Best Food Writing 2010

September 1, 2003
Reflecting on her selections for this amusing and informative anthology, the fourth she's edited, Hughes explains that she's attracted to good prose, to things that are humorous and to pieces that resonate:"Just as I want a meal that satisfies my hunger, I look for food writing that stays with me." In magazines, newspapers, books and websites, she found 50 such articles on topics from bacon and caviar to Cheez Whiz and Sloppy Joes. She also came across essays on take-out, butter and burgers by New Yorker and Vogue veterans Calvin Trillin and Jeffrey Steingarten and Saveur editor Colman Andrews. Witty and wistful, their pieces have become staples in these compilations over the years. Among the other standouts in this year's edition are New York Times reporter Joyce Chang's examination of the fondness, at once peculiar and practical, that chefs and chefs-to-be have for their knives--"the haves talk about what kind of knives they own," she writes,"the have-nots stand stupidly silent, making a mess of carrot bits at their stations"--and Los Angeles Magazine senior editor Dave Gardetta's meditation on the Awesome Blossom--"a giant onion sliced into neat tiny quadrants, battered, and then deep-fried." A signature dish at Chili's restaurant, the Awesome Blossom is used by Gardetta as a culinary metaphor in his trenchant analysis of the way corporate chains currently dominate the rural American restaurant scene. Wry, investigative pieces such as these give Hughes's collection depth, even as she satisfies readers' cravings for a well-wrought tale.

November 15, 2010
In a time where the most elemental of activitiesconsuming sustenanceis an increasingly political act, its not surprising that there might be more attention paid to talking about eating food than there is in actually eating food. Series editor Hughes sheds a tear for the shuttering of the venerable Gourmet, but maintains that the rumors of food writings death have been greatly exaggerated. Big changes in the culinary world are visible here, from Michael Steinbergers lament over the passing of Frances reign of culinary mastery (all hail Spain) to Tim Carmans plea to put Zagat out of its misery. But the trend du jour continues to be locavorism, evidenced by Carla Capalbos take on the epicenter of molecular gastronomy, El Bulli, getting dethroned as best restaurant in the world by a small Copenhagen joint that focuses on seasonal, place-specific ingredients. Despite all the delicious food fussiness on parade, though, the best of the best might just be Jason Sheehans hilarious (if youre an industry insider) or terrifying (if youre an unsuspecting patron) account of flash-defrosting 80-pound blocks of haddock on a frantic fish-fry Friday.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)