Alice Lets Eat

The Tummy Trilogy #2

by Calvin Trillin

“Trillin is our funniest food writer. He writes with charm, freedom, and a rare respect for language.”– New York magazine In this delightful and delicious book, Calvin Trillin, guided by an insatiable appetite, embarks on a hilarious odyssey in search of “something decent to eat.” Across time zones and cultures, and often with his wife, Alice, at his side, Trillin shares his triumphs in the art of culinary discovery, including Dungeness crabs in California, barbecued mutton in Kentucky, potato latkes in London, blaff d’oursins in Martinique, and a $33 picnic on a no-frills flight to Miami. His eating companions include Fats Goldberg, the New York pizza baron and reformed blimp; William Edgett Smith, the man with the Naughahyde palate; and his six-year-old daughter, Sarah, who refuses to enter a Chinese restaurant unless she is carrying a bagel (“just in case”). And though Alice “has a weird predilection for limiting our family to three meals a day,” on the road she proves to be a serious eater–despite “seemingly uncontrollable attacks of moderation.” Alice, Let Eat amply demonstrates why The New Republic called Calvin Trillin “a classic American humorist.” “One of the most brilliant humorists of our times . . . Trillin is guaranteed good reading.”– Charleston Post and Courier “Read Trillin and laugh out loud.”– Time

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Humor, Essays, Memoir, Food Writing, Cooking

182 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Calvin (Bud) Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, and novelist. He is best known for his humorous writings about food and eating, but he has also written much serious journalism, comic verse, and several books of fiction.

Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and became a member of Scroll and Key before graduating in 1957; he later served as a trustee of the university. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he worked as a reporter for Time magazine before joining the staff of The New Yorker in 1963. His reporting for The New Yorker on the racial integration of the University of Georgia was published in his first book, An Education in Georgia. He wrote the magazine's "U.S. Journal" series from 1967 to 1982, covering local events both serious and quirky throughout the United States.

Reviews

[Kristen Northrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading Trillin's essays for years but this is the first time I've sat down with an entire book's worth. As with many poetry collections, I sat down expecting to browse through a small selection of pieces at a time but then suddenly I'd finished it.

Although everything was written in the 70s, remarkably little is dated. Many foodie trends have, in fact, cycled back around. My copy is a first edition hardcover. It cost about $2 and likely always will but the yellowing pages and dated dustjacket font added nicely to what nostalgia there was.

Besides the food, the fun of reading Trillin is in the humor, the kind that provides a chuckle on nearly every page, far too frequently to quote. It's the same sort of humor as Nora Ephron's, but less political and more prolific. I did get a little green about their apparently unlimited travel and leisure budget, though. And I kept wanting to tell Alice to just go sightsee without him rather than always missing out on a museum in favor of a restaurant.

The more about food you've read, the more rewarding this collection is. My favorite part was encountering Shopsin's when it was still just a grocery and mentioned under a different name. Trillin also describes a restaurant in Reading PA called simply Joe's, whose award-winning cookbook I bought (new) 20 years later.

It's not an entirely fun book. Alice Trillin comes across so vividly as such an interesting, clever, and just plain nice person that her relatively early death (in 2001) casts a melancholy light on many passages.

On the plus side, this is the second of a trilogy. And I would love another helping.

[Scott Beddingfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun culinary hopscotch across the country by the author, always in pursuit of a good meal (or meals!). His dry wit adds considerably to the story and his wife, Alice figures prominently in many of the tales.

[Aleeda]

Over the years I have read Mr. Trillin's writing in New Yorker magazine. His food writing reveals a completely different side. it's like bringing a kid to a candy store. Here is someone who clearly loves food, and people who love food. His style reminds of Jeffrey Steingarten, a mix of confession and comic writing. While some of the stories are dated, many are timeless, such as the feast he brought onto a flight to Miami, . It helped that as a native New Yorker, I have visited many of the eateries, and so the book provided a retrospective into what some eateries were like a few years before I got around to visiting them. Mr. Trillin's enjoyment of food is infectious, and you cannot help but laugh out loud at some of the situations in which he finds himself.What also shines through, even though he is seemingly having fun at her expense, is his love of friends and family, but especially his wife, Alice.

[Armelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calvin Trillin's far-ranging quest for his next great meal is laugh-out-loud funny.

It's a short book, but it's like a really rich dessert - just a small bite is enough. It's not a book to sit down and read in one sitting. Read a chapter every now and then, and enjoy.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe Calvin Trillin is funnier in small doses like a New Yorker length article, but this book is the definition of a humorist trying to hard. HAHAHAH I love eating. LOL my wife is a nag.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to think that Plato is the only person who is right about everything and that Shakespeare is the best writer ever. Move over you two, because I think I just found your competition.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice, Let's Eat is a memoir in which Trillin recounts many of the great meals and delicacies he has enjoyed over the years, mostly (but not always) in the company of his dear wife, Alice. As many of the meals and regional delicacies he recounts are tied closely to one corner of this world or another, Alice, Let's Eat is a bit of a travelogue as well as food log. I like to travel. I like good food. And I especially like to eat good food when I travel.

