The Man Who Ate Everything - Jeffrey Steingarten [0]
The Man Who Ate Everything
“Whatever he’s scrutinizing—and no sardine is safe—this is a superb, omnivorous collection from an obvious man of taste.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Obsessional, witty and authoritative … brisk and self-mocking … unrivaled in the completeness of its basic research.”
—Wall Street Journal
“The man is a delightful writer.”
—USA Today
“This appealing collection of Steingarten’s writing is full of style.”
—Saveur Fare
“What elevates The Man Who Ate Everything above traditional food writing is the author’s innate understanding that eating is tantamount to living, and if one is to do it at all, one should do it well.”
—New York Magazine
“Informative yet hilarious … this book serves up generous helpings of laughter.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Magnificent … recommended for popular cookery collections.”
—Library Journal
“Relish this … Steingarten’s evident erudition in food science and lore … range broadly over numerous food-related topics.”
—Booklist
Also by Jeffrey Steingarten
It Must’ve Been Something I Ate
Jeffrey Steingarten
The Man Who Ate Everything
Jeffrey Steingarten trained to become a food writer at Harvard College, Harvard Law School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Harvard Lampoon. For the past eight years he has been the internationally feared and acclaimed food critic of Vogue magazine. Recently he has also become the food correspondent for the on-line magazine Slate. For essays in this collection, Mr. Steingarten has won countless awards from the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. On Bastille Day, 1994, the French Republic made him a Chevalier in the Order of Merit for his writing on French gastronomy. As the man who ate everything, Chevalier Steingarten has no favorite food, color, or song. His preferred eating destinations, however, are Memphis, Paris, Alba, Chengdu—and his loft in New York City.
FIRST VINTAGE BOOKS EDITION, NOVEMBER 1998
Copyright © 1997 by Jeffrey Steingarten
Illustrations copyright © 1997 by Karin Koetschmann
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, in 1997.
Most of the pieces in this collection have appeared, in somewhat different form, in Vogue. Several others first appeared in HG, and one appeared in Slate.
Owing to limitations of space, acknowledgments for permission to reprint previously published material may be found on this page.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the Knopf edition as follows:
Steingarten, Jeffrey.
The man who ate everything : and other gastronomic feats, disputes, and pleasurable pursuits / by Jeffrey Steingarten.—
1st ed.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-79782-7
1. Gastronomy—humor. 2. Food—humor. I. Title.
TX631.S74 1997
641’.01’30207—dc21 97-2815
Author photograph © Hiro
Random House Web address: www.randomhouse.com
v3.1
For Caron, Anna, and Michael
Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Introduction: The Man Who Ate Everything
PART ONE Nothing but the Truth
Primal Bread
Staying Alive
Why Aren’t the French Dropping Like Flies?
Totally Mashed
Water
Ripeness Is All
Hot Dog
Playing Ketchup
PART TWO Help Yourself
Le Régime Montignac
The Waiting Game
Vegging Out
High Satiety
Sweet Smell of Sex
Going for the Burn
PART THREE Stirring Things Up
Salad the Silent Killer
Just Say Yes
Salt
Pain Without Gain
Murder, My Sweet
A Fat of No Consequence
PART FOUR Journey of a Thousand Meals
True Choucroute
Hail Cesare!
Where’s the Wagyu?
Kyoto Cuisine
Creatures from the Blue Lagoon
Rosemary and Moon Beans
Going Whole Hog
Ingredients in Search of a Cuisine