For this journey, we have selected Mimi Sheraton’s book, “1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die”*. Our copy is new, but is quickly accumulating the dog-eared pages and margin notes befitting a frequently consulted reference work.
This is not a “coffee table” book. It’s a “kitchen table” book that will captivate any food-lover in the same way that a road atlas will capture the attention of a dedicated itinerant. It is organized by country, with over 900 pages dedicated to descriptions of the unique foods of each country (and a separate section on Jewish food), recommendations on where to find them, recipes on how to cook them, and restaurant reviews. (Another 76 pages are dedicated to indexes and photo credits.)
We were hooked from the moment we first picked up the book and started browsing. This is a book you can dip into at random or for a specific topic. You’ll probably learn something new, and maybe find something you disagree with. Example: I opened the Jewish section and immediately learned about “Appetizing Stores” (pp. 426-427). Who knew? That was followed by the article on bagels. She didn’t list my favorite NYC bagel place – Ess-A-Bagels – but that’s the only NYC bagel place I know. I’ll try her recommendations on our next visit. (She did mention Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a place I’ve needed an excuse to visit.)
Then there was the article on Challah, which we had just learned how to pronounce (“holla”), and Mary had just learned how to make.
We first opened the book, appropriately enough, during a road trip. Mary read aloud from the section on American / Canadian foods. This is an interesting combination that most Americans, and possibly, most Canadians, would not expect. Among other things, we learned that there is no original known recipe for Ambrosia, but our original memories all involved mandarin orange slices and marshmallows.
We agreed that apple pie was an archetypal American food, though we come from the Southern tradition that tops it with ice cream, not cheese. Other American foods that made the cut:
+ Bacon. Of course.
+ Baked Idaho Russet Potatoes. So ubiquitous that you might not think about them.
+ Barbecue. We can (and will) argue about this one.
+ Biscuits. Recommended at the Loveless Cafe in Nashville. Yes! But mail order?
+The BLT Sandwich. Oh, lord, yes! Especially since we’re reading it during the tomato harvest.
+ Cioppino. Mimi recommends a place in San Francisco. We found it in Northern Indiana. That’s a story for another day.
And from our neighbors to the north:
+ Poutine. We’ve had it.
+ Crispy Crunch. We haven’t had it, but we want it.
In the spirit of any good travel narrative, we will start somewhere and proceed to the next place. We have some ideas about the foods we want to try first and report on in the blog. And, like any adventurers, we’ll improvise along the way.
We invite you to follow along, and to share your opinions and suggestions in the comments. Thanks for joining us. This should be fun!
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* This link is direct to Amazon.com. At the time of this writing (August, 2018), we receive no affiliate payment if you buy a copy. If that changes in the future, we’ll let you know.
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