cover image Food: A Love Story

Food: A Love Story

Jim Gaffigan, read by the author. Random House Audio, unabridged, 6 CDs, 7.5 hrs., $35 ISBN 978-0-80419221-7

Gaffigan, a veteran stand-up comedian and the author of the bestseller Dad Is Fat, follows up with a new title exploring his relationship with food and offering insights about the American culinary landscape. Gaffigan takes the tongue-in-cheek approach and seems aware that his everyday choices aren’t always healthy while remaining sufficiently carefree to place tremendous value on what tastes good. In delivering his narrative, Gaffigan engages the listeners with a confessional tone that is irreverent without over-the-top antics. He especially nails the armchair travel aspects of the book, detailing visits to such food-lover destinations as Savannah, New Orleans, and Chicago, with a gift for charming storytelling and an ear for how locals discuss their regional menus with visitors. Gaffigan highlights some of his quirks as a Midwesterner who found his way to New York City—including his dismissive attitude toward seafood and salads and his love affair with pizza and most (but not quite all) types of barbecue. Listeners seeking a blend of humor and the kinds of trivia featured on cable food and travel programs will find themselves satisfied. [em]A Crown Archetype hardcover. (Oct.) [/em]