Out to Lunch

From Publishers Weekly
Levy is a self-described "Foodie," a term he and Gael Green are co-credited with coining. Foodies not only love to eat, but revel in the science, history, geography and lore of food, all of which veteran British food-and-drink writer explores in this hilarious collection of essays originally published in Punch, A la Carte, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the London Observer. His eclectic material covers a kitchen fire, an unplugged freezer and his baby daughter's first restaurant meal. Peopled with family, friends, hosts, restaurateurs and other fellow Foodies, the entertaining essays reflect Levy's intense sociability. He is interested as well in the psychological and sociological aspects of food. In typically intimate fashion, he describes his weight-loss sessions with a psychiatrist; a piece on bulimia is particularly sensitive and educational. Levy manages to infuse his work with his personality, yet is never egotistical. The book glows with his curiosity, intellect and wit. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Urbane, intelligent food journalism, most of which first appeared in the London weekly, The Observer. Levy talks in these short pieces about everything in the world of food that interests or amuses him, from dining on dog in China ("What, you may ask, is classically drunk with dog?") to an entertaining expose, titled Foodiegate, of why Escoffier and Cesar Ritz were fired from the Savoy Hotel in 1898. A dozen brief profiles of some major icons of the food world, including Julia Child, catch each nicely in not many words. To read one of these essays each week would be a treat. Binding them between covers to be taken in a few gulps does them no favor; they are too episodic this way to satisfy. For large collections only. Ruth Diebold, M.L.S., Upper Nyack, N.Y.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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