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The Meaning of Rice: And Other Tales from the Belly of Japan
'The next Bill Bryson.’ New York Times
In this often hilarious yet deeply researched book, food and travel writer Michael Booth and his family embark on an epic journey the length of Japan to explore its dazzling food culture. They find a country much altered since their previous visit ten years earlier (which resulted in the award-winning international bestseller Sushi and Beyond).
Over the last decade the country’s restaurants have won a record number of Michelin stars and its cuisine was awarded United Nations heritage status. The world’s top chefs now flock to learn more about the extraordinary dedication of Japan’s food artisans, while the country’s fast foods – ramen, sushi and yakitori – have conquered the world. As well as the plaudits, Japan is also facing enormous challenges. Ironically, as Booth discovers, the future of Japan’s culinary heritage is under threat.
Often venturing far off the beaten track, the author and his family discover intriguing future food trends and meet a fascinating cast of food heroes, from a couple lavishing love on rotten fish, to a chef who literally sacrificed a limb in pursuit of the ultimate bowl of ramen, and a farmer who has dedicated his life to growing the finest rice in the world… in the shadow of Fukushima. They dine in the greatest restaurant in the world, meet the world champion of cakes, and encounter wild bears. Booth is invited to judge the world sushi championship, ‘enjoys’ the most popular Japanese dish you have never heard of aboard a naval destroyer, and unearths the unlikely story of the Englishwoman who helped save the seaweed industry.
Sushi and Beyond was also a bestseller in Japanese where its success has had improbable consequences for Booth and his family. They now star in their own popular cartoon series produced by national broadcaster NHK.
In this often hilarious yet deeply researched book, food and travel writer Michael Booth and his family embark on an epic journey the length of Japan to explore its dazzling food culture. They find a country much altered since their previous visit ten years earlier (which resulted in the award-winning international bestseller Sushi and Beyond).
Over the last decade the country’s restaurants have won a record number of Michelin stars and its cuisine was awarded United Nations heritage status. The world’s top chefs now flock to learn more about the extraordinary dedication of Japan’s food artisans, while the country’s fast foods – ramen, sushi and yakitori – have conquered the world. As well as the plaudits, Japan is also facing enormous challenges. Ironically, as Booth discovers, the future of Japan’s culinary heritage is under threat.
Often venturing far off the beaten track, the author and his family discover intriguing future food trends and meet a fascinating cast of food heroes, from a couple lavishing love on rotten fish, to a chef who literally sacrificed a limb in pursuit of the ultimate bowl of ramen, and a farmer who has dedicated his life to growing the finest rice in the world… in the shadow of Fukushima. They dine in the greatest restaurant in the world, meet the world champion of cakes, and encounter wild bears. Booth is invited to judge the world sushi championship, ‘enjoys’ the most popular Japanese dish you have never heard of aboard a naval destroyer, and unearths the unlikely story of the Englishwoman who helped save the seaweed industry.
Sushi and Beyond was also a bestseller in Japanese where its success has had improbable consequences for Booth and his family. They now star in their own popular cartoon series produced by national broadcaster NHK.
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 2017
55 people are currently reading
648 people want to read
About the author
Michael Booth
19 books230 followersMichael Booth is an English food and travel writer and journalist who writes regularly for a variety of newspapers and magazines including the Independent on Sunday, Condé Nast Traveller, Monocle and Time Out, among many other publications at home and abroad. He has a wife, Lissen, and two children, Asger and Emil.
In June 2010 Michael Booth won the Guild of Food Writers/Kate Whiteman Award for work in food and travel.
In June 2010 Michael Booth won the Guild of Food Writers/Kate Whiteman Award for work in food and travel.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 7, 2022
the writer is a total simp for all things japan, a cross between an old school orientalist guardian columnist and a weaboo. this is a food travelogue, but almost all of it is purely documentary, he merely stenographs whatever his hosts tell him and show him -- he has barely any original opinions at all except for going "this is the best seaweed/fish/broth/noodle/whatever i have ever tasted" and commenting on how his wife and/or kids were enjoying the food.
having said that, the book is pretty informative and well organized, and might be useful for someone planning a japan trip. otherwise, you might be much better served by reading something else.
having said that, the book is pretty informative and well organized, and might be useful for someone planning a japan trip. otherwise, you might be much better served by reading something else.
