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melodys_library's review against another edition
5.0
Just because it took me this long to read doesn’t mean I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it! There was a lot of content to absorb, and I savored every chapter.
dembury's review against another edition
5.0
Actual Rating: 4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! I loved Booth's descriptions of the different areas of Japan he visited and the food he tried there. The educational aspect of it was great, too- I don't think I've ever quite been this invested in a book about food. Learning about the history, making, and cultural importance of all these Japanese foods was so much fun!
Docking half a star because I thought some of the chapters felt "unfinished" or way too short. I wanted a little more information at times.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! I loved Booth's descriptions of the different areas of Japan he visited and the food he tried there. The educational aspect of it was great, too- I don't think I've ever quite been this invested in a book about food. Learning about the history, making, and cultural importance of all these Japanese foods was so much fun!
Docking half a star because I thought some of the chapters felt "unfinished" or way too short. I wanted a little more information at times.
labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
I already reviewed this under the title provided on the cover. I'm not sure what the heck is going on here, but c&p'ing my review here.
In Japan chefs work with what God provides; in France, the chefs think they are God.
It's been a very long time since I won a book via GoodReads giveaways. And of all the books I've won from my beloved site, this is by far the best one.
I'm not a foodie. I adore Asian food, and crave varieties of it more than any other type of cuisine (the exception being Indian, only because it's not available anywhere near me). But I'm very aware that what I eat is Americanized Asian, the stuff actual Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai people shake their first at.
But you don't have to be a foodie to love every single chapter of this book. Michael Booth and his family traveled from one end of Japan to the other trying unpronounceable cuisines and learning a little more about Japanese culture with each new day. From Sumo wrestling to proper Wasabi to the truth behind MSG, this book is so crammed full of information, I don't know that anyone could read this and not have a deep, all-encompassing need to book their flight to Japan immediately.
Warning warning warning: It will also make you SO HUNGRY.
Seriously, I didn't eat any Japanese food the entire time I was reading this, and I work directly across the street from an excellent sushi restaurant. It's like death to read about these amazing ingredients and flavors and NOT EAT THEM.
Props to Michael Booth, because his food descriptions are, in a word, successful.
There's no filler to this book, and I think that's what I loved the most about it. While he certainly talks about his young (and picky) sons' reactions to this strange new world of food (fried chicken cartilage good, octopus bad), the focus is on the food and the traditions, not just his family. Enormous time is spent on history and tradition, and at the end of the chapter, it's about his taste and his experience. I love this more than I can explain.
I was already wanting to visit Japan someday (two words: Rabbit Island), but seriously, I'm ready to go now. The trouble is, I want to visit almost every place he mentions, which means I, too, would have to spend three months in Japan to get the full experience.
I'm not opposed to this, though...
In Japan chefs work with what God provides; in France, the chefs think they are God.
It's been a very long time since I won a book via GoodReads giveaways. And of all the books I've won from my beloved site, this is by far the best one.
I'm not a foodie. I adore Asian food, and crave varieties of it more than any other type of cuisine (the exception being Indian, only because it's not available anywhere near me). But I'm very aware that what I eat is Americanized Asian, the stuff actual Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai people shake their first at.
But you don't have to be a foodie to love every single chapter of this book. Michael Booth and his family traveled from one end of Japan to the other trying unpronounceable cuisines and learning a little more about Japanese culture with each new day. From Sumo wrestling to proper Wasabi to the truth behind MSG, this book is so crammed full of information, I don't know that anyone could read this and not have a deep, all-encompassing need to book their flight to Japan immediately.
Warning warning warning: It will also make you SO HUNGRY.
Seriously, I didn't eat any Japanese food the entire time I was reading this, and I work directly across the street from an excellent sushi restaurant. It's like death to read about these amazing ingredients and flavors and NOT EAT THEM.
Props to Michael Booth, because his food descriptions are, in a word, successful.
There's no filler to this book, and I think that's what I loved the most about it. While he certainly talks about his young (and picky) sons' reactions to this strange new world of food (fried chicken cartilage good, octopus bad), the focus is on the food and the traditions, not just his family. Enormous time is spent on history and tradition, and at the end of the chapter, it's about his taste and his experience. I love this more than I can explain.
I was already wanting to visit Japan someday (two words: Rabbit Island), but seriously, I'm ready to go now. The trouble is, I want to visit almost every place he mentions, which means I, too, would have to spend three months in Japan to get the full experience.
