Tender at the Bone - Ruth Reichl

Tender at the Bone

Always in search of another great food memoir, I picked up Tender at the Bone after reading Ruth Reichl's debut novel this spring. Her memoir had been On Reserve for a while, but I had not gotten around to it yet. I finally got a chance this holiday season.

The book is exactly what you'd expect. Reichl's life story, with a specific focus on food. Many people who write books like this rave about the food they ate growing up, about mothers or grandmothers who taught them love in the kitchen. Not so for Reichl. Her mother was a wretched cook, a fact exacerbated by some mental health issues. The closest person she had to a food role model was a family maid, Alice. 

I was surprised to realize that Reichl was a bit of a hippie in her young adult years. Ok, maybe a lot of one. She lived in a commune with her husband and worked at a restaurant run by a collective. 

All of these things shaped her into the cook and food-lover she is today. Reichl edited Gourmet magazine for years before its demise. Before that, she was a food critic for The New York Times. Her niche lies in food journalism, for sure. 

The book was a fun read. Nothing ground-breaking or life-changing. Reichl had a lot of fun stories and clearly enjoyed exploring her life-long relationship with food. It's a standard food memoir. If you enjoy them, read this one. 

Pages: 304

Date Completed: December 6, 2014