The Best American Food Writing 2022: A Curated Collection of Mouthwatering and Comforting Culinary Articles

The Best American Food Writing

by Sohla El-Waylly, Silvia Killingsworth

A collection of the year’s top food writing, selected by guest editor Sohla El-Waylly and series editor Silvia Killingsworth.  Culinary creator, writer and community advocate, Sohla El-Waylly selects the best twenty articles published in 2021 that celebrate the many innovative, comforting, mouthwatering, and culturally rich culinary offerings of our country.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Essays, Cookbooks, Audiobook, Food Writing, Anthologies

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixed bag, but all in all I really enjoyed a lot of the essays in this anthology. It was a diverse selection between personal storytelling, historical / sociological analysis, cultural commentary, and just purely good, descriptive writing.

I grouped some of my favorite essays into 4 categories:

1. Ones that made me think:
- The Limits of the Lunchbox Moment, by Jaya Saxena
- Starving Toward Deliverance, by Julia Sonenshein

2. Ones that left me more informed:
- How Vietnamese Americans Made San Jose America’s Tofu Capital, by Adesh Thapliyal
- Revolt of the Delivery Workers, by Josh Dzieza
- Ghost Acres: Tulare Lake and the Past Future of Food, by Tom Finger
- Innovation and the Incinerated Tongue: Notes on Hot Chicken, Race, and Culinary Crossover, by Cynthia R. Greenlee
- Fruits of Empire, by Willa Glickman

3. Ones where I just loved the writing and prose:
- In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Fear and Love, by Hannah Selinger
- If Silence is the Cost of Great Ramen, So Be It, by Nina Li Coomes

4. Ones that entertained me:
- The Man Who Didn’t Invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, by Sam Dean
- The Wild and Irresistibly Saucy Tale of the Curry Con Man, by Mayukh Sen

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

If you love food, if you love understanding it at its deepest, most psychological and personal levels, this book is for you. Every piece in this book has something to teach, whether about the current effort of Black American farmers to reclaim land, or how the Mussel Slough Tragedy of 1881 (which happened 3 miles from where I grew up) is part of the loss of Tulare Lake and the industrialization of Manchester in England, to the bizarre and sordid ways that food can be forms of both love and abuse. All of the publications were originally in 2021, meaning stories of the pandemic are threaded throughout along with tales that touch on other very contemporary things, like injustices committed against bike food deliverers and the current craze of Nashville hot chicken. I loved the diversity of perspectives, cultures, and places. It made me hungry. It made me sad. It made me feel connected to people who understand the beautiful, horrible relationships we all have with the food that sustains our bodies and memories.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Best American Food Writing 2022 is a compilation of food essays, and like any anthology, there are some highs and lows. Some of the essays meander a bit and were a bit of a slog to get through, so the essence of the article was lost, at least to me.

As with any anthology, there are always favorites, and I had two -- "I Tasted Honda's Spicy Rodent-Repelling Tape" by Liz Cook (a humorous look at how one person's insatiable curiosity will make them do some questionable things) and "A Year of Cooking with My Mother" by Eric Kim (a lovely look at the bonds between mother and son and how they reconnect through cooking).

So, while not all of the essays resonated with me, I will say that I learned something from each one -- a solid read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I look forward to this anthology every year. It didn't disappoint! I particularly loved:

- "Starving Toward Deliverance"
- "Revolt of the Delivery Workers" - my overall favorite!
- "How Vietnamese Americans Made San Jose America's Tofu Capital"
- "Other People's Kitchens"
- "I Tasted Honda's Spicy Rodent Repelling Tape"
- "The Grapefruit Spoon Makes Life Easier"
- "In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Love and Fear"
- "I Recommend Eating Chips"

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

This is the first time I've read one of the "Best of" writing anthologies. Of course, it had to be about food, my favorite. And I'm delighted that I did. I probably wouldn't have seen any of these articles, not subscribing to various publications, and would have missed out on some really interesting perspectives and the history of food.

