to make you HUNGRY. A very unique look at both fraternity house life and locally-sourced foods (an odd combo I know, but it works). Read this one quickly and it is sure to push you into the kitchen to try some new recipes afterwards!
http://www.thewellreadredhead.com/201...
http://www.thewellreadredhead.com/201...
November 6, 2013
Maybe it is because I have a son who just joined a Fraternity, but I found this book very interesting. I loved the relationship that Darlene had with the boys, the recipes she included at the end of chapters, and the fact that she was at the University of Washington in my home town of Seattle. A quick wonderful read!
January 7, 2015
Really enjoyed the subject matter of the book, but felt it could have benefited from more detail and a stronger time structure. I realize she was probably trying to protect the privacy of the boys, but the book suffered from the vagueness. It's not a coincidence the best parts of the book were about her life before the frat job.
August 22, 2013
Really enjoyed this one! This is real and honest, just like Darlene Barnes's cooking :) Check out my review on my blog, Guiltless Reading:
http://guiltlessreading.blogspot.ca/2...
http://guiltlessreading.blogspot.ca/2...
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