I love reading about food, I love reading about travel, and I REALLY love when books include recipes (Hey there Ruth Reichl; your carbonara recipe from Garlic and Sapphires – I think- is a household favorite and my future cardiologist thanks you). This book may have been written for me.
Appropriately enough, I read it over several lunch breaks at work, and this is probably the ideal way to read it. Despite the title, the chapters are probably best read with space in between; Ellerbee didn’t get through her journalism career without knowing how to write, but some of the stylistic flourishes are a bit much when read back to back. (For instance, the story about the creation of Nachos is one I happened to know, so the way it was presented like a little known secret was a bit irritating to me. Your mileage may vary.)
Ellerbee tells her tales of travel with wit, insight, and not a little self-deprecation. It’s almost a biography in snapshot, frames by meals, which is pretty much how life should be enjoyed in my opinion. Her perspective is fresh and honest. The one thing I can’t evaluate is whether her recipes are; despite their being the thing I was most excited for and the reason I bought the book, I haven’t tried any yet. I’m excited to, but the book makes you want to go experience the real thing rather than recreate it at home.