November 22, 2021
I wasn't sure about this book going in. I've never read a foodie memoir before and, while I do unashamedly enjoy Japanese food, I wouldn't have thought to pick this up. I got this as a present because I had mentioned wanting to read up on Japan before going (post-COVID, so who knows when it will be pushed back to at this point!) and so I tentatively went in.
I really, really enjoyed this book. Michael Booth has a writing style I haven't come across before but really liked. He has a really approachable way of talking about food and its history, and is really respectful when talking about the people he meets along the way. He is open and honest about the way he consumes Japanese culture and how it might be problematic. I appreciated his openness a lot.
While this a really good book for anyone who enjoys food, I would say knowing a bit about flavours and the sort of language food reviewers use is probably helpful, as I did have to look up a couple of terms to make sure I actually knew what they meant. Other than that, though, it's a really easy read. I would definitely recommend this if you're into food and, especially, if you're curious where certain dishes come from and how they come to be.
I really, really enjoyed this book. Michael Booth has a writing style I haven't come across before but really liked. He has a really approachable way of talking about food and its history, and is really respectful when talking about the people he meets along the way. He is open and honest about the way he consumes Japanese culture and how it might be problematic. I appreciated his openness a lot.
While this a really good book for anyone who enjoys food, I would say knowing a bit about flavours and the sort of language food reviewers use is probably helpful, as I did have to look up a couple of terms to make sure I actually knew what they meant. Other than that, though, it's a really easy read. I would definitely recommend this if you're into food and, especially, if you're curious where certain dishes come from and how they come to be.
September 7, 2019
So boring I couldn't finish it, and I did give it a really good go and I really love Japan. Too many visits to factories and dry accounts of them. Too many 'we did this and then we did this' accounts.
August 11, 2024
This book left me salivating, and wishing I had written down the names of the ingredients and meals described within for future reference.
In the Meaning of Rice, Michael Booth takes us on a food odyssey across Japan - we discover mountains and hills, urban markets and remote hotels, and the deliciously described palette of flavours that can be found there. For those of you who are not familiar with the author (like myself when I started reading this book), I should warn you Booth is an eccentric, and a glutton. This comes across very strongly in his writing - but it's precisely these qualities that make his descriptions of things you may never have seen or tasted so vivid and enjoyable. At times, Booth's dedication to trying just about anything did leave me feeling a little unsettled in the stomach - he has none of the reservations about eating any kind or part of meat or fish that I do.
Highlights of the book include learning about the culture of Japan, and the personal stories of the shefs, farmers, artisans, craftsmen and cooks behind the food as well as the historical origins. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of "Kaizen", the japanese drive to constantly refine and improve processes - be it in cooking, farming, fishing, wine production or fine pottery. I was also left decidedly convinced that I needed to taste many of the dishes and ingredients. Perhaps this book is the gateway to some unwise culinary investements...
Of note:
- Dashi (the family of stocks/mother sauces core to Japanese cuisine)
- Shochu (japanese "burned liquor")
- Tsukemen (Ramen's "Noodles-with-dipping-soup" older brother)
Among many others which I will probably be leafing the pages of this book for later.
Booth acknowledges he sees Japan through this rose-tinted lens a lot, and doesn't focus on some of the darker aspects of Japanese culture and society - but this lighthearted travel-food guide may not be the best place to address such things. While Booth keeps a hopeful tone throughout, many of the conclusions to visits to small farming and fishing outposts end like an Attenborough documentary, reminding us of the danger of aging populations, environmental destruction, climate change and disinterest/neglect. I imagine that things have not changed in many places, and some locations he visited may no longer exist in the same way they did a decade ago.
Pacing wise, the book is pleasant - chapters are short and punchy enough to avoid being heavy, but long enough to tell satisfying stories and bring precision to the descriptions. The conclusion was a little abrupt, not given its own chapter, and followed by uncharacteristically terse acknowledgements.
On another more technical note, Booth continues his habit of not fully describing or naming the specific restaurants he vists consistently - a point he picks up on as he had done the same in a previous book. But his habits continue. Do not come to this book looking on perfect recommendations for places to eat; rather think of it as an appetiser for planning your culinary trip to Japan.
Final warning: don't read this while hungry - it will drive you up the wall.
