Waiting for Dessert

The humor starts with the title "Waiting for Dessert" is a homage to "Waiting for Godot". The author's pseudonym, Vladimir Estragon is made up of the names of the two characters in Beckett's play: Vladimir and Estragon who wait for this fellow Godot with whom they are barely familiar. The play is chocked full of silences and vast-maybe boring-emptiness. In the way that these things happen, it was also one of the most cited cultural acts of post-war Europe. Our Vladimir is not waiting in silence at all. Each of these chapters were originally chatty columns in the Village Voice. The Voice was exceptionally precious back thenVillage Voice January 1968 Newspaper Allen Ginsberg and these columns were refreshing. The columnist may have invented the trope of pet pseudonyms for his family. His wife, the Woman Warrior puts up with Vlad and his two sons: the Potato King and the Mad Baker and then one day, the Youngest Member comes along and resets their entire world. The recipes are simple, practical and delicious. They were also an island of humane and reasonable discourse in the Voice which was often in those days, too precious to be real. Estragon is a real New Yorker and this book is a pure delight. Lynn Hoffman, author of the slightly cheeky New Short Course in Wine,The and Wryly Shy bang BANG: A Novel

I read this book when it was published and treasure it (especially the banana bread recipe) to this day. It opened my eyes to how a love for food leads to all sorts of good things in the sometimes messy terrain of family. Vlad is such a wonderful writer and thinker and emo guy, and it is delightful to follow his transformation from carefree single dad of teens to happy husband and then humbled servant of the Youngest Member. Plus, the recipes are excellent, sophisticated but not fussy and very realistic. I too wish there were seconds!

In the mid-80's, this guy's biweekly food/family/life columns were the best part of the Village Voice. This book is a compliation (and expansion) of some of his finest. John Lennon's assassination, Phyllis Shlafly, Reagonomics, and other 80's phenomena make occasional foray into his reflections, but his main subject is his growing, changing family. I loved this book and wish there was a second volume.