The articles chosen for this collection are varied, complex, and full of not only food details but also sociological ones as well. From the lunchbox debate, to understanding a love of bubble tea and the cultural implications around it, to how food can help or hinder trauma, there was a lot of ground covered. That's not to say all were emotional or covered tough topics; we also just plain had a person eating spicy rodent tape and seeing what came of it.

I found the article, 'Fruits of Empire' particularly interesting as I've read some previous books on the sourcing of various crops for the United States by the USDA and the implications of such actions on our ecology. 'If Silence is the Cost of Great Ramen, So Be It', covered the effects of Covid-19 on the restaurant population and the changing of 'dining out' in uncertain times. I could keep going; with the breadth and depth of the different topics covered.

This has definitely made me want to check out the previous years collections, and I for sure will be looking forward to the next!

Review by M. Reynard 2022

[lou]

much more consistent than the 2018 edition i read!
standouts include:
"fruits of empire" by willa glickman
"ghost acres: tulare lake and the past future of food" by tom finger
"revolt of the delivery workers" by josh dzieza
"the humble beginnings of today's culinary delicacies" by ligaya mishan
"a year of cooking with my mother" by eric kim

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read of my Best American haul. Loved it. Great range of pieces.

[Susan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Some interesting articles included.

[jamiejars]

Start & ending essays felt so strong but a few in the middle were very hard to get through

[Stefanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most essays are good individually, but as a bind up no. I think the idea is good but if you wanted to share it I don’t think printing each essay is the best. Everyone is so different from the other that categories might make it better.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this series of essays. Each essay brings a unique perspective and connection to food (and its connection to culture).

I felt there was a really great selection from a range of different perspectives. I definitely would read more from this series!

[Edie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

You won’t find “the greatest meal I ever had” or “the best way to make sour dough bread” among these pages, but you will find a treasure of interesting stories The book includes few silly ones for fun, but there are also many thought provoking ones.

Hers a quick rundown of each—-

1. The trope of the immigrant’s lunch box
2. The Christian diet industry-basically anorexia for God.
3. The most disgusting food museum.
4. Food colonialism.
5. The cultural significance of bubble tea.
6. Artistic illusions created with foodstuffs.
7. Growing peaches
8. The violent history of the land that grows our food.
9. The very real perils of being a biking food delivery person.
10. The history of the Vietnamese tofu deli in San Jose.
11. Confessions of a gay man with an eating disorder.
12. Elevating the food of the poor into expensive delicacies.
13. Black Americans buying land and reclaiming agriculture.
14. Hot chicken and culinary racial appropriation.
15. A Korean American mother’s cooking as seen by her son.
16. Creating meals in other people’s houses for cash.
17. Working in a hospital kitchen
18. A Jimmy Buffet themed resort in the heart of Manhattan.
19. The first celebrity chef in turn of the century America pretending to be an Indian Prince.
20. The Japanese convenience store.
21. Nibbling on spicy rodent repellent tape.
22. The charms of single use utensils
23. A curious lifelong vegetarian decides to try a bite of steak in Argentina.
24. A complicated relationship with an abusive stepfather.
25. Using junk food for escapism.

An excellent entry in the Best American Food series.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read many editions of the “Best American” series, mostly mysteries and travel writing, and I thought I have read food writing before as well, but Goodreads tells me otherwise. So here we go with “The Best American Food Writing 2022” edited by Sohla El-Waylly, Silvia Killingsworth. Like all collections, there are highs and lows. But it seems to me that this collection had more lows than highs, and some of the essays had a tenuous connection to food at all. Hopefully as we move out of the pandemic we will see more of a celebration of food than what we have today.

“If Silence Is the Cost of Great Ramen, So Be It” by Nina Li Coomes: Covid hits a Japanese ramen shop, it makes for an interesting experience.

“The Limits of the Lunchbox Moment” by Jaya Saxena: How often do we actually experience the stereotype of “foreign” kids being bullied for their different (ethnic) lunches?

“Starving Towards Deliverance” by Julia Sonenshein: a depressing story about the connection between dieting and extremist Christians.

“The Man Who Didn’t Invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos” by Sam Dean: an interesting story about who created a trendy snack.

