In the Kitchen: Essays on Food and Life

I don’t know how or why this book ended up on my Kindle, but I’m so glad that it did. When I was in high school I’d hang out at a neighbourhood bookshop or a books by weight sale with friends, and I distinctly remember spending disproportionately more time in the food and drinks aisles. The recipe books with immaculate photographs of deserts, soups, experimental cocktails and roasts were my preferred genre of escapism. My own outlook and feelings about food and the act of cooking are indescribable and nuanced. So, reading the collection of essays by 13 contemporary writers in In the Kitchen was a cozy dose of nostalgia along with comforting relatability. It is a visual delight for the most part- because with any collection of essays there’s bound to be hits and misses, and this was no different. The writing is brilliant, beautiful and heartening.