In the Meaning of Rice, Michael Booth takes us on a food odyssey across Japan - we discover mountains and hills, urban markets and remote hotels, and the deliciously described palette of flavours that can be found there. For those of you who are not familiar with the author (like myself when I started reading this book), I should warn you Booth is an eccentric, and a glutton. This comes across very strongly in his writing - but it's precisely these qualities that make his descriptions of things you may never have seen or tasted so vivid and enjoyable. At times, Booth's dedication to trying just about anything did leave me feeling a little unsettled in the stomach - he has none of the reservations about eating any kind or part of meat or fish that I do.
Highlights of the book include learning about the culture of Japan, and the personal stories of the shefs, farmers, artisans, craftsmen and cooks behind the food as well as the historical origins. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of "Kaizen", the japanese drive to constantly refine and improve processes - be it in cooking, farming, fishing, wine production or fine pottery. I was also left decidedly convinced that I needed to taste many of the dishes and ingredients. Perhaps this book is the gateway to some unwise culinary investements...
Of note:
- Dashi (the family of stocks/mother sauces core to Japanese cuisine)
- Shochu (japanese "burned liquor")
- Tsukemen (Ramen's "Noodles-with-dipping-soup" older brother)
Among many others which I will probably be leafing the pages of this book for later.
Booth acknowledges he sees Japan through this rose-tinted lens a lot, and doesn't focus on some of the darker aspects of Japanese culture and society - but this lighthearted travel-food guide may not be the best place to address such things. While Booth keeps a hopeful tone throughout, many of the conclusions to visits to small farming and fishing outposts end like an Attenborough documentary, reminding us of the danger of aging populations, environmental destruction, climate change and disinterest/neglect. I imagine that things have not changed in many places, and some locations he visited may no longer exist in the same way they did a decade ago.
Pacing wise, the book is pleasant - chapters are short and punchy enough to avoid being heavy, but long enough to tell satisfying stories and bring precision to the descriptions. The conclusion was a little abrupt, not given its own chapter, and followed by uncharacteristically terse acknowledgements.
On another more technical note, Booth continues his habit of not fully describing or naming the specific restaurants he vists consistently - a point he picks up on as he had done the same in a previous book. But his habits continue. Do not come to this book looking on perfect recommendations for places to eat; rather think of it as an appetiser for planning your culinary trip to Japan.
Final warning: don't read this while hungry - it will drive you up the wall.
May 19, 2022
A deep, detailed, and interesting trip across Japan via the food of the different prefectures. Booth has an avid interest in all things Japanese and the book is at its best when describing the intricate and detailed backgrounds of lesser-known Japanese delicacies. At times he is a little overly supportive of Japanese quality, as he says himself he is guilty of fetishizing Japan, but as a reader who shares a similar interest, this doesn't really impact my enjoyment.
A couple of times, you feel he is just parroting the guide/artisan's information, but he is mostly filtering it through his viewpoint and the book is endlessly informative.
Booth is also an excellent writer and each chapter, each being based on a different food/drink sorted by prefecture, are full of vivid descriptions and captivating prose.
A couple of times, you feel he is just parroting the guide/artisan's information, but he is mostly filtering it through his viewpoint and the book is endlessly informative.
Booth is also an excellent writer and each chapter, each being based on a different food/drink sorted by prefecture, are full of vivid descriptions and captivating prose.
August 3, 2019
This book is jam-packed with information which sometimes I had to google; for example the types of citrus fruit and the ortolan eating technique( on YouTube you can find a video wich will haunt me forever ).
I think you will enjoy reading it if you love Japan or if you love food. :)
Regarding the infamous Curry chapter, I didn’t find it that bad. Let’s just think for a second about pineapple on pizza....
I think you will enjoy reading it if you love Japan or if you love food. :)
Regarding the infamous Curry chapter, I didn’t find it that bad. Let’s just think for a second about pineapple on pizza....
April 28, 2018
This is a great book to read if you are a foodie and you're heading to Japan very soon ... and I tick both boxes. It's a family's travelogue as they eat their way around Japan and Booth documents these experiences. Each chapter is dedicated to a destination or a food item, or mostly both. I like how the Japanese narrative is present through experts in the particular food that the author is writing about. The chapter on curry rice was super offensive though --the typical brand of white British arrogance that men in Booth's demographic have. I find it so confusing because in the rest of the book it appears he does have respect for Japanese food. However, this goes back to the appreciation of a culture vs fetishization.
So in conclusion, I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I found it informative and well written, but I just can't excuse the extremely offensive curry rice chapter.
So in conclusion, I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I found it informative and well written, but I just can't excuse the extremely offensive curry rice chapter.
August 20, 2021
I had mixed feelings towards Super Sushi Ramen Express: One Family's Journey Through the Belly of Japan, the first book of Booth's that I had read and given it 2.5 stars. While the book had interesting nuggets about Japan, Booth wasn't above resorting to cheap humour and tired tropes (his encounters with Gothic Lolitas, sumo wrestlers. I described it as White Person Encounters Asia and Uses Cheap Humour to Entertain People Looking for Light Reading.
Still, I was hopeful that the more sedately named The Meaning of Rice and Other Tales from the Belly of Japan would have fewer cringe-worthy moments. Thank goodness I wasn't disappointed.
In The Meaning of Rice, Booth and his family return to Japan, some ten years after their maiden trip which spawned Super Sushi Ramen Express (in 2017), with the mission of delving deeper into the country's food culture. The Booth family visits Okinawa, then Kyushu, Honshu, Shikoku, Hokkaido in that order.
Each of the 35 chapters in this book is generally devoted to a particular food item and each chapter made me want to visit that region immediately to try that dish/foodstuff (maybe with the exception of funa zushi or fermented fish and rice). I wanted to go to Okinawa for sweet potatoes (apparently the white ones taste better than the purple ones), umi budo or "sea grapes" and Okinawan soba. I wanted to visit Kagoshima, Kyushu to have pork shabu-shabu in Ajimori, to devour karukan and satsuma-age, before hopping north towards Nagasaki to eat seafood at Mushigamaya onsen restaurant in Obama and to stuff my face with castella cake in Hirado. Like Booth, I wanted to go to Shikoku on a "yuzu mission"; it doesn't hurt that Booth claims Shikoku has "the best udon noodles in Japan…dazzling seafood; and one of the rarest types of Japanese beef, Tosa beef, which…is more like European beef: a little tougher, but more flavourful". That you can apparently take an "udon taxi" in Kotohira, Kanagawa to check out the driver's favourite restaurants only added to the allure.
Hokkaido is Booth's last stop and this section made me a little sad not to have visited way earlier. He describes Hakodate's Morning Market, where he had high hopes of gorging himself on gloriously fresh (and cheap) seafood - uni (!) in particular - as ruined by mass tourism. It has become an overpriced tourist trap. Sapporo's Nijo Market is similarly "a once fantastic seafood market [that] feels like just another stop on a coach tour with high prices and substandard food and service". He advises going as far from civilisation as possible to get better seafood (Booth ventures to Rausu, on the opposite end of Hokkaido from Hakodate and Sapporo).
A lovely read or a frustrating one, depending on how you look at it. This book made me want to plan a trip to Japan stat. Pity travel's pretty much a non-starter with COVID.
Still, I was hopeful that the more sedately named The Meaning of Rice and Other Tales from the Belly of Japan would have fewer cringe-worthy moments. Thank goodness I wasn't disappointed.
In The Meaning of Rice, Booth and his family return to Japan, some ten years after their maiden trip which spawned Super Sushi Ramen Express (in 2017), with the mission of delving deeper into the country's food culture. The Booth family visits Okinawa, then Kyushu, Honshu, Shikoku, Hokkaido in that order.
Each of the 35 chapters in this book is generally devoted to a particular food item and each chapter made me want to visit that region immediately to try that dish/foodstuff (maybe with the exception of funa zushi or fermented fish and rice). I wanted to go to Okinawa for sweet potatoes (apparently the white ones taste better than the purple ones), umi budo or "sea grapes" and Okinawan soba. I wanted to visit Kagoshima, Kyushu to have pork shabu-shabu in Ajimori, to devour karukan and satsuma-age, before hopping north towards Nagasaki to eat seafood at Mushigamaya onsen restaurant in Obama and to stuff my face with castella cake in Hirado. Like Booth, I wanted to go to Shikoku on a "yuzu mission"; it doesn't hurt that Booth claims Shikoku has "the best udon noodles in Japan…dazzling seafood; and one of the rarest types of Japanese beef, Tosa beef, which…is more like European beef: a little tougher, but more flavourful". That you can apparently take an "udon taxi" in Kotohira, Kanagawa to check out the driver's favourite restaurants only added to the allure.
