Women on Food: Charlotte Druckman and 115 Writers, Chefs, Critics, Television Stars, and Eaters

Druckman (Skirt Steak) presents an entertaining and thought-provoking “variety show” of previously unpublished essays, interviews, and ephemera from women working in the world of food. Standout essays cover such themes as motherhood and race, including food writer Osayi Endolyn’s memorable piece on dining out in America as a woman of color (“it’s perhaps still not my demonstrable right to sit at a bar, a woman, a black person, and feel entitled to enjoy my meal”) and cookbook author Tienlon Ho’s vivid essay on spending her postpartum months incorporating Chinese traditions into her life and “being nourished by my family.” In addition, Druckman deconstructs the fabled rivalry between restaurant critics Gael Greene and Mimi Sheraton and examines how each left “enduring marks” in the field of culinary criticism. Druckman also includes meaty interviews with such prominent food personalities as Carla Hall and Rachael Ray, as well as recipes, including Dorie Greenspan’s “(If We Were in Charge of the) World Cookies.” A dozen questionnaires and responses are peppered throughout, polling contributors on topics ranging from the weighty (when have you been complicit “in upholding white patriarchy...?”) to the lighthearted (“What is a good thing to put on toast?”). This celebration of women’s influence in the industry and primer on the discrimination they still face will satisfy foodies and feminists alike. (Oct.)