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The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove
In the city where dining is a sport, a gourmand swears off restaurants (even takeout!) for two years, rediscovering the economical, gastronomical joy of home cooking Gourmand-ista Cathy Erway's timely memoir of quitting restaurants cold turkey speaks to a new era of conscientious eating. An underpaid, twenty-something executive assistant in New York City, she was struggling to make ends meet when she decided to embark on a Walden- esque retreat from the high-priced eateries that drained her wallet. Though she was living in the nation's culinary capital, she decided to swear off all restaurant food. The Art of Eating In chronicles the delectable results of her twenty-four-month experiment, with thirty original recipes included. What began as a way to save money left Erway with a new appreciation for the simple pleasure of sharing a meal with friends at home, the subtleties of home-cooked flavors, and whether her ingredients were ethically grown. She also explored the anti-restaurant underground of supper clubs and cook-offs, and immersed herself in an array of alternative eating lifestyles from freeganism and dumpster-diving to picking tasty greens on a wild edible tour in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Culminating in a binge that leaves her with a foodie hangover, The Art of Eating In is a journey to savor.Watch a Video
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 286 reviews
May 16, 2012
I thought the book started out interesting enough. Being in roughly the author's age demographic, I know the excitement of trying to cook on your own while being brought up in an eating-out culture. Some things she points out- people whose parents didn't cook usually don't cook at home, the price of grocery store shopping vs. eating out, urban foraging were interesting to read. The memoir style writing of it is fine as well, but she quickly loses steam and stretches the most inane stories for way too long. Supper clubs and private food parties in NYC sound fun, but when it becomes about what people are wearing and how awkward she felt and her numerous flings and how exalted she became in the foodie-NYC-sphere it becomes just so tedious and boring! She is so mean about her failed dates too, like being disgusted with one guy just because he's two years younger than her. Whatever. If her publisher didn't ask for 300 pages I'm sure she could have kept her writing much more concise and interesting, but they didn't, and she didn't.
Meh.
Meh.
March 31, 2010
Only in America could a book be based on the premise of the author going on a fast - and guess what the fast was - it was nothing remotely difficult like living on soya beans - it was not going to restaurants for two years and cooking for herself!! WOW!! lol
Okay and even if that premise is flimsy at best a better writer might have made something of it that was astute or insightful. But all Cathy's observations were trite and obvious and read very much like a mid twenties woman with little/no experience of life which is what she is.
Cathy Erway has a website called http://noteatingoutinny.com/ and there are some good recipes on it but why someone thought that should be turned into a book is a real head scratcher as Cathy is a poor writer. I couldn't finish it sorry.
Okay and even if that premise is flimsy at best a better writer might have made something of it that was astute or insightful. But all Cathy's observations were trite and obvious and read very much like a mid twenties woman with little/no experience of life which is what she is.
Cathy Erway has a website called http://noteatingoutinny.com/ and there are some good recipes on it but why someone thought that should be turned into a book is a real head scratcher as Cathy is a poor writer. I couldn't finish it sorry.
Read
February 19, 2011This is the first time I have ever given a book on Good Reads no stars; it was dreadful.
The book is a collection of anecdotes and stories from Cathy, who -for somewhat inexplicable reasons- has chosen not to eat out in New York. Cathy shares with us her revelations that home-cooking is cheaper, healthier and sometimes tastier than eating out. I fully acknowledge that I entered into the relationship in complete knowledge of Cathy's agenda, however, I do enjoy a good foodie book so was willing to put aside my concern over the premise of the book. I shouldn't have. It was dire.
'Well i decided to give home cooking gimmick of my own. To eat for a prolonged period of time without the assistance of restaurants whatsoever. Was that something that a New York-born, New Jersey-bred, working, middle-class, twenty six year-old American such as myself could achieve?"
It's certainly a question that only a "New York-born, New Jersey-bred, working, middle-class, twenty six year-old American" would pose.
The book offers us insight into Cathy's homecooking: including her first foray into bread making where -despite claiming to be an avid cook- she states " I didn't think I'd ever seen one of these packages of yeast before". Unfortunately I ignored this giant flag to "STOP READING NOW!" Cathy is clearly a keen and competent cook but does she 'homecook' like normal people? Does she hell. Her dinners always appear to take hours of preparation and end up on the table at 11pm at night. Occasionally she tries to excite us by listing those things she just 'threw in a pan': I cannot believe that she doesn't realise this is how most people usually cook/eat.
She also visits freegans; supper clubs and cook-offs in an attempt to widen her culinary horizon. This could have been really interesting, perhaps if she told us some more background or studies or facts about any of these things, then I might have been more interested. As it was we heard Cathy's non-too-deep thoughts on the matters: "I didn't feel that I was sacrificing my health by having meat only once or twice a week. On the contrary you could argue less meat in our diets keeps humans and the earth healthier".
The whole book was written like a diary of a 14 year old girl. A 14 year old girl with no writing talent.
I am flabbergasted that Cathy pens a very successful blog and has made her career as a copy writer. The woman cannot write. I'm not sure I've ever read a book with so many examples of poor sentence structure and ill-advised word choice. Was this book even edited?* Here are a few of my choice favourites:
"I decided it was a good time to bring others into the fold by having guests over-if only because of the fact that there were so many different dishes I wanted to make and not enough mouths to serve them to'.
'Plus there are a million and one uses for leftover bread- it can become bread crumbs used to stuff or coat things in a thousand different ways".
"If you search "wild edibles" in Google you're likely to come up with Brill's website first and foremost"
And so here I make a little confession... I actually finished the worst book I've ever read because I really enjoyed looking for these humdingers of sentences. Did I learn anything about not eating out in New York? No not really. Did I learn anything I didn't already know about the benefits of eating in? No not really (although it should be noted that Cathy estimates her grocery bill for a week of eating in to be $25 which is about £15 or €19. What?! I knew food prices in America were artificially low, but that is ridiculous!). Would I recommend it to anyone else? Er no.
