MADreads

Delicious delicacies and delightful disguises

July 23rd, 2007 Carissa - Alicia Ashman

When I finished listening to the audio version of Ruth Reichl’s Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise I wanted to start from the beginning and listen to the whole delicious book again.  Reichl tells the story of her years as the restaurant critic for the New York Times with such sensuous food descriptions that I actually wished I could taste a watermelon, avocado and calamari salad that she described (as well as other, less bizarre concoctions).

Mouth-watering restaurant reviews are woven together with humorous stories of the disguises she created to elude recognition and the (sometimes terrible) treatment she received at restaurants when working undercover.  The book also explores some deeper realms—describing how she felt like (and behaved like) a completely different person when she went out in disguise, social justice issues (is it morally irresponsible to enjoy extremely expensive meals in a world filled with so much hunger and poverty?)—but never gets too heavy or bogged down.  The audio (which is also available as a download for your MP3 player) is well-read and ends with a short interview with the author herself—an unexpected treat!

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction