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The Best American Food Writing
Best American Food and Travel Writing 2025, The
The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2025 has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.
272 pages, Paperback
Published September 24, 2025
24 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Bryant Terry
14 books269 followersbryant terry is a multidisciplinary artist, chef, publisher, and author. His studio practice bridges cooking, sculpture, sound, video, and social practice to explore resilience, cultural memory, and liberation. From 2015 to 2022, he served as the inaugural Chef-in-Residence at San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora, curating dynamic programming connecting food, health, farming, art, and activism.
His art and ideas have been featured at leading institutions including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, The Underground Museum, The Birmingham Museum of Art, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, and The Hammer Museum at UCLA.
As founder and editor-in-chief of 4 Color Books (an imprint of Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House), he collaborates with visionary creatives of color to produce visually stunning nonfiction books. Notable 4 Color titles include The Scarr’s Pizza Cookbook by Scarr Pimentel, My Cambodia by Nite Yun with Tien Nguyen, The Black Yearbook by Adraint Khadafhi Bereal, and The Memory of Taste by Tu David Phu and Soleil Ho. Forthcoming works include cookbooks by Carla Hall, Nasim Lahbichi, Rashad Frazier, and Amethyst Ganaway.
terry’s achievements in the publishing world include authoring five highly acclaimed cookbooks, editing and curating an anthology, Black Food, and serving as the editor of The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2025. His work has earned him prestigious honors, including a James Beard Award, an NAACP Image Award, and an Art of Eating Prize. His book Black Food received widespread praise and was hailed as the most critically acclaimed American cookbook of 2021.
terry is the recipient of numerous grants and residencies, including those from the Headlands Center for the Arts (Graduate Fellowship), Open Society Foundations (Community Fellowship), the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (Food and Society Fellowship), UC Berkeley’s Black Studies Collaboratory (Artist Fellowship), and the East Bay Fund for Artists.
terry completed an MFA in Art Practice at UC Berkeley in 2025. He holds an MA in History from NYU and received his culinary training at the Natural Gourmet Institute. He presents frequently around the country as a keynote speaker at community events, conferences, and colleges.
His art and ideas have been featured at leading institutions including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, The Underground Museum, The Birmingham Museum of Art, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, and The Hammer Museum at UCLA.
As founder and editor-in-chief of 4 Color Books (an imprint of Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House), he collaborates with visionary creatives of color to produce visually stunning nonfiction books. Notable 4 Color titles include The Scarr’s Pizza Cookbook by Scarr Pimentel, My Cambodia by Nite Yun with Tien Nguyen, The Black Yearbook by Adraint Khadafhi Bereal, and The Memory of Taste by Tu David Phu and Soleil Ho. Forthcoming works include cookbooks by Carla Hall, Nasim Lahbichi, Rashad Frazier, and Amethyst Ganaway.
terry’s achievements in the publishing world include authoring five highly acclaimed cookbooks, editing and curating an anthology, Black Food, and serving as the editor of The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2025. His work has earned him prestigious honors, including a James Beard Award, an NAACP Image Award, and an Art of Eating Prize. His book Black Food received widespread praise and was hailed as the most critically acclaimed American cookbook of 2021.
terry is the recipient of numerous grants and residencies, including those from the Headlands Center for the Arts (Graduate Fellowship), Open Society Foundations (Community Fellowship), the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (Food and Society Fellowship), UC Berkeley’s Black Studies Collaboratory (Artist Fellowship), and the East Bay Fund for Artists.
terry completed an MFA in Art Practice at UC Berkeley in 2025. He holds an MA in History from NYU and received his culinary training at the Natural Gourmet Institute. He presents frequently around the country as a keynote speaker at community events, conferences, and colleges.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 21, 2025
And so we come to “The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2025” edited by Bryant Terry; series editor Jaya Saxena. I am a longtime follower of these books, going back to when food and travel were separate volumes. I believe that this is my ninth collection that I’ve read, my first being the 2009 travel stories. Last year’s entry was a bit depressing, so I was hoping that this was a one-time blip. Instead, we plunge even further away from what good travel/food writing can do.
This is a compilation of very depressing stories; there is no joy, no wonder, no discovery. I understand that these are dark and trying times that we are living in, and that is why we need to be uplifted more than ever. Instead, we dwell in misery. There is almost no travel at all, the food writing occasionally is interesting but mostly falls flat. The editors need to remember why we read about travel and food, to escape, to be surprised, to be inspired.
“Brandied Fruit”: A woman ferments fruit with her mom.
“The Miracle of Cabbage”: A woman finds moldy cabbage in her father’s refrigerator as he is dying.
“The Taste of Memory”: Asian Americans grow rice in South Carolina.
“What I Took or Did Not Take to the Potluck”: A remembrance of the AIDS crisis.
“From Scratch”: Pasta sauce throughout a trans relationship.
“On Any Given Sunday (Grandpa’s Hands)”: A two-page story of making fish and grits like grandpa used to.
“The People Who Feed America Are Going Hungry”: Immigrant food pickers and their lack of food security.
“They Ate at my Table, Then Ignored My People”: A Palestinian immigrant comes to terms with how she’s viewed in America.
“The Land Back Movement Is Also About Foodways”: Native Americans trying to get their land back and return to take care of the Earth.
“Black Earth”: The dumping of harmful chemicals in a poor black neighborhood and the farming, purchase of an old plantation.
“Nice View. Shame About All The Tourists”: The negative effects of tourism, and the history of people’s reaction to it.
“A Taste of Freedom”: A black community in Columbia.
“The City That Rice Built”: The history of growing rice in Charleston, South Carolina.
“Why The Black American Origins of Mac and Cheese Are So Hotly Debated”: The title explains it all.
“Fifty Years Ago Her Book Took On The Wine Patriarchy. It Still Holds Up”: Sexism in wine tasting and critique.
“They Used to be Places Just for Women. Now They’re UNESCO World Heritage Sites”: The first true travel story in this collection, all about the beguines, where single women used to live in communes throughout Europe.
“Breaking the Pattern”: A historically racist club in the South will now have a black chef.
“I Loved How Much Ugly Baby Hated Me”: a last look at an interesting Asian restaurant in New York. A fun story.
“How To Eat A Rattlesnake”: The author comes to terms with his Oklahoma past.
“Meet the Foragers Changing the Way Philly Eats”: Searching for weeds and other gifts of the environment. Interesting.
“Meet the San Francisco Influencer Getting Gen Z Girls Excited About Crab Fishing”: a young Asian American girl posts videos of her crab fishing.
“Good Vibrations”: The rise of Sichuan Peppers in Western cooking. Interesting.
“Aspartame, I Love You”: A love letter to artificial sweeteners.
“One Mixed Dozen”: a memoir of growing up with Dunkin’ Donuts.
“An Acquired Taste”: A person transitioning to a man acquires a taste for mixed nuts.
“Aphrodisiac”: The rise and fall of green M&Ms, from the green M&M’s perspective.
“The Food That Makes You Gay”: The perception of eating certain foods and manhood.
As I mentioned above, very little on travel, mostly food-centric, and very little joy.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
This is a compilation of very depressing stories; there is no joy, no wonder, no discovery. I understand that these are dark and trying times that we are living in, and that is why we need to be uplifted more than ever. Instead, we dwell in misery. There is almost no travel at all, the food writing occasionally is interesting but mostly falls flat. The editors need to remember why we read about travel and food, to escape, to be surprised, to be inspired.
“Brandied Fruit”: A woman ferments fruit with her mom.
“The Miracle of Cabbage”: A woman finds moldy cabbage in her father’s refrigerator as he is dying.
“The Taste of Memory”: Asian Americans grow rice in South Carolina.
“What I Took or Did Not Take to the Potluck”: A remembrance of the AIDS crisis.
“From Scratch”: Pasta sauce throughout a trans relationship.
“On Any Given Sunday (Grandpa’s Hands)”: A two-page story of making fish and grits like grandpa used to.
“The People Who Feed America Are Going Hungry”: Immigrant food pickers and their lack of food security.
“They Ate at my Table, Then Ignored My People”: A Palestinian immigrant comes to terms with how she’s viewed in America.
“The Land Back Movement Is Also About Foodways”: Native Americans trying to get their land back and return to take care of the Earth.
“Black Earth”: The dumping of harmful chemicals in a poor black neighborhood and the farming, purchase of an old plantation.
“Nice View. Shame About All The Tourists”: The negative effects of tourism, and the history of people’s reaction to it.
“A Taste of Freedom”: A black community in Columbia.
“The City That Rice Built”: The history of growing rice in Charleston, South Carolina.
“Why The Black American Origins of Mac and Cheese Are So Hotly Debated”: The title explains it all.