*I actually read this on the kindle: my first e-reading of a book for fun and not for academic purposes. There were points where I think the punctuation errors were not the fault of the author. I think the e-book also needs a good editor. There were also occasions in which I thought the wrong word had been used "by friends sitting on a pastiche of blankets in a clearing of trees'. I wouldnt put it past Cathy to use the wrong word here but I think she meant patchwork, I am giving her the benefit of the doubt and blaming this on the e-book.
The book is a collection of anecdotes and stories from Cathy, who -for somewhat inexplicable reasons- has chosen not to eat out in New York. Cathy shares with us her revelations that home-cooking is cheaper, healthier and sometimes tastier than eating out. I fully acknowledge that I entered into the relationship in complete knowledge of Cathy's agenda, however, I do enjoy a good foodie book so was willing to put aside my concern over the premise of the book. I shouldn't have. It was dire.
'Well i decided to give home cooking gimmick of my own. To eat for a prolonged period of time without the assistance of restaurants whatsoever. Was that something that a New York-born, New Jersey-bred, working, middle-class, twenty six year-old American such as myself could achieve?"
It's certainly a question that only a "New York-born, New Jersey-bred, working, middle-class, twenty six year-old American" would pose.
The book offers us insight into Cathy's homecooking: including her first foray into bread making where -despite claiming to be an avid cook- she states " I didn't think I'd ever seen one of these packages of yeast before". Unfortunately I ignored this giant flag to "STOP READING NOW!" Cathy is clearly a keen and competent cook but does she 'homecook' like normal people? Does she hell. Her dinners always appear to take hours of preparation and end up on the table at 11pm at night. Occasionally she tries to excite us by listing those things she just 'threw in a pan': I cannot believe that she doesn't realise this is how most people usually cook/eat.
She also visits freegans; supper clubs and cook-offs in an attempt to widen her culinary horizon. This could have been really interesting, perhaps if she told us some more background or studies or facts about any of these things, then I might have been more interested. As it was we heard Cathy's non-too-deep thoughts on the matters: "I didn't feel that I was sacrificing my health by having meat only once or twice a week. On the contrary you could argue less meat in our diets keeps humans and the earth healthier".
The whole book was written like a diary of a 14 year old girl. A 14 year old girl with no writing talent.
I am flabbergasted that Cathy pens a very successful blog and has made her career as a copy writer. The woman cannot write. I'm not sure I've ever read a book with so many examples of poor sentence structure and ill-advised word choice. Was this book even edited?* Here are a few of my choice favourites:
"I decided it was a good time to bring others into the fold by having guests over-if only because of the fact that there were so many different dishes I wanted to make and not enough mouths to serve them to'.
'Plus there are a million and one uses for leftover bread- it can become bread crumbs used to stuff or coat things in a thousand different ways".
"If you search "wild edibles" in Google you're likely to come up with Brill's website first and foremost"
And so here I make a little confession... I actually finished the worst book I've ever read because I really enjoyed looking for these humdingers of sentences. Did I learn anything about not eating out in New York? No not really. Did I learn anything I didn't already know about the benefits of eating in? No not really (although it should be noted that Cathy estimates her grocery bill for a week of eating in to be $25 which is about £15 or €19. What?! I knew food prices in America were artificially low, but that is ridiculous!). Would I recommend it to anyone else? Er no.
*I actually read this on the kindle: my first e-reading of a book for fun and not for academic purposes. There were points where I think the punctuation errors were not the fault of the author. I think the e-book also needs a good editor. There were also occasions in which I thought the wrong word had been used "by friends sitting on a pastiche of blankets in a clearing of trees'. I wouldnt put it past Cathy to use the wrong word here but I think she meant patchwork, I am giving her the benefit of the doubt and blaming this on the e-book.
January 3, 2011
The premise of Erway's book is a simple one: she's a broke-ish twenty-something who is getting bored with the monotony of restaurant hopping around her city and figures not eating out in the capital city of eating out would make pretty good blog fodder. She's not necessarily looking for enlightenment, just a challenge and way to save a few bucks. This is all well and good, however, it also ends up being the biggest downfall of the book, a drawn out tome at 320 pages. Unlike others in the food writing genre who set out on some far fetched plan hoping to learn about and demonstrate larger ideas through their experiments (Pollan and Spurlock off the top of my head), Erway seems to be doing the not-eating-out thing on a lark and finding a bit of notoriety along the way is just a happy surprise.
There are some interesting forays into ways of not-eating-out: dumpster-diving, supper parties, cook-offs, etc. and Erway does a nice job of reflecting if each of these activities is a genuine form of staying away from restaurants, given that the dumpster-food is from Dunkin' Donuts and the supper party meals may well be cooked by big name NYC chefs. There's a fun aside on the act of dating when going out for dinner is off the table, but the challenge isn't observed as closely as each of Erway's suitors are. There-in lies my biggest complaint of the book and possibly the reason for its overly-optimistic page count. If I were a more diligent reader, I might have thought to jot down each time a new friend of Erway's popped up, an occasion I'd guess to occur at no less than 50 times. These friends rarely provide any insight into the not-eating-out challenge, nor do they really appear to be doing anything at all, aside from getting a shout-out in an acquaintance's book. Knowing that Luke asked if you needed help stirring a pot a chili before disappearing from the narrative forever is a waste of space and such occurrences took up a large block of space, such as a completely irrelevant story of a friends recovery from being hit by a car while on bike. Touching, but irrelevant.
Also frustrating was that Erway's experiment ended as arbitrarily as it began. On a day approaching her two year anniversary of eating in, her mother asks that she meet her and an uncle for lunch. And why not? Soon we're gobbling down Korean in a hole in the wall just like everybody else. The only explanation we're given is that Erway feels she has outgrown the experiment; she knows that she can eat in forever now, so why not eat out? (I'm reminded of a scene in the movie Coffee and Cigarettes with Tom Waits and Iggy Pop discussing quitting smoking: "I quit, so can I have one. Right?") Lastly we're left with an ill-thought out "opposite week", in which Erway decides she will only eat at restaurants for an entire seven days. This, too, is not meant explore any real ideas other than 'just to see'. After the week is up we reflect on her weight gain/loss (which was not a concern in any other part of the book) and cost efficiency (duh).
