Delights and Prejudices

Then take a trip with Beard as he explores his culinary prejudices and his delights in the first half of the twentieth century. True, there's no recipe for madeleines [that most overrated of cookie which must be consumed in front of the oven to be edible at all] but there is a respectable recipe for gnocchi. If you agree with Proust that art means taking the experiences of life and transforming them in a way that shows understanding and maturity, you can skip over the 'reinventing oneself as evil' or at least poor form, and enjoy this book for what it is. Could be Beard would applaud from that big kitchen in the sky, where stale bread is eternally just a step away from reinventing itself into French toast.

This book is somewhat less entertaining than some more recent culinary memoirs, such as those written by Ruth Reichl, for example but, given the importance of it's subject, it is very rewarding for both it's historical and culinary contents.Beard is the quintessential `old school' American culinary figure. You will find little or no preaching on local sources, simple preparations, fresh ingredients, or organically raised produce. These were simply not an issue for him in 1964. Recall that this was less than 4 years after the publication of Rachael Carson's `Silent Spring' and less than 2 years after the publication of Julia Child's `Mastering the Art of French Cooking'. Elizabeth David was probably unknown to most of Beard's audience and Chez Panisse was less than a glimmer in Alice Water's psyche.I must say that having read a recent, well regarded biography of Beard, I suspect that Beard has done something of which Martha Stewart has been `accused'. That is, reinventing himself to the public by glossing over some of the less pleasant episodes in his childhood. And, at least two thirds of the book deal with his mother, her chefs at their Portland Oregan boarding house, and his early exposure to the foods of the American northwest.This is much more of a memoir than it is a cookbook, but for what few recipes it contains, there is a much greater chance that these are from Beard's personal experience. As his autobiography documents, and as Jerimiah Tower, a Beard confidant confirms, this may be one of the few books James Beard wrote himself. He almost always had one or more assistants compiling material for his books.Aside from his being the most important influence on the food writing of a generation of Americans, I always appreciate Beard for the simplicity of his recipes and ingredients. One rarely needs to worry about obscure ingredients or difficult techniques in Beard's books So, If one wishes to get an authentic taste of this American original and get a sense of the nature of his writing, one cannot do better than by reading this volume.

This is a wonderful look back by the author. He looks at his life in the Northwest and the foods that brought solace. How they were prepared and how the foods intertwined with daily life in the Beard household. Beard reveals his "delights and prejudices" for and against certain foods, methods Etc. This book made me think back to my childhood and the foods we would cook as the seasons came and went. Fresh game, fruits local to our area...I could almost smell the wild strawberries as Beard described them. I sure wish this book was back in print but try to find it if you can. It's a real gem!

James Beard only offered hints and fragmented stories of his past over the years -- this is the closest thing he could humanly muster as an autobiography... and, of course, it's mostly about food. You forgive his inability to delve into self when you hear the wonderful tales he spins -- the book is loaded with gems. It serves as a fine historical piece, if anything, and, though vague on the man, is as accurate as anything Beard has produced.