“The Gatekeepers Who Get to Decide What Food Is “Disgusting”” by Jiayang Fan: a visit to a Swedish museum dedicated to disgusting foods.

“Fruits of Empire” by Willa Glickman: The history of trying to bring fruits to the US.

“Chronicles of a Bubble-Tea Addict” by Jiayang Fan: the author’s history with bubble-tea and her Asian identity.

“Let Them Eat Fakes” by Ligaya Mishan: The history of deceptive foods.

“The Queen of Delicacies” by Shane Mitchell: peaches in Georgia, and how they got there.

“Ghost Acres: Tulare Lake and the Past Future of Food” by Tom Finger: how a valley in the Sierra Nevada mountains went from native Americans to settlers to farmers and is now coming back.

“Revolt of the Delivery Workers” by Josh Dzieza: New York bicycle delivery workers try to fight back against those that prey on them.

“How Vietnamese Americans Made San Jose America’s Tofu Capital” by Adesh Thapliyal: the title says it all.

“I Ate Like a Boy to Avoid Being a Queer Man” by Logan Scherer: adolescent food as a connection to coming out.

“The Humble Beginnings of Today’s Culinary Delicacies” by Ligaya Mishan: how the food that was once considered “poor” has become the delicacies of today.

“After a Century of Dispossession, Black Farmers Are Fighting to Get Back to the Land” by Tom Philpott: once again, the title says it all. Not really about food.

“Innovation and the Incinerated Tongue: Notes on Hot Chicken, Race, and Culinary Crossover” by Cynthia R. Greenlee: the history of Nashville Hot Chicken as an example of how food defines culture.

“A Year of Cooking with My Mother” by Eric Kim: getting mother’s recipes right for a cookbook leads to a better appreciation of how and why.

“Other People’s Kitchens” by Bryan Washington: Covid leads to a chef cooking for others.

“Margaritaville and the Myth of American Leisure” by Jaya Saxena: can a restaurant/hotel in Times Square really transport you to the beach?

“It’s Hospital Soigne” by Chris Crowley: a chef moves from high end restaurants to cooking at a hospital.

“The Wild and Irresistibly Saucy Tale of the Curry Con Man” by Mayukh Sen: an Indian chef becomes the first celebrity chef in New York, with the inevitable downfall.

“Tokyo Convenience Store Chicken Saved My Life” by Andrew Keh: Covid and the Olympics lead to the discovery of Japanese convenience store cuisine.

“I Tasted Honda’s Spicy Rodent-Repelling Tape” by Liz Cook: once again, the title says it all.

“The Grapefruit Spoon Makes Life Easier” by Rachel Levin: all about the little pleasures that can be found in the kitchen. Sorry Alton Brown!

“I Was a Lifelong Vegetarian. I Decided to Taste What I Was Missing” by Rajesh Parameswaran: I guess if you are going to taste beef, Argentina is a pretty good place to start.

“In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Fear and Love” by Hannah Selinger: a disturbing tale of cooking and abuse.

“I Recommend Eating Chips” by Sam Anderson: the comfort of junk food.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Matthew Lombardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

TL; DR: Read 2021 instead.

Most of these were OK at best. Last year’s collection just radiated a sense of warmth and down-to-earthness, a mood that really highlighted the writers’ deep love for their subjects. The writing came off as cool and genuine, like it was written by a bunch of people just happy for the opportunity to write about what they do and love. This year’s was much more impersonal. Most of these essays read like pieces of investigative journalism, with the writers sounding like they are simply reporting on this world, rather than being a part of it themselves - the energy and enjoyability of this collection suffers greatly as a result.

Some highlights:
● “I Tasted Honda’s Spicy Rodent-Repelling Tape” by Liz Cook ( an essay I enjoyed so much that I subscribed to Cook’s newsletter, Haterade, where this was published )

● “In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Love and Fear” by Hannah Selinger
● “Starving Toward Deliverance” by Julia Sonenshein

● “The Gatekeepers Who Get to Decide What Food Is “Disgusting”” by Jiayang Fan ( Fan was the standout literary star of this anthology - I will be on the lookout for books from her )

Some interesting topics:
● “Margaritaville and the Myth of American Leisure” by Jaya Saxena
● “The Man Who Didn’t Invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos” by Sam Dean
● “Fruits of Empire” by Willa Glickman

Grade: C-

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to the food writing angle to this book as I don't always get to read food blogs/articles as much as I would want to. But are they really the best? Again, that's always a matter of opinion.

There were a few good ones. I especially liked "The Limits of the Lunchbox Moment" by Jaya Saxena because I did NOT experience it. And, the writer, also acknowledged that the lunchbox experience where Asians bring the lunch of their homeland and get ostracized for, is not necessarily everyone's experience. Therefore, we, my Asian self included, need not have to fit into this "lunch"box in order to have an "immigrant experience." Saxena explains, "Now I'm kind of wondering if I rebuilt my childhood memories in order to fit that narrative."

I also lived the bubble tea article since I LOVE bubble tea myself and now I should perhaps schedule an x-ray to see if there are jelly-like substances stuck in my stomach from all the bobas I love having in my drink! :)

One article i just had to skip because it was not something I was interested in, and I love the historical slant to some of the articles like the peach and even the carabao mango seeds from the Philippines that was collected by scientists.

So if you are into food-related articles this is a great read. And because it is an anthology, you can always skip the ones that do not catch your interest.

[AliceC09 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remain glad that food writing has been added to the "Best American" lineup. That said, I think this volume falls on the weaker end of the series. While the series does have diversity in authorship and publication, too much of this volume felt thematically similar to me. The strongest volumes have thematic diversity, sometimes also pushing the bounds of what is considered food writing. I think in this repetition you can See El-Waylly reaching for again and again stories that speak to her and her experience. Volumes guest edited by Nosrat and Lopez-Alt really stand out for the thematic breadth they cover. One final comment - the series editor noted in her introduction that for the first time, a piece of fiction was included among the essays. I wish she had specified which piece this was because it is not immediately obvious, to me at least, which account was fictionalized. It's only January, but I'm already looking forward to the next volume!

[Nancy Zigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this the way a professor in grad school taught me. Slowly, skimming first paragraphs until I was grabbed, and something came to life before my eyes. My favorite pieces were pure and honest and in the world, but not of the world.

I was caught up in the art of eating ramen in silence, tangled up in the bouffant of Gwen Shamblin's weigh down proselytizing, cringing at the article about the man who didn't invent hot Cheetos, drinking boba tea in Chinatown, learning about the art of the fake cake, kimchi, and a favorite--the boy who ate junk food to avoid growing up, rodent repellant tape, and lastly, a nervy piece about a VEGETARIAN EATING MEAT and experiencing something like ecstasy. I never realized how much I enjoyed food writing until the pandemic hit and I read all of Reichl's work.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: read this as an instructor, preparing to use it as the reader in a first-year college composition course.

This was a very good essay collection, with some great essays in it, and a variety of topics were addressed and themes readily connect throughout the essays. I did enjoy the fact that there were a few authors whose work was represented twice, especially when they were writing from different veins and for different audiences. Plenty of pandemic-specific essays, but the pandemic doesn't overwhelm the collection.

I didn't readily understand the organizing principle (unless it's something arbitrary like publication date?), and I do wish that there had been some coverage of African-American and Caribbean-American food cultures.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, as always. The essay about colonialism, empires, and plants (!) was fascinating. I’m so thrilled that Sam Anderson’s “I Recommend Eating Chips” made it. I loved that one when it was originally published. I can’t stop thinking about Fan’s “The Gatekeepers Who Get to Decide Which Food is Disgusting” (and about how much dairy Americans eat, as our disgusting food habit). Parameswaran’s essay about trying steak in Argentina was entertaining and delightful. I loved “The Queen of Delicacies,” all about peaches and the south. And the wonderful and very human “It’s Hospital Soigné.” I always finish this anthology and wish that everyone else had read it too!

