Eating Epstein

Think about the best meal you've eaten, one that was a rich feast of flavors but light and leisurely, leaving you satisfied but alert and ready for more. That's what Jason Epstein's marvelous memoir, Eating, is like.

Jason Epstein is a publisher who has had contracts with some of the most notable authors, chefs and cooking writers (Gore Vidal, Craig Claiborne, Alice Waters, Maida Heatter, to name just a few) of our time. His book is autobiography, travelogue, cookbook and a juicy peek inside the world of book publishing. I've never read anything quite like it, although in part it reminded me of Molly Wizenberg's delightful book, A Homemade Life, because it is beautifully written and studded throughout with recipes that coincide with the stories Epstein spins of his life in New York and Long Island. Delightfully written, it can take the reader from Iceland to Oman and from Oman to Mexico in the space of a few descriptive paragraphs, following the rich and exotic social history of braised goat.

My Beloved gave me this book, lovingly inscribed on the flyleaf, for Christmas. I finally got around to reading it on the BART as I went back and forth to work last week. It's not a heavy read - it's light as a soufflé and funny and, as I mentioned, very, very well written - but it has moments of introspection and almost philosophical insights that save it from being a piece of fluff. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it to you. Anyone who enjoys eating will relish this lovely meal of a book.