Best Food Writing 2010

by Holly Hughes (Editor)

A new edition of the authoritative and appealing anthology, comprised of the finest culinary prose from the past year's books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and Web sites. With food writing and blogging on the rise, there's no shortage of treats on the buffet to choose from, including selections from both established food writers and new stars on everything from noted gastronomes to how to fry an egg, from erudite culinary history to delectable memoirs. Evocative, provocative, sensuous, and just plain funny, it's a tasty sampler platter to dip into time and again. Best Food Writing 2010 features top-notch writers like Colman Andrews, Calvin Trillin, Ruth Reichl, Alice Waters, Frank Bruni, and many others.

Genres: Food, Food Writing, Nonfiction, Cooking, Essays, Gastronomy, Cookbooks

368 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2010

About the author

Holly Hughes has edited the annual Best Food Writing series since its inception in 2000. The author of Frommer's 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers, she lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly fantastic collection of a wide range of food writing. While the section on restaurants and chefs got a little scene-y for my tastes -- I'm not so interested in 20 pages of stalking an elusive chef -- I loved returning to this collection at the end of each day. Can't wait to check out more writing from many of the included authors, and track down previous years' publications as well.

[Leesgoodfood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like readings the various perspectives an various food-related things. And few good recipes. But mostly writing. A lovely tribute to Gourmet magazine in one of the last essays.
Don't let the length of time it took me to finish this fool you: I take books of essays and shorts stories to read at the dog park when there is no one to talk with.

[Mindy Burroughs · Rating 5 out of 5]

These essays were written as I was just entering my graduate college into a recession era. What a blast from the past. The food fads, the themes, the ennui. So much makes sense in hindsight.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

In essays, I appreciate broad themes, but not broad topics. The book is divided into several sections (on debates, world food, cooking at home, favorite foods), with a number of relevant essays in each. Those with specific topics tend to compel while those that shoot wide felt generally wasted.

The debate section ('food fights') was a bit tedious - broad themes AND broad topics - most of which were written by meat eaters who admit all the problems with eating meat but oh they just like it so much. Yawn.

Essays through the rest were mixed. I particularly liked essays on contemporary French dining, tofu, sardines, Russ & Daughters, reading cookbooks, testing a sommelier, tracking an elusive Chinese chef and L.A. street food. I skipped a few that were particularly eye-roll inducing (including one where an urban farmer in San Francisco, who tries eating only what's in her backyard for a month, breaks down and eats the decorative corn on her mantel...on day two).

Essays were very Southern (two essays on barbeque) and urban-centric, though I guess that's not surprising.

I'm sorry that I didn't read Gourmet before its demise a year ago; essays from those pages (and from the New Yorker) were particularly pleasing.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of these essays were too short and, unsurprisingly in this charcuterie-crazed era, many dealt with meat. But it's a neat anthology with diverse content. I read it slowly (obviously). Some of my favorites were "The Doughnut Gatherer," by a food critic whose 3-year-old has a severe form of acid reflux that leaves him with no appetite--she celebrates when he starts eating gas station doughnuts--"Will Work Nights," a funny riff on restaurant kitchen mayhem, and "World's Best Sommelier vs. World's Worst Customer" by former NYT critic Frank Bruni.

[I think Goodreads hates French, because the auto-spell check has underlined charcuterie and sommelier. Actually, it underlines the word Goodreads too.]

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites this year are confessions of professional foodies humbled by an elusive genius and a toddler, respectively. The Perfect Chef by Todd Kliman and The Doughnut Gatherer by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl.

(Oh, and foodwriters? You've been warned. You still want your madeleines? You can have your madeleines. BUT I WILL HAVE YOUR STARS! ONE FOR EACH PASTRY! Diane Roberts, you lost it for the team on p. 281.)

