Taste: My Life Through Food
Ratings77
Average rating4.3
although he talks about his family with more fondness than i do mine, it was a bit surreal hearing him lay out those unnecessarily tense conversations about nothing important with relatives & it sound exactly like every conversation i've had & been an audience to with the italian side of my family. i always felt a little insane growing up around them but maybe it's just an italian american kind of neuroses
I don't like to be a jerk. I enjoyed it, mostly, but the last 30% was a real slog. I kept waiting for Stanley to wrap it the heck up....
I had to go back and edit this because, honestly, it's inspired me to cook. So, thanks Stan. Sorry I called 30% of your life a slog. It was actually good again at the end. Parmesan stock in the bolognese? Perfect. The martini? Thanks. My husband is a bartender and confirmed all the 30 seconds this and that would matter. So of course I made him do it. Honestly, someone else's effort is the best seasoning.
I know that after reading this book I'm still incapable of cooking, but I at least had a sexual reawakening hearing Stanley Tucci read aloud pasta recipes.
Highly recommend the audio version so you can hear Stanely Tucci read it. His descriptions are delightful and his use of alliteration is often humorous. I might buy a physical copy of the book just for the recipes!
2.5 stars
The beginning of the book and the end were pretty good, but the whole middle was rather insufferable. A lot of name dropping and mentioning how he gets free meals at expensive restaurants while his chef friends let him order things that are not even on the menu.
I enjoyed the antedotes that were funny or relatable, but alot of the writing is just not very interesting. I also did not appreciate the foul language sprinkled in, esp when my daughter loves to come and read over my shoulder.
My non-fiction November read. This book is a gem. I already loved his acting and his docuseries Searching for Italy. This book absolutely solidified my admiration and affection for Stanley Tucci. What an interesting guy- such a colorful family - both the one that he came from and the one he's created. He takes us through growing up in New York and his mother's incredible cooking prowess. He talks about his classic film Big Night that is an absolute culinary feast. He takes us to movie sets and through Covid. Then right at the end he takes us through his almost unbearable health scare. What a story! All of it. Just so good. Plus recipes sprinkled throughout! Chef's Kiss Stanley. Truly.
Easy digestible stories and recipes. If you're a foodie, don't read it unless you've just had an amazing Italian dish and you're sipping a cold martini.
I listened to the audiobook and it was a pleasure to hear Stanley Tucci narrate. While I have very few aspirations in the kitchen, this book held my attention from beginning to end (even listening to the recipes scattered throughout). It will be on my list to revisit again someday.
Stanley Tucci has such a wonderful way with words and tells of his life through food with wit, charm and pace.
Glorious!
A journey through the highs and lows of the author's life from the viewpoint of food, and how it has influenced and moulded him.
I had to keep putting the book down so I could go and cook something!
Actor Stanley Tucci tells the story of his life through the food he has eaten and loved.
Stanley Tucci is a gift. I listened to this book, read by the author, and it was a delight. I will likely buy the book just to have the recipes, because they all sound delicious.
This left me even more endeared to a public figure that I didn't believe I could be more endeared to.