On the Coffee Table: Lucy Knisley

Title: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen
Writer and Artist: Lucy Knisley

via NPR

Cartoonist Lucy Knisley grew up in a family that was all about food.  For Mom, her culinary enthusiasm became a career, catering parties and working farm market stands.  For Dad, it was an appreciation of great restaurants.  In her graphic novel memoir Relish, Knisley shares the food-related formative experiences of her youth.  Interspersed with the stories are illustrated favorite recipes for chocolate chip cookies, carbonara, huevos rancheros, etc.

After her parents divorced, Knisley spent most of her childhood in upstate New York with Mom plus occasional visits to see Dad in the city.  She learned to cook at Mom's elbow.  Mom's was a back-to-basics, do-it-yourself approach so they had a huge vegetable garden and a chicken coop, too.  A lot of Lucy's early food adventures came through family travel.  Dad took her to London and Rome.  Mom took her to Mexico and Japan. 

The tone of the book is very light, almost dreamy at times.  Knisley falls just short of idealizing her childhood.  She admits to being spoiled food-wise but there are the usual struggles we all face growing up, too.  The artwork is simple and uncluttered - a good thing, by my reckoning.  Very colorful, especially the food.  Relish is a fun read.  Fair warning: it will leave you hungry.