All in all, if you're looking for a book to inspire you to cook at home more often, don't start here. I suppose the recipes tacked on at the end of each chapter are supposed to nudge you in that direction, but reading one that was mentioned 30 pages ago, 30 pages filled with insights of going out to bars and listening to music with friends, makes it difficult for a reader to remember why they might want to cook that recipe in the first place.
There are some interesting forays into ways of not-eating-out: dumpster-diving, supper parties, cook-offs, etc. and Erway does a nice job of reflecting if each of these activities is a genuine form of staying away from restaurants, given that the dumpster-food is from Dunkin' Donuts and the supper party meals may well be cooked by big name NYC chefs. There's a fun aside on the act of dating when going out for dinner is off the table, but the challenge isn't observed as closely as each of Erway's suitors are. There-in lies my biggest complaint of the book and possibly the reason for its overly-optimistic page count. If I were a more diligent reader, I might have thought to jot down each time a new friend of Erway's popped up, an occasion I'd guess to occur at no less than 50 times. These friends rarely provide any insight into the not-eating-out challenge, nor do they really appear to be doing anything at all, aside from getting a shout-out in an acquaintance's book. Knowing that Luke asked if you needed help stirring a pot a chili before disappearing from the narrative forever is a waste of space and such occurrences took up a large block of space, such as a completely irrelevant story of a friends recovery from being hit by a car while on bike. Touching, but irrelevant.
Also frustrating was that Erway's experiment ended as arbitrarily as it began. On a day approaching her two year anniversary of eating in, her mother asks that she meet her and an uncle for lunch. And why not? Soon we're gobbling down Korean in a hole in the wall just like everybody else. The only explanation we're given is that Erway feels she has outgrown the experiment; she knows that she can eat in forever now, so why not eat out? (I'm reminded of a scene in the movie Coffee and Cigarettes with Tom Waits and Iggy Pop discussing quitting smoking: "I quit, so can I have one. Right?") Lastly we're left with an ill-thought out "opposite week", in which Erway decides she will only eat at restaurants for an entire seven days. This, too, is not meant explore any real ideas other than 'just to see'. After the week is up we reflect on her weight gain/loss (which was not a concern in any other part of the book) and cost efficiency (duh).
All in all, if you're looking for a book to inspire you to cook at home more often, don't start here. I suppose the recipes tacked on at the end of each chapter are supposed to nudge you in that direction, but reading one that was mentioned 30 pages ago, 30 pages filled with insights of going out to bars and listening to music with friends, makes it difficult for a reader to remember why they might want to cook that recipe in the first place.
i-will-never-finish-this-book
November 11, 2010Sorry, this book is just far too San Francisco for me. I enjoy Erway's website because I made an amazing recipe from it, but I don't like when people come across as self-important about their dining choices. It's just completely absurd to me when most people on earth don't have enough to eat. Also, I'm reminded of my friend who lives in an area with absolutely no restaurants within a 5-mile radius. So she has no choice about eating in, and she doesn't make a big deal about it, because it would be ridiculous for her to do so since it's just the way things are. And yo, I have hypoglycemia, so I'm not going to feel guilty for buying an extremely processed/probably unsustainable energy bar when I'm about to pass out from hunger. Good for you for Erway for being able to make lots of snacks, but it's not possible for a lot of us. I volunteer with kids who can't feed themselves because of physical disabilities, so I just can't take this book seriously.
But really, Erway's recipes are awesome if you have the resources and time and ability to cook.
P.S. I don't think it's fair, also, to be selectively preachy about how one should eat. If you're going to talk about the environment, then why eat beef? Or fish? I personally don't care if people do, but if they are preaching about sustainability, then it seems like a high level of cognitive dissonance for them to do so given how unsustainable those industries are. (Unless she's buying free-range beef/"wild" fish, which kind of throws the thriftyness factor out the window.)
P.P.S. I'm not trying to be mean. I'm genuinely curious.
But really, Erway's recipes are awesome if you have the resources and time and ability to cook.
P.S. I don't think it's fair, also, to be selectively preachy about how one should eat. If you're going to talk about the environment, then why eat beef? Or fish? I personally don't care if people do, but if they are preaching about sustainability, then it seems like a high level of cognitive dissonance for them to do so given how unsustainable those industries are. (Unless she's buying free-range beef/"wild" fish, which kind of throws the thriftyness factor out the window.)
P.P.S. I'm not trying to be mean. I'm genuinely curious.
July 5, 2013
My brilliant friend Leila is a garblogger -- I think she may have even invented the term. Go to her blog, everydaytrash, which is a trove of insightful and unusual and fascinating things about garbage, here, there, and everywhere. She is amazing!
When this book came out, they sent her a copy to review, which she kindly loaned me, saying that if I wanted, I could post a review on her site. So naturally, being a good friend, I fucking forgot all about it. Ugh. But then! I got these new bookshelves, which has given me a much-needed excuse to sort and cull my massive book collection, and I found this. So I'm reading it finally! Maybe I'll have brilliant things to say when I'm done, and maybe Leila (and her readers) will even still care.
When this book came out, they sent her a copy to review, which she kindly loaned me, saying that if I wanted, I could post a review on her site. So naturally, being a good friend, I fucking forgot all about it. Ugh. But then! I got these new bookshelves, which has given me a much-needed excuse to sort and cull my massive book collection, and I found this. So I'm reading it finally! Maybe I'll have brilliant things to say when I'm done, and maybe Leila (and her readers) will even still care.
April 12, 2010
I wish it was good. It suffered from giving too much detail and then not enough. She treated us to word for word dialogue when it wasn't needed and overly flowery prose but then didn't give us much detail about her relationship, every day cooking or any real insight.
