People Who Love to Eat Are Always the Best People: And Other Wisdom

Some of culinary legend Child’s notable quips and quotes are collected in this slim compendium culled from her writing, television appearances, interviews, and correspondence. Child’s words are predictably clever (“Don’t forget the butter—the French never do!”) and even inspiring (“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it”), but this is a scanty selection, with fewer than 90 aphorisms, padded with illustrations of kitchen utensils. Remarks like “I’m a beet freak” and “Fat give things flavor” float in space, naked of any context. “No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing” and “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces—just good food from fresh ingredients” are encouraging bits of counsel, but they are concepts that have long permeated culinary culture, due in no small part to Child herself. The work concludes with a brief biography detailing Child’s trajectory, including her Pasadena, Calif., upbringing, her degree from Smith College, her stint in Paris, and her famous tenure at PBS. When Child commands “Don’t eat meekly!” one wishes this volume reflected that same adventurous spirit. (Nov.)