“Fifty Years Ago Her Book Took On The Wine Patriarchy. It Still Holds Up”: Sexism in wine tasting and critique.
“They Used to be Places Just for Women. Now They’re UNESCO World Heritage Sites”: The first true travel story in this collection, all about the beguines, where single women used to live in communes throughout Europe.
“Breaking the Pattern”: A historically racist club in the South will now have a black chef.
“I Loved How Much Ugly Baby Hated Me”: a last look at an interesting Asian restaurant in New York. A fun story.
“How To Eat A Rattlesnake”: The author comes to terms with his Oklahoma past.
“Meet the Foragers Changing the Way Philly Eats”: Searching for weeds and other gifts of the environment. Interesting.
“Meet the San Francisco Influencer Getting Gen Z Girls Excited About Crab Fishing”: a young Asian American girl posts videos of her crab fishing.
“Good Vibrations”: The rise of Sichuan Peppers in Western cooking. Interesting.
“Aspartame, I Love You”: A love letter to artificial sweeteners.
“One Mixed Dozen”: a memoir of growing up with Dunkin’ Donuts.
“An Acquired Taste”: A person transitioning to a man acquires a taste for mixed nuts.
“Aphrodisiac”: The rise and fall of green M&Ms, from the green M&M’s perspective.
“The Food That Makes You Gay”: The perception of eating certain foods and manhood.
As I mentioned above, very little on travel, mostly food-centric, and very little joy.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
November 13, 2025
I know, I know, another collection of essays. Are essays replacing short stories as my favorite format? Not quite yet but I do find myself appreciating them more in these days of short attention spans and clickbait headlines without substance. Spending time with well-chosen words feels like a luxury. And all it costs is a bit of time and concentration. The only reason this collection, which is very good, did not get the full five stars is because I have read some truly spectacular food and travel writing lately. Perhaps it is not fair to judge a book on potential but there it is. I appreciate how each narrator brought the words on the page to life. I wasn't sure when I got this if I would enjoy listening to the essays instead of reading them for myself. Care was taken with the audio and it shows. Thank you to the contributors, narrators, editors, Mariner Book, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for the audioARC.
August 18, 2025
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.
I love reading these collections each year; the content is always diverse and educational. The emphasis this year was on food more than travel, the queer representation strong. Some of my favorite pieces included ones on a shift in food preferences during gender transition, medieval benguinages where women lived, on grief and cabbage (which I had previously read), and a San Francisco crab fisher influencer.
I love reading these collections each year; the content is always diverse and educational. The emphasis this year was on food more than travel, the queer representation strong. Some of my favorite pieces included ones on a shift in food preferences during gender transition, medieval benguinages where women lived, on grief and cabbage (which I had previously read), and a San Francisco crab fisher influencer.
October 12, 2025
When you try to make everything political, you just become boring. When you bring up the “war in Gaza” in the introduction, you have already lost me with your virtue signaling.
July 28, 2025
*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.
So, last year I was a bit disappointed to see that they merged the "Best" series for travel and food into one book. I thought that they deserved to have their own sections as the stories can quiet often be different. I still feel that way - but felt that this one was more encapsulating the food side of things, which is the one that I already read anyway, so I enjoyed it quite a bit more (although I feel for the travel fans).
Terry did a great job of selecting the pieces for this anthology and I particularly liked the way they were set into different themes. Those themes being Memory, Identity, & Family; Power, Resistance, & Survival; Erasure & Resurgence; Exploration & Pleasure; and Queerness, Desire, and the Politics of Pleasure. To think about food is to think about the cultures that built the foodways and traditions that we know. Exploration (going along with travel) is going out of those comfort zones and exploring what these other places have to offer us. But that also means understanding where they came from and how they got there. We can have that bite of rice, but do we know exactly what went into that dish and the story of the people who made it? Some may argue that that's not necessary; but I'd argue they probably have some sentimental stories of their own food that they think are important.
Probably my favorite story in this book was The City that Rice Built. Anything that shares how a niche product comes into being and helps support a community is something that resonates with me. Probably because I don't have any of those traditions or food in my own family for the most part (unless you count the midwestern casserole with a creamed soup of something in it). I crave those stories because I have so few of my own. While there were some stories that didn't quite resonate with me as well, it's probably because of that same reasoning, I lack the context to make it meaningful or relatable.
Overall a thought-provoking anthology. While I'll still hope for them to reseparate the subjects again for their readers, I'm pleased that this one was so food-centric.