July 11, 2011
I had such high hopes for this book. With a teenage son and a soon-to-be teenage son, plus three other kids, I'm trying to find ways to cut back on my food budget and was hoping to find ways to make eating in an easier experience (not being so fond of cooking and all). The book started out promisingly enough with a young lady in NYC looking to cut expenses and deciding to eat in and blog about it. In the course of blogging she decides to delve into different ways to cut her food budget and tries different things such as foraging in the local parks and freeganism (dumpster diving for food). This is where she started to lose me. There is now way I can imagine dumpster diving to try and find dinner for seven people each night. "Well kids, why don't we see if we can find some slightly stale bagels and maybe some soon-to-be expired lettuce for dinner tonight!" I understand that this was about her journey but it seemed like a poor-man's attempt at Julie and Julia. In the end I was completely befuddled about why she included an impromptu sexual encounter in the book and where she was going with the story line. It seemed like the book was a series of social mishaps centered around food and her attempts to win various food competitions. Each episode in her book seems to rely heavily on booze. I guess many young people drink that much but I was getting pretty tired of reading about the beer in her hand. The recipes also seemed way out of the league of what I might make for my family. I'm sure there are others who connect to her life in a better way but I was bored and disappointed by the book.
June 5, 2017
I think I was expecting more practical tips for less eating out when I picked this up. What I got was a memoir of a twenty-something New Yorker who gives up eating out for two years and starts a blog about it called Not Eating Out in New York.
I did a lot of the same things she gets into when I was that age - the supper clubs, trips to the Farmer's Market, cooking classes, cook-off contests, hanging out with friends. At my current life stage with 2 kids under 4, I was looking more for easy budget-friendly ideas for cooking at home. There were a few recipes, but I guess her blog is better for that sort of thing.
Towards the end of the book, the author goes on a date and is asked what else she's into, and she replies, "I don't know." I think that sums up what the book lacks: depth and variety of interest. She's kind of a one-trick pony, at least as far as this book goes.
I hope she does a sequel called Not Drinking Out in New York, because she consumes an alarming amount of alcohol, thus offsetting the financial and health benefits of not eating out. The number of times she describes biking home in a drunken state worried me - and several of the people she describes in the book. I kept waiting for disaster, but while a couple of her friends got hit by a car, she doesn't in the book. She muses briefly on the fleeting nature of health and life... then continues biking home drunk. I hope by now she has changed this habit - yikes!
I did a lot of the same things she gets into when I was that age - the supper clubs, trips to the Farmer's Market, cooking classes, cook-off contests, hanging out with friends. At my current life stage with 2 kids under 4, I was looking more for easy budget-friendly ideas for cooking at home. There were a few recipes, but I guess her blog is better for that sort of thing.
Towards the end of the book, the author goes on a date and is asked what else she's into, and she replies, "I don't know." I think that sums up what the book lacks: depth and variety of interest. She's kind of a one-trick pony, at least as far as this book goes.
I hope she does a sequel called Not Drinking Out in New York, because she consumes an alarming amount of alcohol, thus offsetting the financial and health benefits of not eating out. The number of times she describes biking home in a drunken state worried me - and several of the people she describes in the book. I kept waiting for disaster, but while a couple of her friends got hit by a car, she doesn't in the book. She muses briefly on the fleeting nature of health and life... then continues biking home drunk. I hope by now she has changed this habit - yikes!
April 28, 2010
Cathy Erway loves food. Which is good, because she lives in New York City, which is paved with excellent restaurants. But after one too many lousy, expensive midtown lunches and unsatisfying, greasy late night snacks, Cathy decided to give up restaurants. This book is a chronicle of how she spent two years of her New York life trying new recipes, competing in chili cook-offs, packing picnic lunches and making do, even when her apartment has no cooking gas because the previous resident never turned on the stove.
I enjoyed the way Cathy embraced the challenge of cooking every meal and I envied her energy. She rarely takes the easy way out and she approaches even the most average of meals with creativity. She always seemed practical and relatable, even when she's in the midst of chopping a mountain of onions for a community dinner party. More than anything, I appreciated the way a story of eating in became a story of how cooking and eating food can be a beautifully social experience.
I enjoyed the way Cathy embraced the challenge of cooking every meal and I envied her energy. She rarely takes the easy way out and she approaches even the most average of meals with creativity. She always seemed practical and relatable, even when she's in the midst of chopping a mountain of onions for a community dinner party. More than anything, I appreciated the way a story of eating in became a story of how cooking and eating food can be a beautifully social experience.
April 23, 2010
There were parts of this book that were interesting, and I confess that I added Erway's blog to my feed reader after reading it (mostly for the recipes).
That said, the lower star rating is because this book is not what I thought it would be based on the title or the marketing. Erway did indeed embark on a quest to stop eating out in NYC and she learned to love the stove. I thought the book (and its tips) would be more practical. I wanted to read it and feel like I could do it. But Erway doesn't just stop eating out. She also starts cooking in crazy competitions, going to underground supper clubs, foraging for food in the garbage and in the park...it just wasn't what I thought it would be. I wanted to be inspired to love my own kitchen more. I wanted to read tips about how to fit cooking into my life when I don't get home from work until almost 7 some nights. I didn't really want to read about picking edible weeds from the park.
That said, the lower star rating is because this book is not what I thought it would be based on the title or the marketing. Erway did indeed embark on a quest to stop eating out in NYC and she learned to love the stove. I thought the book (and its tips) would be more practical. I wanted to read it and feel like I could do it. But Erway doesn't just stop eating out. She also starts cooking in crazy competitions, going to underground supper clubs, foraging for food in the garbage and in the park...it just wasn't what I thought it would be. I wanted to be inspired to love my own kitchen more. I wanted to read tips about how to fit cooking into my life when I don't get home from work until almost 7 some nights. I didn't really want to read about picking edible weeds from the park.
November 10, 2014
I chose this book as part of a desire to change some poor eating habits. I am just now taking what I eat more seriously, at age 33, but better late than never. I eat out more than I would like to, mostly due to laziness and poor planning. The author describes a brief history of how restaurants came to be and how eating out is so expected and normal in our lives. Overall, it is not positive for our health, our bank accounts, or the environment. The author researched many different eating-from-home movements, evaluating their pros and cons. She is a natural writer and it made for a delightful read. It is unrealistic to think we will all stop eating out altogether, but it is a push in a good direction.
May 16, 2018
I'd give this negative stars if I could. Utter twaddle. Not compelling reading, tedious writing, and the author is insufferable. I literally threw this book across the room after reading where she said she "understood" why Chinese restaurants might cook cats after dealing with her roommate's cat. What utter crap.