Hokkaido is Booth's last stop and this section made me a little sad not to have visited way earlier. He describes Hakodate's Morning Market, where he had high hopes of gorging himself on gloriously fresh (and cheap) seafood - uni (!) in particular - as ruined by mass tourism. It has become an overpriced tourist trap. Sapporo's Nijo Market is similarly "a once fantastic seafood market [that] feels like just another stop on a coach tour with high prices and substandard food and service". He advises going as far from civilisation as possible to get better seafood (Booth ventures to Rausu, on the opposite end of Hokkaido from Hakodate and Sapporo).
A lovely read or a frustrating one, depending on how you look at it. This book made me want to plan a trip to Japan stat. Pity travel's pretty much a non-starter with COVID.
March 11, 2024
I have been wanting to read a Michael Booth book for quite some time now, as his name pops up ever so often in the best of travelogues lists. Meaning of Rice, as the cover reveals, is a "culinary tour of Japan." If you've been to Japan, like I have, you'd know this would be an interesting read from them, primarily because Japanese food culture is so different and entertaining while steeped in tradition and simplicity. Michael's writing is a lot like that of Bill Bryson, as he sprinkles the anecdotes of himself and his family with humor, information, personal thoughts, and an overall appreciation for the place he is in. Of course, insight into Japanese food is forever the highlight, and that Michael not only covers the actual dishes but also the people behind them is why the book is such a great read.
March 30, 2020
This was a great book to read while travelling in Japan, but I also would have been happy reading it before we left! So many inspirations, both for travel and for tasting... Learned a few things about some of the food I'd been devouring left and right. The author has his likes and dislikes, with which I sometimes disagreed, but overall he's quite amiable and fair. I loved all the insight he shared through his research and his many, many contacts with not just chefs but people involved in food produchtion. Also important: As he says at the end, he doesn't want to fetishize Japan, but he inserts some poignant observations on the decline of tradition and the environment without sounding moralizing or becoming depressive. Highly recommend!
September 11, 2020
Book for people who love Japan in all its forms or "cuisine die hard fans", especially Japanese cuisine. All the others could find 320 pages about the various typically Japanese foods, slightly boring, despite the way the author tells his "culinary adventures" is quite captivating, but there is also a limit to how funny you can be when talking about food.
Libro per le persone che amano il Giappone in tutte le sue forme o la cucina, in particolare quella giapponese. Tutti gli altri potrebbero trovare 320 pagine sui vari alimenti tipicamente giapponesi, leggermente noiose, nonostante il modo che ha l'autore di raccontare le sue "avventure culinarie" sia piuttosto accattivante, ma c'é anche un limite a quanto si puó essere simpatici parlando di cibo.
Libro per le persone che amano il Giappone in tutte le sue forme o la cucina, in particolare quella giapponese. Tutti gli altri potrebbero trovare 320 pagine sui vari alimenti tipicamente giapponesi, leggermente noiose, nonostante il modo che ha l'autore di raccontare le sue "avventure culinarie" sia piuttosto accattivante, ma c'é anche un limite a quanto si puó essere simpatici parlando di cibo.
August 12, 2022
Sujuvasti kirjoitettu ja kiinnostava Japanin ruokakulttuuria Okinawalta Hokkaidoon käsittelevä teos. Kyushun osiot olivat tietysti omia suosikkeja 😍 Ruoan ohessa käsitellään asialleen omistautuneita ihmisiä ja esiin nousee ruoan lisäksi myös historiaa ja kulttuuria. Mutta mukana on liian paljon "huumoria" ihan turhaan. Lisäksi haastattelumatkoilla mukana ollut perhe saa liikaa sivutilaa. Myös kirjoittajan Japani-fanitus näkyy teoksessa ja jäin kaipaamaan kriittisempiä äänenpainoja. Silti voin suositella teosta japanilaisen ruoan ystäville - opin monta uutta asiaa ruoka-aineista ja myös ruoantekijöistä :)
PS. Toisin kuin kirjoittaja hehkuttaa, uni eli merisiili(n sisälmykset) maistuu ihan kammottavalta. En suosittele.
PS. Toisin kuin kirjoittaja hehkuttaa, uni eli merisiili(n sisälmykset) maistuu ihan kammottavalta. En suosittele.
June 4, 2019
I had picked up the book from the bookstore because I was instantly attracted to the title when I saw the book. I had visited Japan last summer and had spent majority of the time there tasting all the different kinds of local food. Seeing the book had reminded me of my travels and how I wish I could go back and experience it all again. I particularly enjoyed this book because I enjoy food a lot. Reading about the different kinds of food that I have tried and haven't tried was interesting as I got to see what others thought. I found it extremely to learn about the different stories behind each food. However, I took 1 star off because of the chapter on curry rice had confused me.
