Saturday, February 14, 2015

Food - Review


Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan

Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Library (audio)
Description:  Jim Gaffigan's favorite thing is food and his favorite about food is eating it.  Since he spends so much time eating it he has lots of opinions about it.  In fact, he has a whole book of opinions about food from microwaving hot dogs to dinner at high end restaurants!

Genre: Non-Fiction
Why I Picked This Book:  The blurb caught my attention and sounded funny.

My Impression:
Pros: I have mixed results with books written by comedians.  Frequently it feels like they try to be weird and quirky which comes off as forced and silly.  I haven't watched a lot of Gaffigan's stand up but what I saw I liked.  His jokes are about just regular stuff and everyday life which is always my favorite.  Plus how can you go wrong with a book about food?  I love to cook but am pretty adventurous trying new foods but I also love a good cheeseburger and my family is very meat and potatoes so I could relate to a lot of Jim's stories. We will now be using his term for oysters (rock snot) pretty exclusively.  His views on fast food, Whole Foods, kids and food, vegetables and countless other things were pretty spot on and I had to stop listening to this in the car a few times because I was giggling like a crazy person and getting some odd looks.  I also liked that while Jim does talk about his kids this isn't a book that'd only be funny if you have kids yourself.  Basically if you've ever enjoyed a Big Mac or questioned how much something cost at Whole Foods or thought you'd much rather have cheesecake than green beans you'll relate to this book.

Cons: It did seem to drag on in parts.  Because Gaffigan is true to his topic this book is really just about food and eating it.  While I enjoyed it there were a few times I though "okay I get it."  Also, from some of the reviews I read if you're a big fan of Gaffigan's stand up there's a lot of repeat jokes and stories in this book.

Overall: If you're looking for an insightful book on food or a book where you'll learn something this isn't it.  This is, however, a pretty hilarious look at food it's unhealthy best from a guy with some serious eating experience!

Audio note: This book was read by the author which was great because he did his inflections and voices just the way they were supposed to be.  I think this would be a quick read so the dragging bits might not show up in the text version.  It made for a great listen though.  I actually did a far more thorough job of organizing the pantry than I had originally intended just because I wanted to keep listening.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  I'm already looking forward to reading Dad is Fat.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes!  I've already ordered my husband a copy.

Challenges Met? N/A - started this in December

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads

9 comments:

  1. This definitely belongs on my audio wish list! Thanks, Katherine.

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  2. I just started listening to this today!

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  3. I agree with you about them trying 'too hard' to be witty and funny. I think I would like this, being a foodie and all.

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  4. Oh, now I want to read this! I imagine hearing an audio version would be funnier. Maybe I'll have to try that instead . . . thanks for the review! Love the big hot dog on the cover. :)

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  5. Great cover. I have seen this. Few times on book sites but not read anything about it. I think this would be a good one for the husband. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Emma

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  6. I have this audio, but haven't gotten to it yet! Glad to know it was pretty funny! We heard the author on The Splendid Table podcast, and he made us laugh, so I thought hubby and I could listen to it together on a road trip sometime.

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  7. LOL -- I'm glad u enjoyed this as well, but yes, it did drag at times.

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