Home › Books › The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard
The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard
by
81/99
Critics
26/99
Readers
n/a
Scholars
66/99
Rating
96/99
Volume
4/99
Rating
47/99
Volume
—
Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.
About This Book
After World War II, a newly affluent United States reached for its own gourmet culture, one at ease with the French international style of Escoffier, but also distinctly American. Enter James Beard, authority on cooking and eating, his larger-than-life presence and collection of whimsical bow ties synonymous with the nation's food for decades, even after his death in 1985. In the first biography of Beard in twenty-five years, acclaimed writer John Birdsall argues that Beard's struggles as a closeted gay man directly influenced his creation of an American cuisine. Starting in the 1920s, Beard escaped loneliness and banishment by traveling abroad to places where people ate for pleasure, not utility, and found acceptance at home by crafting an American ethos of food likewise built on passion and delight. Informed by never-before-tapped correspondence and lush with details of a golden age of home cooking, The Man Who Ate Too Much is a commanding portrait of a towering figure who still represents the best in food.
Preview
Reviews
"Birdsall has done his research with enviable skill ..."
"The Man Who Ate Too Much unsparingly dismantles the mythology of the jolly asexual bachelor gastronome ..."
"It is the celebration that Beard deserves."
"This is the worst thing a reviewer can do, to judge a book against the one not written."
"It also helps another generation of foodies appreciate how Beard shaped American cuisine and helps all of us better understand the struggles LGBQT people faced in the mid-20th century."
"Food lovers will rejoice at this new portrait of one of America's all-time culinary greats, cheering for Beard's shining legacy and empathizing with his disappointments."
Reader Reviews
0 reviewsSign in to write a review.
No reader reviews yet. Be the first!