"Toast" by Nigel Slater

[Megan Blocker]

I just finished Toast by Nigel Slater over the holidays. I bought it on a whim - I think it came up as a suggestion on B&N when I was buying some cookbooks as Christmas gifts, and I just added it to my order. Turns out, it's a pretty good book. It's written in short bursts, each section a recounting of a memory tied to a specific food. These little vignettes follow Slater from about age 8 or so to his early 20's, with a concentration on adolescence.

One of the things I liked so much about the book (and have liked about Ruth Reichl's work, particularly Tender at the Bone) was its emphasis on the links between taste, smell, and memory. For me, scent and taste have always been the two senses most likely to set off an explosion of recollection (I know I'm not alone here.), and so it was easy to put myself in Slater's shoes when he approached his material this way, even though I had no real idea of what it was like to grow up as a boy in 1960's England.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend this one. An extra bonus: it's written in those short sections, which makes it ideal for commuting or bedtime reading, since you don't have that I'll-just-finish-this-50-page-chapter angst.

[iainpb]

I just finished Toast by Nigel Slater over the holidays. 

If you enjoyed Toast, try his other book "Eating for England", Nigel discusses many dishes and foods from the UK over the last 50 years or so. It's nice to dip into now and again though some of the entries are a little shallow.

[Lisa Shock]

I just saw the film based on the book and enjoyed it. There are some great shots of classic dishes, and the venerable kitchen scale has some fairly prominent appearances as well. The film is available to stream on Netflix.