I don't doubt that the rave reviews of this book are truthful, but I have to warn anyone thinking of purchasing it that the appeal of this book must be to a very thin segment of readers. My book club chose this book based upon the subject matter and the excellent reviews. However, not one of us could plow through to the end! And the person I gave it to afterward, who happens to be an avid reader, very intelligent woman AND an excellent Mediterranean cook... couldn't make it through this book either!
Real Food for the Soul:
Honey From a Weed provides a feel for a life of love and a lust for life. Here we have the essence of the Slow Food Movement, healthy heart, and devotional spiritual life -- love the Earth and be loved by the Earth. I once asked the great Portland Chef Greg Higgins to identify his favorite cook book . He said he buys Honey from a Weed for his friends so they can forage together in the fields and steams of the Northwest. This is as good as it gets. 1. Stunning writing as good a food literature... more info
A Fascinating Window on Rural Greek and Italian Life and Eating:
Traditional cultural habits of eating, involving foraging for foods growing wild in the area, have always fascinated me, but I have found that most books talk about the foods harvested in general terms, and give little of substance to work with. Patience Gray opens the door to the world of wild food foraging, describing and discussing in great detail the species used, with the local names for each, when they are used, and how they are collected for everything from spring salads to autumn seafood, and how... more info
Epitome of Great Culinary Writing. Buy it and Read it Now!:
`Honey from a Weed' by Patience Gray, by my very informal survey of approximately 400 cookbooks over the last year is probably the single most cited culinary book after Harold McGee's `On Food and Cooking' and Julia Child's `Mastering the Art of French Cooking. And, I have been trying to place this most distinctive work in the world of culinary writing for about the same time. I think I am finally able to identify its niche in a way that will assist potential readers to know what it is they can look forward... more info
