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matchamaker's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I love the subject matter, though the writing isn’t very accessible: von Bremen waxes intellectual and I was looking up words and terms left and right.
nreyno's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Minor: Colonisation, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Racism, Rape, War, and Xenophobia
jrae_miller's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
I really struggled through this one. I found the author's tone and attitude frustrating, I wished there were more translations of the non-English phrases, and I didn't feel that she effectively built toward her final conclusion: that food doesn't necessarily *have* borders or *belong* to any one group of people. The last part of the last chapter and the epilogue redeemed it slightly, but I probably won't recommend it.
bpicillo's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
A thought-provoking and well-researched--albeit somewhat flawed--exploration food in the context of national identities. I think von Bremzen is successful in proving her overall thesis, but at times, there is over-simplification of intra-national identities and their relation to food pathways. This criticism may be somewhat unfair given that the goal is to compare across countries not necessarily dissect every food pathway within a given country. I think the later chapters on Mexico and Turkey were most successful. I also wished she had included a wider variety of countries since the ones included were the usual suspects. Beautifully written while mixing travel writing, memoir, and more academic styles.
lexisunshine's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.25
Loved: the food and travel anecdotes! It made me so goddamn hungry~
Didn’t love: something about the pacing, maybe? I don’t know, maybe I felt the book was too long? I took me a while to get through.
Didn’t love: something about the pacing, maybe? I don’t know, maybe I felt the book was too long? I took me a while to get through.