Written in the decade before his untimely death in 2006, this compilation showcases more than 50 engaging, food-centric travel essays by longtime New York Times
writer R.W. (“Johnny”) Apple. The grandiose dispatches cover the U.S.'s best soft-shell crabs, the most authentic kosher corned beef and the finest cherry pie. Internationally, he dubs Singapore a “dim sum nirvana,” compares Naples without its tomatoes to “salt without pepper” and finds Dover sole like a “porterhouse steak.” Apple's legendary expense account fuels an enormous and discriminating appetite, and his journalistic instincts guide an impressive selection of experts in support of Apple's decisive interpretations, including one Philadelphia editor who authoritatively explains the die-off of Philadelphia's pepper pot soup, but not its cheese steaks. These instructive, well-chosen tidbits convey vivid, sociological portraits of cities, regions and countries, places infused with regional vernacular that is both spoken and eaten. With such stature and scholarship, he can make Dickensian references in describing both English porridge and Italian buffalo mozzarella sound natural. Similarly, only Apple can get away with using words like “toothsome,” “unctuous,” and “delectable” without sounding like a public relations sham masquerading as a food critic. While Apple's air of superiority can be hard to take, his incisive, insistent writing often remains far superior to the rest of its kind. (Oct.)