Review by M. Reynard 2025
So, last year I was a bit disappointed to see that they merged the "Best" series for travel and food into one book. I thought that they deserved to have their own sections as the stories can quiet often be different. I still feel that way - but felt that this one was more encapsulating the food side of things, which is the one that I already read anyway, so I enjoyed it quite a bit more (although I feel for the travel fans).
Terry did a great job of selecting the pieces for this anthology and I particularly liked the way they were set into different themes. Those themes being Memory, Identity, & Family; Power, Resistance, & Survival; Erasure & Resurgence; Exploration & Pleasure; and Queerness, Desire, and the Politics of Pleasure. To think about food is to think about the cultures that built the foodways and traditions that we know. Exploration (going along with travel) is going out of those comfort zones and exploring what these other places have to offer us. But that also means understanding where they came from and how they got there. We can have that bite of rice, but do we know exactly what went into that dish and the story of the people who made it? Some may argue that that's not necessary; but I'd argue they probably have some sentimental stories of their own food that they think are important.
Probably my favorite story in this book was The City that Rice Built. Anything that shares how a niche product comes into being and helps support a community is something that resonates with me. Probably because I don't have any of those traditions or food in my own family for the most part (unless you count the midwestern casserole with a creamed soup of something in it). I crave those stories because I have so few of my own. While there were some stories that didn't quite resonate with me as well, it's probably because of that same reasoning, I lack the context to make it meaningful or relatable.
Overall a thought-provoking anthology. While I'll still hope for them to reseparate the subjects again for their readers, I'm pleased that this one was so food-centric.
Review by M. Reynard 2025
November 27, 2025
As with most multi-author collections, quality varied widely, ranging from terrific to groan-worthy. There was definitely priority given to articles trying to *make a point*. Sometimes this was effective. Other times it resulted in eye-rolling didacticism. Nonetheless, there were definitely some highlights, and I want to highlight them.
I already love John Birdsall's writing, so it seems almost unfair to single it out here, but I genuinely did find his What I Did and Did Not Bring to the Potluck incredibly moving and personal.
Melissa Febos's They Used to Be Places Just For Women. Now They're UNESCO World Heritage Sites introduced me to a really cool and previously unfamiliar bit of history. I'm going to have to read up more on the beguines.
Christina Cooke's Black Earth sucked me into the story of one Black family reclaiming and nurturing the land their ancestors were once enslaved on
Giri Nathan's I Loved How Much Ugly Baby Hated Me was genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, and incredibly vivid. I felt like I was eating at the aforementioned restaurant with him, and honestly, kind of mourn the lost chance. Even if the spice level would eviscerate, incinerate, and defenestrate me.
AC Lamberty's An Acquired Taste was likewise gently funny, personal, and ready to send me down a rabbit hole regarding hormones, sex, gender, and the science of taste.
I think this volume shows a shift in what food and travel writing are, and what they're perceived as. At best, this shift results in expanded horizons, greater recognition of marginalized voices, and more experimental writing. At worst, it lectures the reader from on high, sidelining its supposed focus on food or travel.
But that's a collection for you. Glad I read it for the gems. Three stars overall.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.
I already love John Birdsall's writing, so it seems almost unfair to single it out here, but I genuinely did find his What I Did and Did Not Bring to the Potluck incredibly moving and personal.
Melissa Febos's They Used to Be Places Just For Women. Now They're UNESCO World Heritage Sites introduced me to a really cool and previously unfamiliar bit of history. I'm going to have to read up more on the beguines.
Christina Cooke's Black Earth sucked me into the story of one Black family reclaiming and nurturing the land their ancestors were once enslaved on
Giri Nathan's I Loved How Much Ugly Baby Hated Me was genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, and incredibly vivid. I felt like I was eating at the aforementioned restaurant with him, and honestly, kind of mourn the lost chance. Even if the spice level would eviscerate, incinerate, and defenestrate me.
AC Lamberty's An Acquired Taste was likewise gently funny, personal, and ready to send me down a rabbit hole regarding hormones, sex, gender, and the science of taste.
I think this volume shows a shift in what food and travel writing are, and what they're perceived as. At best, this shift results in expanded horizons, greater recognition of marginalized voices, and more experimental writing. At worst, it lectures the reader from on high, sidelining its supposed focus on food or travel.
But that's a collection for you. Glad I read it for the gems. Three stars overall.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.