But, the cat bashing aside, it's just badly written and so overly "Wow! let me name drop" and "I can cook anything!" I didn't even get to her dating...
Whatever you hope this book will be, it won't be. It's less about eating in and more about painfully long passages of picking lint from her naval and trying to show us how utterly fascinating it is!
But, the cat bashing aside, it's just badly written and so overly "Wow! let me name drop" and "I can cook anything!" I didn't even get to her dating...
Whatever you hope this book will be, it won't be. It's less about eating in and more about painfully long passages of picking lint from her naval and trying to show us how utterly fascinating it is!
Read
May 28, 2024as other reviewers have said: this is a mediocre book. way too many random first names, too much description and not enough reflection/analysis, unrelentingly heterosexual. A shame because I like a lot of Cathy Erway's other food writing.
September 17, 2014
(As posted on crowdedearthkitchen.com)
“…people will say that the world of restaurant food is vast. But the world of cooking and eating in far exceeds it in scope, even in a city as seemingly disinclined toward home cooking as New York.” -p. 317
As someone who used to have an (almost) daily restaurant habit and slowly became a (mostly) scratch cook, I truly loved this book. In The Art of Eating In, Cathy Erway tells the story of both extremes. Immediately on Page 1, she sets the context of common food attitudes in New York City by describing a showing for a two-bedroom apartment that didn’t have a kitchen. While the very idea sounds like science fiction to my Midwestern sensibilities, Ms. Erway patiently and thoroughly explains the saturation of dining establishments, normalcy of evening take-out, and patterns of socializing over food that are common in the burgeoning city she calls home.
Then, she deconstructs these norms with precision as she unveils her plan to avoid any and all New York City restaurants for an entire year. Cathy Erway leaps right in, walking the reader through her own personal journeys of cooking and baking, creative food sourcing, and grappling with the sometimes awkward realities of developing and maintaining personal relationships sans restaurants. From urban foraging adventures to unabashed dumpster diving to underground supper clubs, Cathy Erway leaves no stone unturned in her exploration of the expansive culinary world beyond the restaurant scene.
As I read this book, I was captivated by Ms. Erway’s candor and her learning curve. For example, while she entered into this project without any experience (and little enthusiasm for) yeast baking, she was undaunted by meat processing or cooking with offal. This runs completely contrary to my own kitchen experiences, and was fascinating to ponder. I found myself on more familiar ground as Ms. Erway earnestly described how her project made her acutely aware of the waste associated with restaurant food. At one point, she even designed an experiment whereby she weighed and measured the waste associated with a restaurant meal compared to a similar home cooked meal. Very interesting. Her commitment to becoming better informed is clear in her references to the works of authors such as Michael Pollan and Mark Schapiro.
Cathy Erway’s book is written from a refreshing perspective – rather than teaching the reader from a position of preexisting expertise, Ms. Erway invites the reader to share in her own journey of learning and discovery. Along the way, Ms. Erway shares fun recipes and quirky stories guaranteed to keep the reader engaged. If you could use a boost of enthusiasm to enjoy your kitchen even more, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Cathy Erway’s The Art of Eating In!
“…people will say that the world of restaurant food is vast. But the world of cooking and eating in far exceeds it in scope, even in a city as seemingly disinclined toward home cooking as New York.” -p. 317
As someone who used to have an (almost) daily restaurant habit and slowly became a (mostly) scratch cook, I truly loved this book. In The Art of Eating In, Cathy Erway tells the story of both extremes. Immediately on Page 1, she sets the context of common food attitudes in New York City by describing a showing for a two-bedroom apartment that didn’t have a kitchen. While the very idea sounds like science fiction to my Midwestern sensibilities, Ms. Erway patiently and thoroughly explains the saturation of dining establishments, normalcy of evening take-out, and patterns of socializing over food that are common in the burgeoning city she calls home.
Then, she deconstructs these norms with precision as she unveils her plan to avoid any and all New York City restaurants for an entire year. Cathy Erway leaps right in, walking the reader through her own personal journeys of cooking and baking, creative food sourcing, and grappling with the sometimes awkward realities of developing and maintaining personal relationships sans restaurants. From urban foraging adventures to unabashed dumpster diving to underground supper clubs, Cathy Erway leaves no stone unturned in her exploration of the expansive culinary world beyond the restaurant scene.
As I read this book, I was captivated by Ms. Erway’s candor and her learning curve. For example, while she entered into this project without any experience (and little enthusiasm for) yeast baking, she was undaunted by meat processing or cooking with offal. This runs completely contrary to my own kitchen experiences, and was fascinating to ponder. I found myself on more familiar ground as Ms. Erway earnestly described how her project made her acutely aware of the waste associated with restaurant food. At one point, she even designed an experiment whereby she weighed and measured the waste associated with a restaurant meal compared to a similar home cooked meal. Very interesting. Her commitment to becoming better informed is clear in her references to the works of authors such as Michael Pollan and Mark Schapiro.
Cathy Erway’s book is written from a refreshing perspective – rather than teaching the reader from a position of preexisting expertise, Ms. Erway invites the reader to share in her own journey of learning and discovery. Along the way, Ms. Erway shares fun recipes and quirky stories guaranteed to keep the reader engaged. If you could use a boost of enthusiasm to enjoy your kitchen even more, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Cathy Erway’s The Art of Eating In!
April 29, 2010
The author was written up in one of my favorite magazines, and when I checked out her fabulous blog
Not Eating Out in New YorkI just had to have her book. Not only is Erway a talented writer but her ideas are a real inspiration for those of us who, for financial, health, or environmental reasons are trying to prepare more of our own food ourselves rather than buying take-out or going to restaurants all the time. She is not a middle-aged homemaker (full disclosure: I am middle-aged and was a fulltime homemaker till recently) but a funky, single, twenty-something hipster with a great sense of humor and a passion for delicious food. Each chapter ends with a couple of her recipes. While I don't see myself making tripe stew (That's the lining of a cow or pig's stomach, folks. Eeew.) or Coffee and Cigarettes Ladyfingers (which contain actual ground tobacco. Say it with me.... Eeeew.), her pork chili sounds great and I'll try it as soon as I can hunt down some pinto beans here in Tokyo.
