Feasts for the eyes
These new travel books are great picks for foodies
The old cliche “I live to eat” has a new corollary: “I travel to eat.”
More and more vacationers are letting their taste buds decide where their feet (and wallets) will lead them. To aid with that decision are a new crop of travel books centered around cuisine.
“Super Sushi Ramen Express: A Culinary Adventure Through Japan” is one of the most exuberant of the genre. Its premise began with a bet of sorts: author Michael Booth got into an argument about which cuisine was best — French or Japanese — with his friend Katsotoshi Kondo. Soon, he found himself poring over classic Japanese cookbooks, and not long after that (or at least, it seems that way in the book), he was on a plane to Japan with his wife and two small children.
The romp that follows is equal parts culinary, cultural and whimsical. At a sumo training stable they visit, author Booth is disappointed to see that the rikishi (strong men) don’t get to feast on chocolate cake and bon bons all day. But he does start to understand the appeal and perils of the sport, as his young sons are hoisted aloft and cuddled by the wrestlers as if they weighed no more than kittens.
In Kyoto, Booth writes about the wonders of tofu and bemoans its declining popularity, even in Japan. The reason? Tofu must be eaten the day it’s made, a practice that’s disappearing even here in the U.S. Elsewhere, he explores the country’s storied restaurants and seaweed processing facilities, and eventually, he and his family even get to “star” in an anime film.
So, who ultimately wins the argument: Kondo or Booth? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
In “A Taste of Paris: A History of the Parisian Love Affair with Food” by David Downie, the author throws his lot in with Gallic fare, not surprisingly — and he does so in an erudite, joyous way. The book is part guide, part history, teaching readers the history of the concept of restaurants created in Paris (mais bien sur!); the differences between a bistro, brasserie and restaurant (hint: one is centered around beer); and why such items as snails and frog legs weren’t actually French in origin, but simply adapted into the culinary tradition. Most helpful are the tours Downie takes of today’s restaurants, leading readers to where they can get a decent meal after a trip to Versailles, or how to eat like the hoi polloi did at the turn of the last century (it turns out that it’s inexpensive even today).
After reading these two books, and others of the genre, my guess is you’ll likely do one of two things: book a plane ticket or get a snack. Perhaps many readers will do both.
Pauline Frommer is the Editorial Director for the Frommer Travel Guides and Frommers.com. She co-hosts the radio program “The Travel Show” with her father, Arthur Frommer and is the author of the best-selling “Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City.”