December 10, 2025
This book features essays about my favorite foods like rice, cabbage, crabs and even mac and cheese. My perception of these foods has been altered because of these essays. My favorite essay is "The Taste of Memory". This essay is about a Laotian rice farmer in North Carolina. What is unique about this rice farm is that different colors of rice produced on this farm. There is a green rice that is caused by the green tint of chlorophyll and a black rice. I have only eaten white and brown rice before, so the information in this essay is insightful for me. My favorite essay is "The City That Rice Built". What is unique about this essay is the description of a rice dish called purloo, which is rice with okra and bacon. There is also a delicious celery salad with walnuts, mint and cheddar. There is an essay entitled "The Miracle Cabbage". This essay really touches me, and it reminds me that a simple vegetable can bring a daughter closer to her father. There is an essay about a young woman who makes a living as a crab fisherman San Francisco. I have been to San Francisco many times, but I never thought of the bay area as a good place to go crabbing. There is an essay about mac and cheese I. have only used cheddar to make this dish, but I could use gouda or fontina cheese for this dish as the author suggests. I have never tried to incorporate a flour butter sauce called roux with mac and cheese either, so this is an ingredient that I would like to try. I love reading about food and the destinations to get them.
October 10, 2025
I love this series and have been reading since its inception with Ruth Reichl in 2018. I generally love food writing, especially more narrative essays that focus on the authors initial spark loving food. I love that this series also approaches current hot topics like sustainability, current industry practices, political and economical considerations, and exploration of global culinary worlds. This edition had a focus on addressing queer representation in food, which was a wonderful addition. I prefer the food-centric essays over the travel and thus liked this year's collection more than last year. I will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this book when it pubs to complete my collection at home. Highly recommend to anyone who loves food writing. This series also makes an excellent audiobook, especially if you're a podcast fan, as each essay is read by a different narrator.
August 11, 2025
** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review **
This anthology celebrates the joy of discovery—through taste, culture, and the road less traveled. The essays are organized into sections that take you from bustling urban markets to remote, unforgettable landscapes. I found myself lingering over the sensory details in each piece, almost tasting and smelling what the authors described. The mix of well-known food writers and fresh perspectives keeps the reading experience dynamic. By the end, I felt both well-fed and full of wanderlust. It’s an inspiring reminder that food and travel are some of life’s most powerful connectors.
This anthology celebrates the joy of discovery—through taste, culture, and the road less traveled. The essays are organized into sections that take you from bustling urban markets to remote, unforgettable landscapes. I found myself lingering over the sensory details in each piece, almost tasting and smelling what the authors described. The mix of well-known food writers and fresh perspectives keeps the reading experience dynamic. By the end, I felt both well-fed and full of wanderlust. It’s an inspiring reminder that food and travel are some of life’s most powerful connectors.
August 25, 2025
Collections of short stories are one of my most recommended books to family and friends. When asked for author recommendations, I always offer up the numerous collections in my personal library, as this is where I find so many wonderful authors that I would never have chosen. Short stories require an author to flex their writing skills, capturing readers in fewer pages than many chapters in a novel. They must immediately immerse readers into a story in progress and bring the characters to life so quickly, all the "meat" of the mystery is revealed in just a few pages. This collection includes the best of the best and will be appreciated by my reading circle as we choose new books to share.
November 10, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.
There's something about food wherein just a smell of bite can remind you of a distant memory. Suddenly, the past is no longer the past. The same is for places traveled when dusty roads become heartstrings pecking upon the mind you've been down here before.
These were my hopes and fears upon starting these essays, and I found several worthy of such a calling.
Taste of memory
The people who feed America
Black earth
Rice article
Black origins of Mac and cheese
Wine snobs
Crab girl
Food that makes you gay
There's something about food wherein just a smell of bite can remind you of a distant memory. Suddenly, the past is no longer the past. The same is for places traveled when dusty roads become heartstrings pecking upon the mind you've been down here before.
These were my hopes and fears upon starting these essays, and I found several worthy of such a calling.
Taste of memory
The people who feed America
Black earth
Rice article
Black origins of Mac and cheese
Wine snobs
Crab girl
Food that makes you gay
November 12, 2025
Darn. This year’s collection wasn’t my favorite. It held plenty of good individual pieces but as a whole, it leaned more educational and less inspirational. About the only time it made me hungry was in the opening by the series editor. Yes, I’m now dying for miso soup with tiny clams, preferably eaten while sitting in Japan. But it needed a lot more moments like that. I needed more moments like that - which is why I love this series - and why it let me down a bit this year.
