November 2007: Focus on Food

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Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink

(Random House)
David Remnick, editor

A common cookbook it's not. This eclectic compilation from The New Yorker serves up the creme de la creme of food writing by some of its world-renowned contributors -- peppered, of course, throughout with the celebrated New Yorker cartoons. The selections span the magazine's 88-year history and include Nora Ephron's paean to the world's finest hot pastrami sandwich; a fictional piece centered around a sinister wine connoisseur, written by Roald Dahl in 1951; and a prophetic profile from 1989 by Alex Prud'Homme, the subject of which, the owner of the Soup Kitchen International, Mr. Yeganeh, is said to have been the inspiration for the famous "Soup Nazi" episode of Seinfeld.

Through the diverse genres of fiction, humor, reported pieces, and more, authors like Woody Allen, Noah Baumbach, Steve Martin, and Anthony Bourdain weave fun, witty, sometimes poignant prose, all within the framework of food.
-- Lisa Gerry

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