I'm not opposed to this, though...
labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
In Japan chefs work with what God provides; in France, the chefs think they are God.
It's been a very long time since I won a book via GoodReads giveaways. And of all the books I've won from my beloved site, this is by far the best one.
I'm not a foodie. I adore Asian food, and crave varieties of it more than any other type of cuisine (the exception being Indian, only because it's not available anywhere near me). But I'm very aware that what I eat is Americanized Asian, the stuff actual Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai people shake their first at.
But you don't have to be a foodie to love every single chapter of this book. Michael Booth and his family traveled from one end of Japan to the other trying unpronounceable cuisines and learning a little more about Japanese culture with each new day. From Sumo wrestling to proper Wasabi to the truth behind MSG, this book is so crammed full of information, I don't know that anyone could read this and not have a deep, all-encompassing need to book their flight to Japan immediately.
Warning warning warning: It will also make you SO HUNGRY.
Seriously, I didn't eat any Japanese food the entire time I was reading this, and I work directly across the street from an excellent sushi restaurant. It's like death to read about these amazing ingredients and flavors and NOT EAT THEM.
Props to Michael Booth, because his food descriptions are, in a word, successful.
There's no filler to this book, and I think that's what I loved the most about it. While he certainly talks about his young (and picky) sons' reactions to this strange new world of food (fried chicken cartilage good, octopus bad), the focus is on the food and the traditions, not just his family. Enormous time is spent on history and tradition, and at the end of the chapter, it's about his taste and his experience. I love this more than I can explain.
I was already wanting to visit Japan someday (two words: Rabbit Island), but seriously, I'm ready to go now. The trouble is, I want to visit almost every place he mentions, which means I, too, would have to spend three months in Japan to get the full experience.
I'm not opposed to this, though...
It's been a very long time since I won a book via GoodReads giveaways. And of all the books I've won from my beloved site, this is by far the best one.
I'm not a foodie. I adore Asian food, and crave varieties of it more than any other type of cuisine (the exception being Indian, only because it's not available anywhere near me). But I'm very aware that what I eat is Americanized Asian, the stuff actual Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai people shake their first at.
But you don't have to be a foodie to love every single chapter of this book. Michael Booth and his family traveled from one end of Japan to the other trying unpronounceable cuisines and learning a little more about Japanese culture with each new day. From Sumo wrestling to proper Wasabi to the truth behind MSG, this book is so crammed full of information, I don't know that anyone could read this and not have a deep, all-encompassing need to book their flight to Japan immediately.
Warning warning warning: It will also make you SO HUNGRY.
Seriously, I didn't eat any Japanese food the entire time I was reading this, and I work directly across the street from an excellent sushi restaurant. It's like death to read about these amazing ingredients and flavors and NOT EAT THEM.
Props to Michael Booth, because his food descriptions are, in a word, successful.
There's no filler to this book, and I think that's what I loved the most about it. While he certainly talks about his young (and picky) sons' reactions to this strange new world of food (fried chicken cartilage good, octopus bad), the focus is on the food and the traditions, not just his family. Enormous time is spent on history and tradition, and at the end of the chapter, it's about his taste and his experience. I love this more than I can explain.
I was already wanting to visit Japan someday (two words: Rabbit Island), but seriously, I'm ready to go now. The trouble is, I want to visit almost every place he mentions, which means I, too, would have to spend three months in Japan to get the full experience.
I'm not opposed to this, though...
kingarooski's review against another edition
3.0
Michael Booth is so very lucky and has possibly the greatest job on Earth: he writes about food. In this book, he goes to Japan for 3 or 4 months with his family to eat and learn about Japanese food. Being quite in love with Japanese food, this book made me hungry pretty much on every page. It was not a literary masterpiece, but his dry sense of humour shines through nicely. Recommended for Japanophiles everywhere.
charlottesteggz's review against another edition
4.0
A really enjoyable read. I lived in Japan and thought I knew a fair amount about Japanese food, but Booth reignited my love and showed me places and foods I've not tried yet.
Aside from one comment about "not being a girl about meat and fish" which was really unfortunate, the whole book was a delight to read.
Aside from one comment about "not being a girl about meat and fish" which was really unfortunate, the whole book was a delight to read.
mamagames's review against another edition
4.0
A great addition to our sushi unit study... the writing is entertaining and the chapters are quite short, almost like a collection of essays, making it easy to pick up and read just a bit in a short snippet of time. I learned a lot about Japanese food, geography, and culture, and it was an enjoyable read.