November 29, 2025
Okay, not my fave. Jaya Saxena’s intro was great, but Bryant Terry’s lost me. I temporarily DNF’d it then read the pieces and random order, which turns out is exactly what he didn’t want me to do. Quite a few of the pieces were serious and thoughtful without being artful or interesting, leading the collection overall to be kind of a bummer. There weren’t as many unique or charming pieces as usual. Gold stars to How to Eat a Rattlesnake (Oklahoma!), One Mixed Dozen, and Black Earth.
July 16, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for this arc!
This is my second time reading something from the best American writing collection and I loved this collection! It’s a great group of authors and varied povs. I think my favorite section was the one on family and identity! I do wish there was more travel writing but that’s a pretty small complaint.
4 stars!!
This is my second time reading something from the best American writing collection and I loved this collection! It’s a great group of authors and varied povs. I think my favorite section was the one on family and identity! I do wish there was more travel writing but that’s a pretty small complaint.
4 stars!!
October 28, 2025
I mostly enjoyed this collection of short stories—the food ones more so than the travel ones (although the travel+food ones were great!). I don't often read short stories, but I'd recommend these for anyone interested in a diverse array of culinary, agricultural, and cultural tales.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
December 4, 2025
Overall, a nice collection. I still think the decision to combine food and travel writing is a bit weird; this collection mostly focuses on food, though many emphasize the importance of place and location as a theme. As a former Massachusettian, I loved Buchanan’s essay, One Mixed Dozen, most of all.
December 29, 2025
I was expecting this to be a lot about food and enjoying it, but this was a lot more. There was culture and history and some of the essays were more serious while others were very lighthearted. I enjoyed this a lot and the narration was perfect.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook
This is a review of the audiobook.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook
This is a review of the audiobook.
December 21, 2025
I love this series and always look forward to each year's installment. This year was no exception. Particularly loved the article about Korean rice in NC, the Green M&M essay, and the essay about Dunkin' Donuts and identity.
December 29, 2025
some new ideas, plenty of less-new ones. even those that are non-novel are broadly agreeable, but often fall into a samey memoir-essay-interview mode. "aphrodisiac" is a standout.
Read
October 20, 2025I’ve enjoyed Bryant Terry’s The Inspired Vegan, a cookbook in which he pairs each set of recipes with literary recommendations. And while I haven’t yet had time to explore all of the suggested readings from that book, I was interested to this opportunity to engage with a selection of Terry’s shorter-form picks. As someone who usually skims food and travel periodicals, jumping straight to the recipes, recommendation lists, or tips and tricks, I was curious to see what I’d been skipping over.
The collection opens with a recipe for brandied fruit in a work by Elisabeth Meyer Gonzalez, which played into my long-held belief that it’s hard to tell a story about food without including a recipe and that the shared experience of eating someone else’s food is one of the most powerful ways to gain perspective. And while I was a little disappointed to find it was the only recipe in the book, I also appreciated seeing my overly reductive belief in food diplomacy thoughtfully challenged in a later piece in the collection, Reem Kassis’s They Ate at My Table, Then Ignored My People. Other pieces brought both whimsy and reflection like Hart Fargo's Aspartame, I Love You. And even when the selections didn’t necessarily break new ground or offer clear solutions, they articulated familiar issues with eloquence and insight, like Henry Wismayer’s review of the growing concerns around travel in Nice View. Shame About All the Tourists. It's a thought-provoking and informative mix.
Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.
The collection opens with a recipe for brandied fruit in a work by Elisabeth Meyer Gonzalez, which played into my long-held belief that it’s hard to tell a story about food without including a recipe and that the shared experience of eating someone else’s food is one of the most powerful ways to gain perspective. And while I was a little disappointed to find it was the only recipe in the book, I also appreciated seeing my overly reductive belief in food diplomacy thoughtfully challenged in a later piece in the collection, Reem Kassis’s They Ate at My Table, Then Ignored My People. Other pieces brought both whimsy and reflection like Hart Fargo's Aspartame, I Love You. And even when the selections didn’t necessarily break new ground or offer clear solutions, they articulated familiar issues with eloquence and insight, like Henry Wismayer’s review of the growing concerns around travel in Nice View. Shame About All the Tourists. It's a thought-provoking and informative mix.
Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews