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The Book of Eating: Adventures in Professional Gluttony Kindle Edition

by Adam Platt (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 146 ratings
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From New York magazine’s award-winning restaurant critic, “a timely and delectable smorgasbord of dishes and dishing . . . honest, revealing and funny.” —New York Times Book Review

A wildly hilarious and irreverent memoir of a globe-trotting life lived meal-to-meal by one of our most influential and respected food critics

As the son of a diplomat growing up in places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, Adam Platt didn’t have the chance to become a picky eater. Living, traveling, and eating in some of the most far-flung locations around the world, he developed an eclectic palate and a nuanced understanding of cultures and cuisines that led to some revelations which would prove important in his future career as a food critic. In Tokyo, for instance—“a kind of paradise for nose-to-tail cooking”—he learned that “if you’re interested in telling a story, a hair-raisingly bad meal is much better than a good one.”

From dim sum in Hong Kong to giant platters of Peking duck in Beijing, fresh-baked croissants in Paris and pierogi on the snowy streets of Moscow, Platt takes us around the world, re-tracing the steps of a unique, and lifelong, culinary education. Providing a glimpse into a life that has intertwined food and travel in exciting and unexpected ways, The Book of Eating is a delightful and sumptuous trip that is also the culinary coming-of-age of a voracious eater and his eventual ascension to become, as he puts it, “a professional glutton.”

“A scarfable recounting of his travels, told through meals.” —Food52

“Gastronomes and fans of Platt will savor this behind-the-scenes look at real life as a restaurant critic.” —Publishers Weekly

“A candid, entertaining look at an often bizarre new gustatory landscape.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Entertaining.” —Booklist

“A delicious peek behind the scenes of a storied career.” —BookPage, starred review
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  1. Print length
    265 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Ecco
  5. Publication date
    November 12, 2019
  6. File size
    13950 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Gastronomes and fans of Platt will savor this behind-the-scenes look at real life as a restaurant critic in the big city.” — Publishers Weekly

“A candid, entertaining look at an often bizarre new gustatory landscape.” — Kirkus Reviews

“...[An] entertaining and honest account of restaurant journalism, and a life worth exploring.” — Booklist

“A timely and delectable smorgasbord of dishes and dishing…this honest, revealing and funny book is as deeply pleasurable as the soup dumplings Platt learned to love as a boy.” — New York Times Book Review

"Longtime New York magazine restaurant critic Adam Platt offers a delicious peek behind the scenes of a storied career...Platt delivers a generous, hilarious case for the restaurant critic’s enduring significance." — BookPage (starred review)

About the Author

Adam Platt has been a contributing editor and restaurant critic for New York magazine since 2000. He won the James Beard Foundation Journalism Award for Restaurant Reviews in 2010. During the course of nearly twenty-five years in the magazine business, Platt has written for a variety of publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Observer, Esquire, and Condé Nast Traveler. He lives in Greenwich Village with his wife and two pizza-loving daughters.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NL8W25V
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco (November 12, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 12, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 13950 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 265 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 146 ratings

About the author

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Adam Platt

Adam Platt

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Adam Platt has been the chief restaurant critic and professional glutton in residence for New York magazine since 2000. During the course of almost four decades in the magazine business, he has contributed to many publications as a writer and staffer including Esquire, Conde Nast Traveler and the New Yorker. His writing has been nominated for various awards over the years, and he won the James Beard Award for his reviews in 2009. He lives in Greenwich Village with his wife and two diminutive, pizza-loving daughters. You can read his work online @nymag and follow his social media musings @plattypants on Instagram and Twitter.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
146 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ColonelKlink
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great, Refreshing and Honest Story
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2019
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When I purchased Platt’s book, I anticipated a good read based on reviews I read by him. What I discovered was well beyond “a good read.” What made the book so much better was the personal touch – the way Platt brings us into his world. Having lived in Asia for a short while, Platt’s reminiscences about his life there conjured some very similar memories from my time there. Yet what personally stood out the most was the way Platt described eating with his family. The story (it’s really more of a story than a book) reads quite differently when Platt describes eating with his father vs. eating with his brothers vs. eating with his mother. The vulnerability and tenderness of Platt’s prose when he describes eating with his mother stands in contrast to the picture he paints of eating with his father or two ravenous and rambunctious brothers. I found it welcoming and honest coming from someone whose job often involves taking a jaundiced look at life. Further, Platt’s ability to encourage the reader to participate in his journey is refreshing. As a reader, you feel like you're participating with Platt because of the way he uses self-deprecating humor and expresses humility – both very welcome, especially within the backdrop of bigger-than-life chefs/restauranteurs who tend to dominate the foodie landscape these days. The down to earth and approachable descriptions of his travels and dining experiences are greatly appreciated. I am grateful that Platt invites us to join him on his life’s journey, even if it means “shuffling” and occasionally “waddling” with him, as he eats his way through the world. Can’t wait for the encore, Mr. Platt!
8 people found this helpful
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"seeker"
4.0 out of 5 stars Good memoir
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2020
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I appreciated the writing in this memoir especially the part about the authors early life -an amazing childhood lived in several countries -I wasn’t as interested in the latter part of book as not familiar with the New York restaurant scene but did appreciate his openness about his weight struggles-I recommend this to anyone who enjoys well written memoirs.
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WJG
3.0 out of 5 stars More Inside Scoop Needed
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019
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So we can all agree that this is about Adam Platt’s Iife experiences outside of restaurants. To me, I’d rather hear about the restaurant experiences which are unique to him. He likes Calvin Trillin’s food writing and so do I but nobody wants to read my memoir. Tony Bourdain was all about giving us the inside scoop; this book could use more of that. Maybe in the next book.
5 people found this helpful
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Stella Carrier
5.0 out of 5 stars The Author’s Rich History and Life
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020
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This kindlebook that is The Book of Eating by Adam Platt covers the author’s culinary/food career/professional journey with an abundance of the following abundant references: as a child of a diplomat the author traveled to multiple places around the world, Alain Ducasse famous chef in France, Tv’s future top chef Tom Colicchio, the author has been a consultant on multiple cookbooks, Gael Limos, one of the author’s aunt’s fave dishes is a chicken dish based in 7up, the author’s mother began putting together photo albums of the author’s family travels when he was growing up of the the family travels shortly before he and his family moved to Asia in the early 1960s when his father was sent to Taiwan as a young 23 year old Diplomat to study Mandarin, The author’s family moved to Asia in 1962 from Windsor Ontario, at the age of 23 the author’s father processed visas on the Canadian border, After leaving Taiwan the author’s parents would collect Mongolian hot pots in the markets of Hong Kong and Beijing where they lived in a tall dusty apartment block far from far from Tiannamen Square, the author’s family brought with them significant culinary influences from Asia when they returned to living in Washington D.C. and much more.
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Thomas Kelley
4.0 out of 5 stars Eating around the world
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2019
I have read a few Chef/Cooking biographies since reading Kitchen Confidential and this is the first one from a food critics point of view. When you read the first chapter were the Author meets up with food critic Gael Greene you thinks this book will take off right away with the comings and goings of a food critic. But the first 1/3 of this book reverts back to his childhood and family life and there exposure to many types of food from around the world that they get the privilege to eat. There Father is a US Ambassador so they get stationed in China, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Canada, and Tokyo along with a few other stops.
His Parents were adventurous which was on the kids so they enjoyed many foods from around the world which layed the groundwork for the author to be a food critic.

All in all this was a good read that had a pretty good pace and was informative. I received an ARC from Edelweiss for an honest review
7 people found this helpful
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Eric Levin
5.0 out of 5 stars Platt laments his paunch but it’s probably like his prose—generous, voluminous, and honest. His writing is as illuminating as it is appetizing. A wonderful read, an insightful guide to the food trends of recent decades and the lively story of a lively family and a life well lived, even if his docs wish it weren’t lived quite so flagrantly to the hilt (but all in the line of duty).
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2020
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Platt laments his paunch but it’s probably like his prose—generous, flowing, even elegant. His writing is as illuminating as it is appetizing. His book is an insightful guide to the food trends of recent decades; its also the lively story of a lively, well-traveled family and a life well lived, even if his docs wish it weren’t lived quite so fully to the hilt (but all in the line of duty).
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Magic5
5.0 out of 5 stars Adam Platt is my Old Reliable - now I know why.
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2020
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Reading this book proves that you can't trust just anyone (or everyone) on the internet with your precious eating out dollars and, maybe more precious, time - reading a bunch of nonsensical reviews, from random strangers on the internet. It's even worse when you end up so confused and traumatized without any idea who you can trust, where you will go to dinner, or why.

I want to trust the guy that writes beautifully, whether it about the latest NYC restaurant, or the bowls of noodles, or the mayo sandwiches he grew up eating in far off foreign places, like Tokyo and the isles of Maine. It was fun to find out all the details of Adam Platt's food centered life. Now I know I'm not missing anything by skipping Yelp, and sticking with Mr. Platt!
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Jayfred
3.0 out of 5 stars So-so
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020
his book is an endless stream of foods and restaurants. Mildly interesting at best.
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