The Physiology Of Taste: Or, Meditations On Transcendental Gastronomy (Harvest/Hbj Book) (1978) - Plot & Excerpts
this review covers the 2009 edition published by the Everyman's Library division of Knopf. I ordered a copy of it only because the one I had used previously was somehow mislaid or lent to someone who failed to return it. I can't remember exactly when I last referred to the book (it can't have been that long ago), but rather than wait for the old worn paperback to turn up, I thought it might be nice to see what an updated hardcover could provide. I wasn't disappointed. This edition was published in 2009 and the main thing that sold me on it was that they had the sense to use the familiar front cover that has become an integral part of my associations with the book. When it arrived, i had more to enjoy. There is a new introduction by Bill Buford, which brilliantly prepares readers for both the penetrating analysis and quirky diversions that make the book such a delicious feast each time it is read (and you are sure to read it more than once). I always feel certain that I'm being deprived of the full value of the original when I read classics in translation, but Buford confirms the comfort I gained in the superiority of M.F.K. Fisher's translation after a frustrating attempt to read the book in the original French (which was rather futile for me due to both the extraordinary range of subjects and the stylistic conventions of the day). Buford's comments on Fisher's footnotes gave me a new perspective on the book. Indeed, I began my re-reading with some footnotes, then went back to the text and once again fell under the spell, this time with a better appreciation of my debt to Fisher for her commentaries. Brillat-Savarin simply defies our expectations with his all encompassing examination of taste. He the archetypal French philosophe: detailed in his minute empirical observations, yet sweeping in the logical connections and underpinnings he finds behind what he observes. His meditations encompass everything from how best to restore the appetite after it passes during an abnormally long wait for dinner to how the Romans could possibly have drunk wine from the large cups they used while lying on their sides. Brillat-Savarin is famous for his aphorism: "Show me what you eat, and I shall tell you what you are." In this book, he shows that his notions of taste extended far beyond food and drink and extended to anything that interfered with his appealing vision of how a good life ought to be lived. It is a vision many have found inspiring.
Cooking, the French believe, can lead to diplomatic success. The gourmet, it is said, merges the aesthetic w the pragmatic, and is usually a humanist. To the French, the sequence of dishes (w wines) is as important as the notes that follow on a music sheet. Only in recent years have some Americans & Brits felt the same (Puritanism). And only in France would a chef kill himself over a culinary failure : Vatel in 1671 and the #1 at Relais de Porquerolles, in 1967, after losing stars in the Michelin Guide. How civilized can you get?We are fascinated by trivia, especially celebrity nunsense, but do consider the preferred wine for oysters : Sauterne. ~~ What abt Louis XVIII who, history tells, liked to cook 3 stacked chops and then only eat the middle one for its oozing juices fr the 2 others. Now we come to Brillat-Savarin, a codifier of gastronomic laws, who believed that the fate of nations and people rested w digestion. I like a legendary (unrelated) story of the dining guest who was horrified to learn that tongue was being served. "How can I eat that?" she squirmed, fluttering a nappy, "knowing where it has been--." The host asked, "Would you prefer an egg?"
What do You think about The Physiology Of Taste: Or, Meditations On Transcendental Gastronomy (Harvest/Hbj Book) (1978)?
There should be a tried-to-read option. Promptly placed a permanent book mark after succession of yawns and finishing the section on "Hunting Luncheons". Trudging through the chapters was similar to a tortuous dinner date. What sparked off as a promising evening with a piquant companion and much lauded fare-for-thought, turns out to be bland and inducing mild indigestion. Brillat-Savarin would have probably made a better dinner companion than author. Maundering while masticating obstructs the physiology of taste.
—erica
This is an incredibly engaging and humorous book that introduced the concept of the gourmand to the world. There were many times that I laughed out loud at some of Brillat-Savarin's characterizations, but there are also some cautionary tales (like the young girl on the vinegar diet)that are disturbing and educational. This book is fascinating in that it gives quite a bit of insight into socializing and eating in 18th century France. I highly recommend if you are a gourmand yourself, and even if you are mildly interested in food.
—Amy M
"The Physiology of Taste" is one of those books that most people either love or hate. Personally, I hated it. Brillot-Savarin’s book is one of the best known early examples of food writing, but it is unlike later books in that genre. One main reason is that Brillot-Savarin rambles—a lot. He inserts entire chapters on things that have nothing to do with food—rest, death, and so forth. He also repeatedly tells long stories about his personal exploits—outsmarting some Englishmen at a drinking game, getting himself invited to a dinner where no one knew him, and so forth. Some of the stories seem to have less to do with food than with how brilliant Brillot-Savarin thought he was. This attitude was part of what irritated me—Brillot-Savarin comes off as rather vain. Brillot-Savarin also has a tendency to make judgments based on his personal inclinations rather than on any solid evidence. Of course, what counts as “solid evidence” now would be different than when Brillot-Savarin was writing the book in France during the early 1800s. Certainly he would not have had access to all the health information we now know—for instance, he thought sugar was extremely healthy. But there are some things he could have fact-checked and obviously did not. He loved using foreign words and phrases, but unfortunately he had more dabbled in foreign languages than mastered them, and ended up misapplying them multiple times throughout the book. Worse, he seems to define "gourmand" as the type of person he himself was. The book is less about food than about the identity of a true food-lover, who will naturally be a person after Brillot-Savarin's own heart.Brillot-Savarin’s oddly organized writing and slipshod treatment of facts will probably irritate many readers. Some, however, may be able to enjoy his foibles as the expression of an entertaining personality. These readers may continue to come to "The Physiology of Taste" out of interest in Brillot-Savarin himself. However, those hoping for a clear and helpful discussion of food culture in 19th century France will probably be disappointed.
—A. Carroll
