Authors David Kamp and Marion Rosenfeld state that this "The Food Snob's Dictionary has been developed to function as both a defensive aid in dealing with {a food snob{ and as a primer for aspiring Snobs who wish to lord their knowledge over others." They do not state the obvious - that this book will also be a handy reference book on your shelf, and that you will roar with laughter. It is the laughter that we have savored in this book, sometimes chuckling, sometimes laughing out loud, and frequently running to the phone to share something with a friend.
From A for Acme Bread Company (don't know them? tsk-tsk) to Z for Zest, that lovely enlivening citrus peel, the authors cover culinary food facts, restaurant terms, references to the sustainable farming that we now recognize as important to our environment as well as pivotal culinary names so you can name drop with the best of them. They have included a list of films that every food snob should see, such as the glorious Babette's Feast or the much earlier Spartacus - yes, though it is a surprise, Spartacus. There is a pronunciation guide to the names of currently famous personages, indispensable for rock-solid snobbery; and a list of the food snob's guilty pleasures, among them Jif peanut butter, and the hot dog, though the authors don't say that the guiltiest, therefore the most pleasurable, way to eat a hot dog is from a cart on a New York City street.
You will use The Food Snob's Dictionary to discover the meaning of a phrase or name, and the book is authoritative, but it is the wit and humor that makes it sparkle. This book possesses umami of the mind. What? Don't know that term?
"Umami. Elusive 'fifth taste' that the tongue's receptors experience in addition to the traditional, more understandable tastes: sweet, sour salty, and bitter..."
About the Authors: DAVID KAMP is a writer and editor for Vanity Fair and GQ, and the author of The United States of Arugula, The Film Snob’s Dictionary, and The Rock Snob’s Dictionary. He lives in New York City. MARION ROSENFELD, a writer and producer, has spent her entire career in media, much of it food related. She lives in New York City. ROSS MacDONALD’s illustrations have appeared in many magazines, from The New Yorker to The Wall Street Journal. He illustrated The Film Snob’s Dictionary and The Rock Snob’s Dictionary.
©
