BookGraf: ‘It Must’ve Been Something I Ate’

“And thus it was that my assistant, Kathryn, and I spent the afternoon ranging about lower Manhattan in search of tarts.” Does this sound like a pretty nice way to make a living, or is it just me? But its not all fun and games. Some of the tarts collected for this exhaustive taste-test were suboptimal – with tough or even mealy crusts. Gasp.

Jeffrey Steingarten has carved out a pretty awesome niche for himself (and his assistant) researching some of the finest foods available. From sea urchin to the best dry-aged steaks on the market, to tarts, Steingarten has compiled another compelling guide to some of the world’s finest foodstuffs.

He’s a fanatic, it’s true, but his deep and abiding interest is of the kind that grows out of love and so is a joy to read. His enthusiasm is infectious and his style is refined, self-aware (I was going to say self-deprecating, but that’s inaccurate), and very  good-humored. He also puts in the work – in the research, in the kitchen and in the writing – that makes this book neither precious nor self-indulgent.

I so loved his first compilation of investigative culinary features -  The Man Who Ate Everything – that I immediately and cheerfully dove right into It Must’ve Been Something I Ate, and was not disappointed. I am, however, kind of a squeamish omnivore, and must admit that I skipped the chapter about slaughtering a pig. Perhaps someone who’s read it would like to fill us in?

Many thanks to Flash for recommending this book!

• Read what I had to say about The Man Who Ate Everything.
• Would love to know what you’re reading. Please feel free to comment below or e-mail me at thea [at] nutgraf dot net.
• Check out BookGraf: The low-impact reading club on Facebook.