Food: A Love Story

Have you ever heard of a “Pop Tart filled with nasty meat?”  Experienced the wonders of a farmer’s market?  Or even had to eat the dreaded “snot in a rock?”  Comedian Jim Gaffigan’s Food: A Love Story is a hilarious tale of his eating adventures (including these ones), from introducing his kids to new foods, to indulging on a double cheeseburger.  Gaffigan documents every memorable story and opinion that he has from traveling the world as the stand-up comedian known for his routine about Hot Pockets, a microwavable snack.  He adds to it with pictures from various places he has been to himself, or with his wife and five children, Marre, Michael, Patrick, Katie, and Jack.   Diagrams and drawings are also added that inform people of his various opinions on food, such as his “Jim Gaffigan Food Geography” map, which shows which regions are known for different types of food.The caustic, biting tone of the book really creates a lot of laughs, like his cynical views on many things, such as Waffle House.  His writing style is a fantastic documentation of all of his adventures, including many anecdotes and opinions.  In the book, he describes himself not as a ‘foodie,’ which is a connoisseur of ‘fancy’ food, but rather an ‘eatie,’ or someone who loves food to the point where they’re a little fat.  Gaffigan also adds mock dialogues to spice up his reading, such as this one in his chapter about when he saw a man in a Kmart drinking a KFC cup of gravy:

“ Doctor:  Mr. Jones, I’ve got your cholesterol levels here.  (beat)  Okay, you are aware that your blood is not moving?

Gravy Drinker: (nods)

Doctor:  This is kind of a strange question.  Um.  You haven’t been drinking gravy, have ya?  Because based on the test results you’re, like, 90 percent meat by-product.

Gravy Drinker: (nods)

Doctor:  We’re going to have to register you with the government.”

 

If you enjoy getting some laughs, then this book is for you, along with people who love food or can sympathize with being a little fat.  I thought the book really encapsulated his take on food, which is somewhat unhealthy, and frowning upon vegetables.  For instance, he says that salads taste horrible, unless of course you drown it in ranch dressing, or sprinkle bits of bacon on it.  His book is very comprehensive in all of the different types of unhealthy food, from his chapter entitled “Hot Pockets: A Blessing and a Curse,” to “Donuts: The Circle of Life.”  Overall, I would highly recommend this book (and his act) to not only the types of people aforementioned, but anyone.  The material in this book is also suitable for a general audience, including children.