In any case, I found Alice, Let's Eat to be amusing, if not hilarious. It took until the end of one chapter for me to realize that, yes, country ham was evidently a real dish, that it did come was remnants of mother earth still clinging to the meat, and yes, Alice is obviously a much more adventurous cook - and eater - than I. And if I hadn't already figured that out, it would have been hard to miss when she attended a church picnic where the fixings included healthy helpings of beaver, coon, and bear chops.

This is a quick, fun read for anyone who likes food, travel, memoirs, or some combination thereof. Strict vegetarians may be appalled by the quantity of meat consumed within these pages; everyone else is more likely to mesmerized.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I’m about half way through my literary dinner with Calvin Trillin’s 2006 prose, “Alice, Let’s Eat”, I wonder if digesting a fifteen course(chapters) meal in a single sitting was the best path to satisfy my hunger for words.
Now, don’t get me wrong, satire and self deprecating humor on a menu certainly is mouth watering, however, perhaps it’s best suited for an app, starter or hors d’oeuvre whichever your culinary nomenclature desires.
Trillin and his wife, Alice, go traipsing across the globe to enjoy whatever ails them. KC BBQ(Trillin is from Kansas City) lobster and crab and certain delicacies across the pond are a few of the cuisines they’ve discovered and enjoyed thus far.
Enjoy, yes. I’d enjoy sitting across a table from Trillin listening to him describe the essence of food and the pleasure of noshing it but halfway through his meal of words I might find myself saying, “Excuse me I have to take this call.”

[Matthew Barmack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was referenced in something else that I was reading and I remembered it being a big deal for my parents back in the 1970s. (I think they bought a friend, who was also a Calvin Trillin fan, a dinner at Arthur Bryant's for his 40th birthday.) Some of the humor is a little cheesy and has not aged as gracefully as, for example, the country ham that is referenced in several of the chapters, but I still found myself laughing out loud at times. A weird cross between Anthony Bourdain, Confederacy of Dunces, and David Sedaris. Definitely recommend to anyone who likes good food and good (and funny) writing. FYI, a very quick read overall and the chapters, which are also short, easily can be read separately.

[Max Potthoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this book after hearing that it was one of Jonathan Gold's favorites. I blindly trust his judgement more than I care to admit. Written in the context of Trillin's relationship with food and his marriage, it is hard of imagine this being written and publicized today. That doesn't mean it isn't very funny and thoughtful. He is humane and gentle when it comes to the person he loves and the work the he does. Some of his most memorable lines are "why would anyone want to go away from a city that has 1,000 Chinese restaurants?" and "Midwesterners are noted for making the best of any situation". He knows who he is and what he likes, which makes for a compelling piece of writing.

[Sevelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book came out before our current Golden Age of foodie writing. There were no Food or Cooking channels in 1978, no foodies, no Bourdain, no fusion, no gastropubs, no locavores, no Yelp. So while it was probably big stuff to read his writings in the New Yorker then, today they come off as a bit flat and one dimensional in a time when people now place food within the context of the wider world. How is food made and ingredients grown? This read is somewhat amusing, kind of clever, but not very compelling.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trillian writes essays about his obsession with his favorite food places around the world, and the lengths he'll go to to get what his stomach is yearning for.

Maybe a 2.5? I read a different book by this author about his wife that was great. This book didn't do it for me, but every now and then there's a great quip that's gets you chuckling.

[Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun quick read about the joys finding delicious food. It makes you want to be able to travel again and eat amazing food. It also made me crave Cajun food as he talks a lot about New Orleans. Here’s to being able to travel and try new dishes in 2021!

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and a guide if you are going to some out of the way places. If you are going to Owensboro, KY barbecue capitol of the world his suggestion is Moonlite - great but.... Old Hickory Bar-B-Que and the OldSouth. Don’t bother with anything other cuisine but barbecue in Western KY.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually LOL'd in real life throughout this one. The cleverness and self references throughout were a delight.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his writing and his sense of humor. Alice was a lucky woman.

[Mike Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories . My two favorites were London and New Orleans

[Vy Vy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely recommend this book, especially for those doing Home Economics. It's a really good book to read if you want to learn about different foods (that the author has experienced/eaten).

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are familiar with his writing, this is what you'd expect, and if you're not, it's a good introduction.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading rave reviews and pans of restaurants that are probably almost all long gone is worthwhile when they are so well written and passionate. I want to try it all.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally affable and clever, if somewhat outdated.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trillin is a good writer--all the time. This book is light and amusing. I recommend it to anyone.

[Margery Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

love

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about food, love and a love for food. I laughed out loud and cried. So wonderful

[L.C.]

Gave it 4 chapters; just not my thing.

[Eugenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind hearted and a fun read.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'd enjoy reading a single column or review my the author but the book felt repetitive at times and the jokes a bit, meh.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate the author’s writing chops and enjoyment of food, but I have to side with Alice in this one. Enough is enough!

[StiffSticks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Trillin's finest work.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing adventures in dining out.