[Jordana Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite essays:

- The Limits of the Lunchbox Moment
- Starving Toward Deliverance
- The Man who Didn’t Invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
- The Gatekeepers Who Get to Decide What Food is “Disgusting”
- Revolt of the Delivery Workers
- How Vietnamese Americans Made San Jose America’s Tofu Capital
- After a Century of Dispossession, Black Farmers are Fighting to Get Back to the Land
- Innovation and the Incinerated Tongue:….
- A Year of Cooking with my Mother
- Other People’s Kitchens
- “It’s Hospital Soigné”
- I Recommend Eating Chips - “if we stop, it will end, but if we keep going, it might last forever.”

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm. I really enjoyed the 2020 collection of essays but this one was waaaay more hit or miss for me which was too bad. Some of the little essays were so punchy and fun and interesting and heartfelt and then it felt like way too many were these looooong drawn out rather tedious (to me) histories that I had to slog through. Ah well, mixed bag I guess.

One thing I will say is I have firmly read enough essays on Prince’s hot chicken sandwiches in Nashville, between these two volumes I think I’ve read FOUR essays about it??? That’s too many!!! And I say this as a lover of hot chicken sandwiches but let’s be reasonable folks.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series so much! This year's favorites:

*The Limits of the Lunchbox Moment by Jaya Saxena
*The Gatekeepers Who Get to Decide What Food Is "Disgusting" by Jiayang Fan, about the Disgusting Food Museum in Sweden
*The Queen of Delicacies by Shane Mitchell, about peaches
*Revolt of the Delivery Workers by Josh Dzieza
*The Humble Beginnings of Today's Culinary Delicacies by Ligaya Mishan
*Margaritaville and the Myth of American Leisure by Jaya Saxena
*I Tasted Honda's Spicy Rodent-Repelling Tape by Liz Cook

[diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

short nonfiction is good for me. good for my tiny little brain, which can only handle so much nowadays, but i'm still trying to force it to think every now and then.

what i love about these anthologies is that you can see the editor's hand in every single one of them. no collection is going to follow another's through-line, at least not all the way til the end. sohla el-waylly's best focuses on social issues related to food, on lost (read: stolen) history, on the immigrant experience, and, almost always, on a dry sort of humor.

every meal was delectable.

4/5 stars

[Rae]

The Best American Food Writing 2022 is a multicultural collection that made me want to eat Spam, hot chicken, curry, tofu, and peaches. All while drinking bubble tea in someone else's kitchen listening to Jimmy Buffett. Anyone who enjoys food, cultural history and different cuisines will love the variety and content of these informative and entertaining essays. I know I did.

#NetGalley #TheBestAmericanFoodWriting2022

NetGalley provided a digital ARC for my honest review.

[Emily Braaten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series really asks people to pause and consider the far reaching influences of food. Several times, I had to stop and just let the ideas sink in. Why do we pretend disgust is universal when it's a learned response? Can you achieve true leisure when you feel compelled to demonstrate how relaxed you are through social media? Why is it so hard to generate political will to protect gig workers? Food seems to touch everything.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories were written during the pandemic which made food the focus of our entertainment as it was a boundary we could explore. For example, one story is about staying in a Japanese hotel and picking up food from the nearby convenience stores. The collection of stories is both entertaining and informative.

[Kerith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading these books since the ones by Holly Hughes with the pretty covers. They just about always win me over, with an array of essays about varying aspects of the food world. This one really had something for everyone, from who decides what foods are disgusting (?) to how to eat a bag of chips.
Delicious.

[Carly Gillum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. I always enjoy these compilations as a reflection of the past year or so and to highlight the essays I may have missed during another busy year. This one was no different: teaching me through the language of food and continuing to open my eyes to things I might now have found out otherwise.

[Huy Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed 75% of the essays (mostly in the first half). It’s just so fun using food as a motif to talk about larger cultural and socioeconomic phenomenon, yet remains consistently intimate because eating is intimate. Anyway, guess I shouldn’t eat Dave’s Hot Chicken. Might borrow this audiobook again on a rainy day!