June 24, 2018
Link do pełnej recenzji po polsku
It's both a sequel and a stand-alone book on Japan, the Japanese and their cuisine. A very pleasant culinary travelogue. I think I liked "Sushi and Beyond" more, but they are at a similar level. There is no doubt, Michael Booth is a great narrator! Still, the chapter on curry rice was out of tune.
It's both a sequel and a stand-alone book on Japan, the Japanese and their cuisine. A very pleasant culinary travelogue. I think I liked "Sushi and Beyond" more, but they are at a similar level. There is no doubt, Michael Booth is a great narrator! Still, the chapter on curry rice was out of tune.
March 12, 2020
Not only rice, but also yuzu, sake, ramen, purple potatoes, uni, insects, whiskey, rotten fish, tea, burgers, soba, mochi, yakitori, melons and everything fermentated. I expected more jokes (because the Booth's book about Scandinavians is very funny), but no - this book was more about sentiments than humour, about the meaning of life, about the dedication. Very enjoyable, especially if you like everything Japanese.
January 3, 2018
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I’m very interested in Japan and Japanese food but it took me ages to get thru this. Perhaps a bit too much detail? It read like he was going over old territory too. The author was clearly trying to make this a literary exercise rather than a memoir or travel book. So just not exactly my cup of (green) tea:).
May 31, 2021
Author and his family return to JP 10 years after their first family trip chronicled in Beyond Sushi. Now the sons are teenagers and contribute their own comments. The author is a minor TV celebrity since Beyond Sushi was adapted to an anime series.
This book takes a deeper dive but left me wondering whether author was out of depth.
This book takes a deeper dive but left me wondering whether author was out of depth.
February 24, 2024
Even after living in Japan for many years, I learned lots of new and interesting foodie culture info.
And hey, Michael Booth, Asperger's is NOT a "mental illness," it's a different neurotype (and it's just called autism now, not Asperger's), and using the word "retarded" in the context you used it has not been OK for quite awhile now.
And hey, Michael Booth, Asperger's is NOT a "mental illness," it's a different neurotype (and it's just called autism now, not Asperger's), and using the word "retarded" in the context you used it has not been OK for quite awhile now.
July 30, 2019
Jeśli czytacie to, ludzie od redakcji i korekty tej książki, to się wstydźcie bardzo.
October 9, 2019
I’m not by any means a foodie but I enjoyed this journey across Japan, exploring its food and its people.
November 5, 2020
Some interesting parts but it tries too hard to be funny.
October 27, 2021
jakby mój ojciec napisał książkę, to taki by jej obraz był
August 15, 2022
Some good moments of insight and digging a little deeper. Could have cut the topics down by half and gone deeper instead.
February 17, 2024
I read this book in preparation for a trip to Japan and must say I found it fascinating informative about culinarily and also from a social aspect of the Japanese people.
December 9, 2025
Well written. Funny. I read while travelling in Japan, and it was fun. Message: Japanese people make great chefs, because of continuous improvement (kaizen).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2018
Michael Booth opisuje swoje podróże z rodziną do Japonii i jak zmieniało się ich postrzeganie Kraju Kwitnącej Wiśni w ciągu kilkunastu lat.
February 24, 2022
Michael Booth tries to repeat the success of his first book about Japanese food, Sushi and Beyond: One Family's Remarkable Journey Through the Greatest Food Nation on Earth, with as difference that this time he travels with his family from south to north: Okinawa to Hokkaido, instead of from north to south. Again it is a journalistic book in which he visits several people connected with Japanese food in a travel program that obviously has been set up for him by the kind Japanese. And again it is a very "chatty" book. The reader has to wade through a lot of irrelevant detail and family lore before being able with some effort to extract a few nuggets of information on Japanese food. And again, Booth is an honored foreign guest with no knowledge of Japanese, who is therefore completely dependent on what his informants deign to tell or show him. But Booth has a particular kind of humor and I suppose the book is an entertaining way to read something about Japan and its food for people who are new to these subjects.
December 27, 2022
I was keen to read this as research for Japan.
He’s a travel and food writer in the vein of a light and breezy newspaper article but lacks the wit of AAGill.
Fairly boring and wouldn’t recommend
He’s a travel and food writer in the vein of a light and breezy newspaper article but lacks the wit of AAGill.
Fairly boring and wouldn’t recommend
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews