Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley is a graphic novel that I almost did not review here. Partly because it is from 2013 and who wants to read a book that old? Well, I did, so I figured maybe someone else would, too. And it is not just for a fan of Knisley (though you probably should be a fan as they have a lot of fun relatable memoir stories) and it is not just for foodies, though that might help a little. But you can be a gourmet chef or a lover of the Golden Arches and still get something from this. Knisley is taking us on a journey of love, family, friends and food. She highlights the moments of her life where food comes into play. From farmer markets, to childhood trips to Mexico (where her friend Drew and she found some of the best “common foods,” Mexican porn magazines and had her coming of age with her menstruation starting) and both childhood and adult trips to Japan, France, and Vienna, plus her time in college while living in Chicago, to the family garden and her moms catering jobs we see how all the foods play a part in making Lucy, well Lucy (and how food can make you, too).
This is a graphic novel that is pure Lucy Knisley with her humor and love of the written word and drawn image, plus adoring of food, family and experiences. It is specific to Lucy’s life, but can also be something that can be relatable to anyone. The biggest difference to their earlier and later works is that this time around the book can have terribly crowded panels. The pages can be filled with multiple images, lots of text and colors that are heavy, making it sometimes difficult to pick out the pieces.
One of the interesting parts of things is that there are recipes (minus some details) that can help you understand what the food in question is made of and how it connects to Knisley. Also, she never comes out and says “don’t do junk food” because yes we know it is bad, but sometimes we need that comfort grease of McDonald French fries. Then again, she has happily chowed down on some foie gras after a less-than-pleasant encounter with a fowl of its origin.