A couple of points that really stood out for me:
1. Even in a city like New York or Tokyo that has thousands of restaurants and take-out options to choose from, let's face it, most of them are mediocre and we could prepare better and cheaper meals at home. Average human beings on average budgets cannot afford to eat five-star food three meals a day.
2. The more you cook for yourself, the easier and more efficient it gets.
and, a personal favorite:
3. Many modern humans have a major phobia of washing dishes and will eat out or buy take-out simply to avoid it. I have to add, this is true especially in a place like Japan where most of us do not have dishwashers.
Anyway, if you love food or are looking to be inspired to cook more for whatever reason, this is a must-read.
Not Eating Out in New YorkI just had to have her book. Not only is Erway a talented writer but her ideas are a real inspiration for those of us who, for financial, health, or environmental reasons are trying to prepare more of our own food ourselves rather than buying take-out or going to restaurants all the time. She is not a middle-aged homemaker (full disclosure: I am middle-aged and was a fulltime homemaker till recently) but a funky, single, twenty-something hipster with a great sense of humor and a passion for delicious food. Each chapter ends with a couple of her recipes. While I don't see myself making tripe stew (That's the lining of a cow or pig's stomach, folks. Eeew.) or Coffee and Cigarettes Ladyfingers (which contain actual ground tobacco. Say it with me.... Eeeew.), her pork chili sounds great and I'll try it as soon as I can hunt down some pinto beans here in Tokyo.
A couple of points that really stood out for me:
1. Even in a city like New York or Tokyo that has thousands of restaurants and take-out options to choose from, let's face it, most of them are mediocre and we could prepare better and cheaper meals at home. Average human beings on average budgets cannot afford to eat five-star food three meals a day.
2. The more you cook for yourself, the easier and more efficient it gets.
and, a personal favorite:
3. Many modern humans have a major phobia of washing dishes and will eat out or buy take-out simply to avoid it. I have to add, this is true especially in a place like Japan where most of us do not have dishwashers.
Anyway, if you love food or are looking to be inspired to cook more for whatever reason, this is a must-read.
June 5, 2010
An interesting premise - giving up restaurant eating and cooking at home ... especially in New York City, home of awesome food. I didn't realize going in that the author had a decent amount of cooking background and history, and is comfortable eating almost anything. (Which, good for her, but if you've never cooked before or find it intimidating, this is not a guide to help you with that.)
The chapters about supper clubs (illegal but fun), freeganism (possibly also illegal, and though I believe you can find good stuff, I wish stores could give these items to food banks or shelters instead of putting them in the garbage), and foraging (I think the danger of eating something dangerous would keep me from eating plant life from the park).
I found the writing a bit odd, there were some convoluted sentences I had to read three or four times to figure out. (Example: "Tripe is usually chopped, then simmered, stewed, or steamed until it becomes very tender and has soaked in plenty of flavor, as its rubbery-textured though fairly tasteless character is hard to swallow for many.")
The author also tends to recount boring word-for-word conversations that have nothing to do with food or cooking (e.g. the conversation with her mother about Evelyn Waugh being a man).
And I found her dating relationships strange, too. Out on a first date, she is irritated because the guy doesn't immediately offer to buy a second round of drinks... a lot of women don't like that, maybe he was waiting to see if you wanted to split the cost? It's no reason to get irritated. (And he hadn't even finished his first drink yet!)
I'll keep reading but other reviews indicate it's not likely to get much better. (It didn't.)
The chapters about supper clubs (illegal but fun), freeganism (possibly also illegal, and though I believe you can find good stuff, I wish stores could give these items to food banks or shelters instead of putting them in the garbage), and foraging (I think the danger of eating something dangerous would keep me from eating plant life from the park).
I found the writing a bit odd, there were some convoluted sentences I had to read three or four times to figure out. (Example: "Tripe is usually chopped, then simmered, stewed, or steamed until it becomes very tender and has soaked in plenty of flavor, as its rubbery-textured though fairly tasteless character is hard to swallow for many.")
The author also tends to recount boring word-for-word conversations that have nothing to do with food or cooking (e.g. the conversation with her mother about Evelyn Waugh being a man).
And I found her dating relationships strange, too. Out on a first date, she is irritated because the guy doesn't immediately offer to buy a second round of drinks... a lot of women don't like that, maybe he was waiting to see if you wanted to split the cost? It's no reason to get irritated. (And he hadn't even finished his first drink yet!)
I'll keep reading but other reviews indicate it's not likely to get much better. (It didn't.)
August 13, 2015
I was disappointed by this book. I had read the author's blog once or twice, and I thought this might be a fun read with some fresh recipes thrown in. It started out okay, but then fell quickly into a strange, disjointed bunch of stories, some of which were very long-winded with no payoff. Many of the recipes she includes with caveats -- oh, I personally made it a different way, but this should work. Okay....
The author does not do herself any favors. Her false modesty grates and I can't imagine her friends reading about themselves without grimacing. The author appears really out of touch with real life and not at all aware of how condescending she seems to be or how vomit-worthy it is to hear about underground supper clubs that charge $50/head. At one point, she describes in detail the clothing of one of her friends several times, as if that in itself tells us something about that person. Strange. It's never explained how she has endless loads of money to spend on expensive groceries or how she manages to make and eat endless gallons of ice cream and loaves of bread every day and never gains any weight. Her commitment to her "eating in" plan is rather rigid and off-putting. I don't get it. Just eat out or don't, or whatever, but stop talking about it and be with people instead. It makes you wonder if she actually thought about why her ex-boyfriend left.
The editor was likely out eating at a hip, new restaurant instead of editing this manuscript. Good for that person! Smart move.
The author does not do herself any favors. Her false modesty grates and I can't imagine her friends reading about themselves without grimacing. The author appears really out of touch with real life and not at all aware of how condescending she seems to be or how vomit-worthy it is to hear about underground supper clubs that charge $50/head. At one point, she describes in detail the clothing of one of her friends several times, as if that in itself tells us something about that person. Strange. It's never explained how she has endless loads of money to spend on expensive groceries or how she manages to make and eat endless gallons of ice cream and loaves of bread every day and never gains any weight. Her commitment to her "eating in" plan is rather rigid and off-putting. I don't get it. Just eat out or don't, or whatever, but stop talking about it and be with people instead. It makes you wonder if she actually thought about why her ex-boyfriend left.
The editor was likely out eating at a hip, new restaurant instead of editing this manuscript. Good for that person! Smart move.
March 13, 2010
The Art of Eating In chronicles the two-year hiatus that self-titled “foodie” Cathy Erway took from New York’s restaurants and eateries. She started a blog to keep friends and a growing fanbase apprised of her culinary journey, and condensed its highlights into a book.
Eating out is so customary in the Big Apple that some apartments don’t even have kitchens installed. But for Erway, struggling to support herself as an underpaid executive assistant, this tradition was draining her wallet at a dangerous speed. She decided to stick to home-cooked meals, taking the first step on an odyssey that introduced her to cook-offs, supper clubs, freeganism, and the edible plant life in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
Although Erway originally stopped eating out for financial reasons, this is not a self-help book for cost-conscious diners. She focuses on the way her life changed after swearing off restaurant food, making The Art of Eating In a memoir with a little social studies thrown in for added flavor. Each chapter includes delicious recipes, but the focus is really on the people she met and the anti-restaurant activities she took part in along the way.
Not every blogger successfully migrates their online content into print. Erway is one of the exceptions. The Art of Eating In is an enjoyable read, with lots of food for thought as well as the grocery list.
Eating out is so customary in the Big Apple that some apartments don’t even have kitchens installed. But for Erway, struggling to support herself as an underpaid executive assistant, this tradition was draining her wallet at a dangerous speed. She decided to stick to home-cooked meals, taking the first step on an odyssey that introduced her to cook-offs, supper clubs, freeganism, and the edible plant life in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
Although Erway originally stopped eating out for financial reasons, this is not a self-help book for cost-conscious diners. She focuses on the way her life changed after swearing off restaurant food, making The Art of Eating In a memoir with a little social studies thrown in for added flavor. Each chapter includes delicious recipes, but the focus is really on the people she met and the anti-restaurant activities she took part in along the way.
Not every blogger successfully migrates their online content into print. Erway is one of the exceptions. The Art of Eating In is an enjoyable read, with lots of food for thought as well as the grocery list.
May 28, 2010
This was one book that while based on a blog was still well-written. And while the author's lifestyle is incredibly foreign to me (several trips abroad just for fun, hipster friends, dance parties, and underground supper parties??)-- I still liked it.
For two years she avoids eating out at restaurants- of any kind. Not too easy anywhere, but especially not in New York City. Not to say she was cooking every ingredient from scratch- which would have been pretty unbelievable. But that's why I found this really motivating- it's so easy to buy your food, eat out when you don't feel like making anything, or buy pre-made. But how often that food isn't good! And then it's harder to justify. You don't have to make your own bread and cultivate your own yogurt cultures (although she does her own bread), but you should try to make food more, if for no other reason than to get in touch with what you're putting in your body.
I found it very motivating- last night after finishing the book, I made an enchilada casserole and butterscotch ice cream. And I felt pretty awesome about it. (Sidenote: the butterscotch ice cream was not in the casserole, that would be gross.
For two years she avoids eating out at restaurants- of any kind. Not too easy anywhere, but especially not in New York City. Not to say she was cooking every ingredient from scratch- which would have been pretty unbelievable. But that's why I found this really motivating- it's so easy to buy your food, eat out when you don't feel like making anything, or buy pre-made. But how often that food isn't good! And then it's harder to justify. You don't have to make your own bread and cultivate your own yogurt cultures (although she does her own bread), but you should try to make food more, if for no other reason than to get in touch with what you're putting in your body.
I found it very motivating- last night after finishing the book, I made an enchilada casserole and butterscotch ice cream. And I felt pretty awesome about it. (Sidenote: the butterscotch ice cream was not in the casserole, that would be gross.
April 16, 2011
I didn't finish this book either. I hadn't touched it all week, and today I'm returning it to the library.
I totally believe in the concept of this book - cooking your own meals is better for you and for your budget. Eating sustainable, seasonal food is challenging but feasible, and can also be fun (and colorful)! It is a wake-up call for everyone to think about how we eat, what we eat, and where our food comes from.
However, this book is also a lifestyle choice for a twenty something New Yorker who doesn't have to support her family, she only has to support herself. Feeding a family of 4 or 6 on the recipes she includes in her book just doesn't seem plausible (I'm sure it is if you have the money and perhaps a personal chef/shopper).
Perhaps my biggest disappointment is that I was genuinely interested in her personal story. I wasn't really interested in the history of restaurants, why the trash diving movement started, etc. I wanted to know about her and her journey. Ultimately, I didn't feel that it was worth finishing. I was bored before it was done.
I totally believe in the concept of this book - cooking your own meals is better for you and for your budget. Eating sustainable, seasonal food is challenging but feasible, and can also be fun (and colorful)! It is a wake-up call for everyone to think about how we eat, what we eat, and where our food comes from.
However, this book is also a lifestyle choice for a twenty something New Yorker who doesn't have to support her family, she only has to support herself. Feeding a family of 4 or 6 on the recipes she includes in her book just doesn't seem plausible (I'm sure it is if you have the money and perhaps a personal chef/shopper).
Perhaps my biggest disappointment is that I was genuinely interested in her personal story. I wasn't really interested in the history of restaurants, why the trash diving movement started, etc. I wanted to know about her and her journey. Ultimately, I didn't feel that it was worth finishing. I was bored before it was done.
March 15, 2010
An enjoyable cooking memoir/narrative nonfiction mix. The author, a 25-year-old living in NYC, decides to quit eating out at restaurants and to blog about the effort. Her blog, www.noteatingoutinny.com, is evidently quite popular. She already knows how to cook quite well, so instead of a "I learned to cook" book, it's more a discourse on the social issues & history involved in eating out at restaurants, and then an exploration of the food movements current among twenty-somethings (and older), such as freeganism, foraging, supper clubs, and cook-offs. She also cooks for her boyfriend and a cadre of friends and narrates her bold improvisational cooking techniques, her new recipe inspirations, and her social experiences centered around food. There's an authentic international flavor to her recipes, too, influenced by her half Chinese heritage. An interesting book! I'll have to follow her blog now.