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrote this once and it disappeared -- trying again. I especially liked the comments on wine and the current trend of 2010 -- brining. I enjoyed the wine reflection which takes a bit to task those who pay $$$ for wine (per some wine guide) and delight in that alone versus the columnist who believes the great finds are actually those which are more obscure (and less costly). Fun to read each chapter, how one guy followed a chef around the country. If you like food -- and reading about it -- this is your book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm amazed at how much I can enjoy reading about food. You'd think I'd get tired of it, but no. Fun stories reminding me of tastes, smells, and experiences I've had and adventures I'd love to take. I may prefer reading my favorite food blogs, but this is so much more portable.

Favorite essay is "God Loves You and You Can't Do a Thing About It," from Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life.

[Vince Darcangelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faves:

All hail Jason Sheehan. Killer writer, and his piece, "Will Work Nights," is the stand-out of this collection.

Other hits include:

Amanda Faison: "Soul Food"

Barry Estabrook: "The Need for Custom Slaughter"

Janet A. Zimmerman: "All That Glitters"

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt: "How to Make Perfect Thin and Crispy French Fries"

Frank Bruni: "World's Best Sommelier vs. World's Worst Customer"

David Leite and Renee Schettler: "Computers or Cookbooks in the Kitchen?"

Jess Thompson: "A Glutton for Gluten"

Marisa Robertson-Textor: "The Last Gourmet Supper"

[Rob Gall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on the street . . . left for me by some considerate NYC soul. I'm not much on anthologies but am very interested in food/cooking/exploration. With a bit of surprise I found this collection of writings/bloggings on food and related subjects to be very entertaining. Some of the articles were, in 2015, a bit dated as some the new wave phenomes of 2010 are old hat in 2015. Not this book's fault, however. Only a (relatively) short series of articles on how we should all be vegans kept me from awarding the fifth star. I'll be reading more of Holly's more recent collections.

[cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

2011 Book 49/100

A collection of food essays that have varying levels of success, with a few true standouts. I wished that the book was full of writing more like Todd Kliman's, which you can read at the link below without having to wade through all of the carnivore apologists and terroir-loving wine experts. You can thank me later.

http://www.oxfordamerican.org/article...

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! It took me a bit to get through the whole thing because I only read a one or two of the articles a night, but everything in it was well-written and entertaining. I went to bed dreaming of food after every story. The editor definitely picked the best of the best. The authors delved into well-know cuisines and dishes, as well as ones I had never heard of, making for an informative and inspiring read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to the best of the series, but always worth a read. I especially liked "The Doughnut Gatherer" by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl and "Potlucky" by Sam Sifton. Maybe the whole problem is NO CALVIN TRILLIN! Trillin should always be included, every single year.

[Sue Sensor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I love to read short stories and love to eat. It was a quick read. I was able to leaf through the book and read the passages that I found interesting. I didn't feel the pressure to finish the whole book.

[Rebecca Tolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

read my review on my blog here: http://www.potlikkery.com/2010/11/bes...
and here: http://www.potlikkery.com/2010/11/bes...

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read the essays on sardines and French fries and both were great. I didn't read the whole book because, frankly, I find a lot of food writing tedious and pretentious.

[Stephanie]

I receive a copy of this every year and always enjoy reading it. This year the pieces that examine the pros and cons of the locavore movement are particularly intriguing...

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. I love food writing, and some of my favorite writers show up every year. It's also fun when a writer from my city shows up and talks about places I know about.

[Raelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far - FAN. Tas. Tic.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories here seem a bit mundane. Overall, good content, lots of fun tidbits, but not overwhelmingly fun.

[S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series but I had trouble getting through this one. Some sections went a little slower than others.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several of these annual anthologies over the years. All have been well enjoyed, this one particularly so with a wide range of topics.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice selection - I appreciated the editor including new media sites as well.

[Dwayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. I think I would have gotten more out of it if I was a Capitol F Foodie, but I'm not. Though the essay on reverse engineering McDonalds French fries was great.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book just made me miss Gourmet magazine.

[Wynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprisingly boring.