Monday, April 29, 2013

Food Loves: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

The cover and reminiscent pages on making croissants.
One of the best parts about working in a bookstore is discovering books I might not have otherwise. While tidying up the graphic novel section I spotted one I'd never seen before - Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley. I loved the colours and illustrations, so I quickly put it on hold for when my shift was finished. This book is glorious. It is the simple story of the author, Lucy, growing up with foodie parents and all the deliciousness it entails. Though I did not come from a foodie upbringing, my appreciation for food grows with every recipe I try, restaurant I go to, friends I eat with, place I visit, - my life is just a growing collection of food stories and memories. Relish had me feeling nostalgic for travel and the excitement it brings in trying new foods. The pages featured a trip to Mexico which reminded me of my own trip at 15 and eating the best tacos I've ever had, a trip to Japan where I was left feeling hungry for some of my favourite Asian cuisines, a trip to Italy reminded me of the best
restaurant I have ever been to - Dino's in Rome - where I had the most authentic, delicious, five course meal of my life. Every story in this book triggered a pleasant memory of my own and left me wanting to travel and discover new tastes. The real treat of this novel however is the recipes that are included. Everything from pesto to mushrooms to sushi to sangria to chocolate chip cookies - the recipes continue with the illustrated theme and yet still leave my tummy grumbling. I can't wait to try out some of these recipes, and I'll definitely be featuring them in this blog at some point.
A few recipe pages - I'm excited to try out the cookies with what else but coconut!

Lucy's trip to Japan left me nostalgic for delicious Asian cuisine.

Overall a fantastic read for anyone who can appreciate a well combined trio of writing, illustration, and recipes. I'm looking forward to reading her book previous to this one, French Milk!

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