Victoria Abbott Riccardi

I love Japanese cuisine but tea kaiseki has remained a mystery even as I indulged in a tourist version in Kyoto. Riccardi walks us through that wonderful world, full of subtleties, delicacies and new tastes. It made me appreciate Japanese culture even more, and although I'm not a big cook, I'm tempted to try one of the many recipes included in the book to recapture some of the unique flavours which are not easily available in Canada - the trick will be finding the ingredients! The book does contain a thoughtful glossary to help the reader navigate all the intricacies of tastes and manners.
A fascinating and accessible read.… (mer)

Perfectly nice book—nothing wrong with a three star rating—but not especially spectacular. If you're interested in the subject (food in Kyoto, in the 1980s, with an emphasis of tea kaiseki) you will enjoy this greatly. But (unlike M.F.K. Fisher's work, say) it doesn't rise above the level of interesting/diverting to become some kind of culinary classic.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!… (mer)