A Write Teacher(s) Review: Food: A Love Story

Dear Bookworms,

Are you familiar with the comedian Jim Gaffigan? You may know him for his jokes about Hot Pockets. Well, recently he has become an author as well, writing his first book Dad Is Fat about the comedy that surrounds parenthood. Since so much of his popularity stems from his satire on various types of food, however, it only makes sense that he follow up that tome with another called Food: A Love Story.

Food: A Love Story, is largely a collection of all his food-related comedy, complied together with anecdotes, stories and lots and lots of recommendations. Considering the amount of places across the country that Jim Gaffigan has visited while performing comedy, he is well-informed regarding the fare that various spots across the county have to offer and this he gladly breaks down for us, in humorous detail. In fact, early on in the book, he presents a pictorial map of the United States which is designated into culinary categories ranging from “Eating BBQland” to “Seabugland” (a.k.a. areas known for shellfish) to “Blubberland” (a.k.a. Alaska).  He goes on to break down each of these areas, describing the varieties of specific dishes that exist from city to city, and poking fun at the obsession natives tend to feel with their local cuisine.

Mostly, though, Gaffigan pokes fun at himself, and his obsession with all things delicious. Much of his humor is deprecatory, primarily of himself, but also toward much of the foodstuffs he satirizes in these pages.  To receive the full effect of his sense of humor, it is important to come in with a sense of humor yourself. On a side note, one of the nicest things about this book is how obviously in love Gaffigan is with his family. He credits his wife Jeannie for every possible virtue and spatters the book with contextually applicable photos of their five children.

While not a restaurant guide by any means, ultimately Food: A Love Story covers many of the places that Gaffigan has patronized at one time or another. If, like him, you identify more as an “eatie” than a “foodie,” then keep a pen handy. You may very well find yourself jotting down some new meal or eatery to check out.

For fans of Gaffigan’s comedy, this book provides written access to the well-known jokes, supplemented with additional material about his life, family and food of all kinds. For those who are only somewhat familiar with his material, or not at all, I would suggest passing on this title in favor of his stand-up routines instead. As with most comedy, delivery is key and Gaffigan’s humor is at its best when tone and inflection are present to influence the meaning.

Keep reading!

Live, Love, Learn

Elise and The Write Teacher(s)