Description

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In this collection of essays, John Thorne sets our to explore the origins of his identity as a cook, going "here" (the Maine coast, where he'd summered as a child and returned as an adult for a decade's sojourn), "there" (southern Louisiana, where he was captivated by Creole and Cajun cooking), and "everywhere" (where he provides a sympathetic reading of such national culinary icons as the hamburger, white bread, and American cheese, and sits down to a big bowl of Texas red). These intelligent, searching essays are a passionate meditation on food, character, and place.

About the Author

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John Thorne and Matt Lewis Thorne live in Northampton, Massachusetts, where they publish the food letter Simple Cooking. Their most recent book, Pot on the Fire, won a James Beard Foundation Book Award.

John Thorne and Matt Lewis Thorne live in Northampton, Massachusetts, where they publish the food letter Simple Cooking. Their most recent book, Pot on the Fire, won a James Beard Foundation Book Award.

Praise For…

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“[Thorne's] richest book yet; one in which simple disparate thoughts begin to coalesce into a genuine philosophy of food.” —Ruth Reichl, Saveur

“Here's a rare treat, a book in which the recipes are only a means to an end or stepping stones in cultural detective stories . . . [Thorne's] folkloric approach to food nourishes the brain as well as the body.” —William Rice, Chicago Tribune

“The Thornes love their subject, but critically, knowledgeably and with a sense of humor that makes the narrative flow as if velvetized by mayo.” —Sheila Himmel, The Washington Post Book World