Title: Consider the Oyster
Author: M.F.K. Fisher
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| via Wikipedia |
In my own foodie book wanderings, I find I'm more interested in learning about ingredients than in preparation. Of course, this is largely because to this point in my life, I've done a lot more eating than cooking. I can't say I have much of an opinion about oysters myself. I'm sure I've eaten them but not much. This is the sort of book that makes one hungry and I'm particularly curious about the oyster loaf the author used to eat as part of a clandestine operation with her friends at boarding school.
Fisher, a woman unashamed of her appetites, shares the sensuality of eating beautifully. On choosing the best wine to pair with her favorite bivalve, "I have had Pouilly-Fuissé, various kinds of champagnes nature, a pink Peau d'Onion, and both bottled and open wines of Anjou with oysters in France, and whether they were correctly drunk or not, I was." Consider the Oyster is a fun book and it's short, only 73 pages.
Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month. This month's link list is below. I'll keep it open until the end of the day. I'll post October's tomorrow. Meetings are the last Friday of each month. Next gathering is October 31st.
This book sounds amusing.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Most definitely.
DeleteFoody books make me appreciate food even more.
ReplyDeleteHm... Sounds like a good read. And I'm not crazy about oysters, either! (And nice to find another great food writer...)
ReplyDeleteYup, she's good. I've got another of her books on my TBR list, too: The Art of Eating.
DeleteLove me some oyster! This one sounds fun, and short.
ReplyDeleteI just got THE HEADLESS CUPID from my library, and look forward to checking it out.
Thanks for the review!
Veronica
I'll be very interested to know what you think of Headless Cupid. I do still wonder if my affection for it is tinted by nostalgia.
DeleteUgh, oysters.....even when my mom would fix oyster stew, I'd pick out the oysters and drink the broth.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel as passionately about them as some do. A book like this makes me wonder what I'm missing.
DeleteIt sounds an interesting book. On the south east coast of England, is a town called Whitstable, about 40 minutes drive from me, famous for its oysters.
ReplyDeletehttp://whitstableoystercompany.com/whitstable-oysters/
P.S. I am so sorry I haven't been able to join in this month, I've just got back from a short break and although I was able to read a lot, I haven't had time to review the books. October will be an easier month for me.
No need for apologies, Sally! I'm always delighted when you can join us and certainly understand when you can't.
DeleteOysters...mmmmm. All our best vacation included oceans and oysters.
ReplyDeleteI'm in total agreement about the ingredients being the focus; I'm will to try techniques, but it's the ingredients that pull me in.
Thanks, Squid! Sorry my post went up late (for me); apparently, I can't tell time when I schedule posts. :-/
No need for apologies. I'm glad you sorted out the time thing.
DeleteThere's a lot of sensuality in eating right Squid. Great book review.
ReplyDeleteIt took me a long time to fully appreciate that, though. It was my wife and her love of French food that ultimately hooked me.
DeleteI was a bit late in posting today, and I apologize. "Life gets in the way" sometimes.:-)
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of books dealing with food. Love everything about it - shopping for ingredients, preparing it, but most of all consuming it.:-)
No need to apologize. I'm delighted you could join us.
DeleteWonderful! I love that quote, too funny. I agree with Maurice that eating should absolutely be sensual ... otherwise it's just survival. I expect humans would be healthier if they really went for the sensual experience of their food. The foods that make us sickest are not the kind MFK Fisher is writing about.
ReplyDeleteSo right you are. I think most Americans fail to realize these sensual pleasures, seeing food merely as sustenance or merely "tasting good." In other parts of the world, people linger over meals. Food is as much an expression of culture as language is.
DeleteI considered the oyster once... Then, I walked away.
ReplyDeleteShe writes lovingly of Louisiana preparations.
DeleteWhen I worked at a bookstore I learned more about how many food books there are than I'd ever considered before.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot more than just cookbooks!
DeleteI have never heard of this one! It is always great to learn about a new read- especially a short one. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete~Jess
My pleasure. I hope you'll check it out!
Delete'I'm particularly curious about the oyster loaf the author used to eat as part of a clandestine operation with her friends at boarding school.'
ReplyDeleteHmm. Odd. And oddly ... I don't want to say intriguing but maybe a cousin to intriguing.
It's a good story. I don't really do it justice here. Basically, they independently hired one of the kitchen staff to make it for them, then ate it in the middle of the night by candlelight.
DeleteI have read some short pieces by MFK Fisher. I love her writing. I love food (especially oysters--ha!). This sounds like a great book. I look forward to checking it out.
ReplyDeleteShe writes beautifully. I look forward to exploring more of her work.
Delete