I wasn't exactly sure how to classify this post - as a review or as a meal inspiration. Slices of Life: A Food Writer Cooks Through Many a Conundrum is part memoir, part cookbook. It's somewhere between one of those novels that throws a few recipes in and one of those cookbooks with a few personal anecdotes. It's really balanced, I thought, between the story and the recipes. There were some delicious recipes in the book that I will definitely have to try out, and Leah Eskin's writing style really helps the reader enter into her world. It's a great gift for anyone interested in food - or memoirs - or both!
I had a chance to interview the author to learn more.
What was the inspiration behind this book?
I’ve been a food columnist for more than 10 years. I write about things that interest me – odd words, new colors – and about moments in my own life. Over time, those bits and pieces kaleidoscoped together into memoir.
Who will this book appeal to?
I think it has a broad audience. Many people cook. But everyone eats. It can be read front to back as a memoir or used back to front as a cookbook. Works both ways. The portion of my life covered in the book is the time I’ve been raising children, so I think it will particularly appeal to moms.
Why the combination of recipes and memories?
Food and memories go together. For me, certain childhood moments are indelibly linked to split-pea soup. College comes back scented with griddle-crisped corn muffins. Early marriage was all about leisurely breakfasts and parenting all about the failure to get anyone to eat breakfast. Neuroscientists probably have a fancy name for this. The rest of us call it the Madeleine Effect.
Why do you think food plays such an important role in our memories?
Memories are fleeting. But you can taste a dish and suddenly return to a time or a feeling. It’s kinda magic.
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