Title: Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Author: Ruth Reichl

Publisher: Penguin 2006

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 364

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - Food/Cooking

GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES is Ruth Reichl's riotous account of the many disguises she employs to dine anonymously. There is her stint as Molly Hollis, a frumpy blond with manicured nails and an off-beige Armani suit that Ruth takes on when reviewing Le Cirque. The result: her famous double review of the restaurant: first she ate there as Molly; and then as she was coddled and pampered on her visit there as Ruth, New York Times food critic.

What is even more remarkable about Reichl's spy games is that as she takes on these various disguises, she finds herself changed not just superficially, but in character as well. She gives a remarkable account of how one's outer appearance can very much influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites.

One of my book club selections for September and a book that has languished on my shelf for years. Unfortunately, I think it probably should have stayed there. I really enjoyed Reichl’s Save Me the Plums and hoped I would encounter the same fun and relatable woman in this earlier work about her job as a food critic. Instead, I feel like we get a very out-of-touch upper class woman intent on showing the common people the joy of food who actually shows us just how snobby many people (herself included) are when it comes to food. I am no stranger to good food and really enjoy tasting new flavors and expertly crafted dishes. But I realize that that’s not an everyday reality for most people (even me). Sometimes you just have to eat. Not everyone can be catered to and pay for a $100+ meal for one person. After about the fourth chapter, the book got really repetitively. I just ended dreading having to come back to this book.

Next up on the TBR pile: