The Best American Food Writing 2018 (The Best American Series ®)

Food writing is stepping out, legendary food writer Ruth Reichl declares at the start of this, the inaugural edition of Best American Food Writing . Its about timeFood is, in a very real sense, redesigning the world. Indeed, the twenty-eight pieces in this volume touch on every pillar of society: from the sense memories that connect a family through food, to the scientific tinkering that gives us new snacks to share, to the intersections of culinary culture with some of our most significant political issues. At times a celebration, at times a critique, at times a wondrous reverie, the Best American Food Writing 2018 is brimming with delights both circumspect and sensuous. Dig in! Revenge of the lunch lady -- Jane Black New York. Chicago. Detroit. Portland? Making the case for a new American pizza city -- Karen Brooks Christina Tosi has a cookie -- Mary H. K. Choi I've worked in food for twenty years. Now you finally care about female chefs -- Amanda Cohen Secrets in the sauce -- Lauren Collins On the Ibérico Trail -- John T. Edge Bringing in the beans -- Ted Genoways Is dinner for two worth $1,000? -- Jane Black How Driscoll's reinvented the strawberry -- Dana Goodyear Temples of the seasons -- Alex Halberstadt The struggle of "eating well" when you're poor -- Marissa Higgins The NBA's secret sandwich addiction -- Baxter Holmes The white lies of craft culture -- Lauren Michele Jackson Where's the beef -- Beth Kowitt In God's hands -- Francis Lam To wash or not to wash -- Harold McGee Born in the USA : the rise and triumph of Asian-American cuisine -- Ligaya Mishav Who owns Uncle Ben -- Shane Mitchell Georgetown one stop -- John O'Connor The country sausage that's going to town -- Chris Offutt The teenage whaler's tale -- Julia O'Malley The mad chese scientists fighting to save the dairy industry -- Clint Rainey The joy of reading about cooking -- Tejal Rao Oysters : a love story -- Tejal Rao Mario Batali and the appetites of man -- Helen Rosner Pawhuska or bust : a journey to the heart of pioneer woman country -- Khushbu Shah The world's last great undiscovered cuisine -- Anya Von Bremzen After oranges -- Wyatt Williams. Selected by Ruth Reichl, “punchy and vibrant” essays on food, its place on our tables, in our lives, and in our world ( Publishers Weekly ). The twenty-eight pieces in this volume are about food, yet touch on every pillar of society: from the sense memories that connect a family, to the scientific tinkering that gives us new snacks to share, to the intersections of culinary culture with some of our most significant political issues. Included among other essays are: “Revenge of the Lunch Lady” by Jane Black, food writer for the Washington Post , New York Times , and Wall Street Journal “How Driscoll’s Reinvented the Strawberry” by Dana Goodyear, author of Anything that Moves “Who Owns Uncle Ben?” by Shane Mitchell, James Beard Award winner and Saveur contributing editor “Is Dinner for Two Worth $1,000?” by Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times restaurant critic At times a celebration, at times a critique, at times a wondrous reverie, The Best American Food Writing 2018 is brimming with delights both circumspect and sensuous. Dig in! “For pure food writing fun, it’s hard to beat Baxter Holmes’s ‘The NBA’s Secret Sandwich Addiction,’ which will have readers first laughing incredulously and then hungrily craving a PB&J on plain white bread. Thoughtful and educational, enticing and entertaining, this collection has something for everyone.”— Publishers Weekly In this inaugural edition in a new series, Ruth Reichl [collects] pieces originally published in a wide range of venues ... There are odes to dining scenes, like Karen Brooks's two-fisted defense of Portland, Ore., as a great pizza city ... as well as profiles of foodie celebs like Mary H.K. Choi's ... take on ... Christina Tosi and Kushbu Shah's pilgrimage to Ree Drummond's remote Oklahoma eatery. Politics are a constant, with Jane Black's ... 'Revenge of the Lunch Lady' contemplating the policy and culinary implications of free lunch programs in the Trump administration, while Shane Mitchell in 'Who Owns Uncle Ben?' delves into the racial history of rice in America"--Publisher's Weekly, 08/27/2018. Legendary author and food critic Ruth Reichl collects the year's finest writing about food and drink