Product Description

Jeffrey Steingarten is to food writing what Bill Bryson is to travel writing. Whether he is hymning the joys of the perfect chip, discussing the taste of beef produced from Japanese cows which are massaged daily and fed on sake, or telling us the scientific reasons why salad is a 'silent killer', his humour and his love of good food never fail. The questions he asks (like 'Why aren't the French dropping like flies?') will challenge everything you assume you know about what you eat, yet his characteristic wit imparts masses of revelatory information in the most palatable of ways. A must for everyone who's ever enjoyed a meal - this book contains everything you ever wanted to know about food, but were too hungry to ask...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #89040 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-08
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Jeffrey Steingarten was a lawyer until 1989, when an invitation to write for American Vogue effected his metamorphosis into a food writer--unquestionably a higher form of life. As the self-styled Man Who Ate Everything, he could allow himself no favourite foods nor irrational dislikes; consequently, the first piece in the book describes his heroic efforts to purge himself of all food phobias in preparation for his new post. The Six-Step Programme he devised was largely successful: as a result, kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage), anchovies, Greek food and clams ("I feel a mild horror about what goes on in the moist darkness between the shells of all bivalves...is the horror deeper than I know?) all assumed a place in his diet. He became the "perfect omnivore". Now he seems to travel the world, eating. The Man Who Ate Everything deals to a certain extent with food and cooking, but its real subject (aside from Steingarten himself) is our attitude towards what we eat--what our food choices reveal about us. So he discusses the complex issues surrounding choosing the best brand of bottled water; the pros and cons of cooking "French" fries in horse fat; the deadly toxins that infest a virginal salad. He travels to Alsace in pursuit of le Veritable Choucroute Garni, to Piedmont to join white-truffle hunters, to Kyoto to worship at the shrine of kaiseki ryori, formal Japanese haute cuisine. By turns witty, learned, satirical and riotously farcical, The Man Who Ate Everything is never less than passionate about his subject. --Robin Davidson

Amazon.co.uk Review
Jeffrey Steingarten was a lawyer until 1989, when an invitation to write for American Vogue effected his metamorphosis into a food writer--unquestionably a higher form of life. As the self-styled Man Who Ate Everything, he could allow himself no favourite foods nor irrational dislikes; consequently, the first piece in the book describes his heroic efforts to purge himself of all food phobias in preparation for his new post. The Six-Step Programme he devised was largely successful: as a result, kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage), anchovies, Greek food and clams ("I feel a mild horror about what goes on in the moist darkness between the shells of all bivalves...is the horror deeper than I know?) all assumed a place in his diet. He became the "perfect omnivore". Now he seems to travel the world, eating. The Man Who Ate Everything deals to a certain extent with food and cooking, but its real subject (aside from Steingarten himself) is our attitude towards what we eat--what our food choices reveal about us. So he discusses the complex issues surrounding choosing the best brand of bottled water; the pros and cons of cooking "French" fries in horse fat; the deadly toxins that infest a virginal salad. He travels to Alsace in pursuit of le Veritable Choucroute Garni, to Piedmont to join white-truffle hunters, to Kyoto to worship at the shrine of kaiseki ryori, formal Japanese haute cuisine. By turns witty, learned, satirical and riotously farcical, The Man Who Ate Everything is never less than passionate about his subject. --Robin Davidson

Jennifer Paterson
'Absolutely not to be missed.'

Customer Reviews

If you only buy one book....
Never read this book in bed... you will get hungry and start cooking!


This it seems is a collection of foodie articles of the highest quality writing on a variety of foodie subjects.Its not a recipe book, rather the thoughts and actions of a man who loves 'food' and all its aspects. It should appeal to many people not just foodies.

Steingarten's style is intelligent but not academic. Similar to Heston Blumenthal I think.

All the chapter subjects appealed to me. This is a book one could read and reread.

The BBQ chapter makes me want to get on a plane, hire a car and spend 2 weeks driving across the South eating at every place he mentions.

Brilliant
I bought this book in a store but it was so excellent that i did buy its follow up from Amazon as i read it in one weekend and have now been down the local supermarket for all the varieties of potatoes i can find to make the perfect mash. Soon to be unleashed on unsuspecting flat mates along with large varieties of sausages and gravies. if you love food this is one of the best laughs you'll have on the tube on the way to work except that you'll be starving when you do get there.

Give a copy of this book to ALL your friends
Anyone who begins a chapter with the words, 'I like salad, eaten in moderation like bacon or chocolate, about twice a week' ought to be compulsory reading, for Steingarten's insouciant wit makes every chapter in this delightful book an indulgent pleasure. Cheer up your library with this work; give it to friends in hospital who care about real food - Steingarten does, e.g. in Primal Bread he writes: 'The world is divided into two camps: those who can live happily on bread alone and those who also need vegetables, meat, and dairy products. Isaiah and I fall into the first category....' A joy to enjoy, and it's calorie-free.