November 25, 2010
I'm about halfway through, I think, and am not liking this too much so far. It's kind of a skimmer. Could have been a lot shorter. For instance, did the chapter about how much waste there is with takeout food have to be so long?
Also, I guess I was hoping for some more easy cooking at home tips and recipes (quick and easy kind of stuff), but the author is kind of an obsessed foodie and, at least this far in the book, is spending most of her off-work time on the project (eating all meals at home and writing about it). She does mention a few things she whips together quickly, but only in passing.
That said, there are a few recipes in here I'd like to try.
Update: Yeah, it was just ok. Skimmed a few chapters. Odd that its subtitle is "How I Learned to Stop Spending" when the author goes to expensive eating clubs and travels to Morocco.
Also, I guess I was hoping for some more easy cooking at home tips and recipes (quick and easy kind of stuff), but the author is kind of an obsessed foodie and, at least this far in the book, is spending most of her off-work time on the project (eating all meals at home and writing about it). She does mention a few things she whips together quickly, but only in passing.
That said, there are a few recipes in here I'd like to try.
Update: Yeah, it was just ok. Skimmed a few chapters. Odd that its subtitle is "How I Learned to Stop Spending" when the author goes to expensive eating clubs and travels to Morocco.
July 20, 2021
I would eat and prepare three recipes from this book. Among those three, I would alter two of the recipes. Miss Erway and I don't share the same palette. I eat many cuisines but I tend to stick to the dishes I adore. No weird or undercooked food for me.
~Coffee and Cigarettes Ladyfinger Sandwiches would be Coffee and Chocolate Ladyfinger Sandwiches. I refuse to add tobacco to my food.
~Four Pepper Pulled-Pork Chili: delete the pumpkin puree and black coffee. That's better.
~Almond Custard Tart with Leftover Muffin Crust: I'm leaving this alone. I fantasized about this dessert!!!
Cathy Erway comes off as wonderful company. She has a sweetness and intelligence that I adore. I loved the chapters on freeganism. It would help the environment plentifully if dumpster diving lacked stigma and legal ramifications.
Kudos to Cathy!!!
~Coffee and Cigarettes Ladyfinger Sandwiches would be Coffee and Chocolate Ladyfinger Sandwiches. I refuse to add tobacco to my food.
~Four Pepper Pulled-Pork Chili: delete the pumpkin puree and black coffee. That's better.
~Almond Custard Tart with Leftover Muffin Crust: I'm leaving this alone. I fantasized about this dessert!!!
Cathy Erway comes off as wonderful company. She has a sweetness and intelligence that I adore. I loved the chapters on freeganism. It would help the environment plentifully if dumpster diving lacked stigma and legal ramifications.
Kudos to Cathy!!!
March 21, 2010
I liked the premise of this book, and it was interesting... but... I just wasn't all that impressed by the writing -- it felt stilted and missing some unknown quality that I can't quite put my finger on. I did pop over to her blog and see that in reading just a few tidbits that it's much better there. I'm guessing that the editing was the problem? Either way, it was still an enjoyable read overall for any foodie type.
Oh, and this is just a personal thing, but it kind of miffed me when the author took at a jab at a 35-year-old woman because she still had acne. Granted, I'm sure some of that vitriol was the result of said woman dating the author's ex, but come on... it just bugged me. I'm almost 40 and still have the occasional breakout, so I couldn't help but take it personally. ;)
Oh, and this is just a personal thing, but it kind of miffed me when the author took at a jab at a 35-year-old woman because she still had acne. Granted, I'm sure some of that vitriol was the result of said woman dating the author's ex, but come on... it just bugged me. I'm almost 40 and still have the occasional breakout, so I couldn't help but take it personally. ;)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2011
For the most part, the book delivered as expected with its premise that cooking at home can be as entertaining as going out. Erway writes well, coming across as a curious, interesting individual. However, after a while it was work to keep track of the cast-of-characters in this literary reality show. Talented and knowledgeable as she is, to me the author came off as slightly condescending at times - not deliberately so, as she seems rather self-absorbed (self-impressed); towards the middle she has a romantic breakup that she blames on The Other Woman, though it seemed to me her boyfriend had a right to feel neglected.
Recommended for the variety of food experience ... Erway's personal life, not so much.
Recommended for the variety of food experience ... Erway's personal life, not so much.
May 9, 2010
What really makes this book is that it started as an experiment in saving money by not eating out and ended as an exploration of creative self-expression. Loved her forays into freeganism and dumpster diving, urban foraging, supper clubs, and amateur cook-offs. Loved how her world expanded by leaps and bounds by her expanding her boundaries and exploring her passions. She admits she missed the whole urban ag, local food trend but it’s something she now heartily endorses and is heavily involved in. A fun, creative read for anyone who loves food and cooking.
May 29, 2010
Started out great but soon veered from funny stories about giving up eating out for a year to things like "exclusive" supper clubs and endless chatter about the author's friends and how much they could drink at any one time. By the time I got to the "OMG you can just eat out as a treat, not all the time!!!" revelation I was annoyed. I agree with the other reviewer who noted that by the end of the book it appeared to all be filler to get the required number of pages. The blog is enjoyable but I think you can give the book a pass.
May 23, 2020
I can't help but notice this trend/gimmick in the past couple of years. Writers taking a pledge to do something extreme for a year or two, and then getting a book deal. This book wasn't particularly insightful and it was downright boring at times. It came off as a little self-centered, but that was a probably a result of having to fill 300+ pages without tons of material. Erway is an ok writer, so this book was a tolerable, easy read.
June 16, 2011
I haven't been to a restaurant in almost a year. Over that time I have struggled to keep from being bored by food I made for myself, so I really jumped at this book when I heard about it.
The only thing that kept me from giving it one star was the chili cookoff. I love those tales. The rest of the book was too "precious" for me.
The only thing that kept me from giving it one star was the chili cookoff. I love those tales. The rest of the book was too "precious" for me.
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