Taste: My Life Through Food

Tucci, S. (2021). Taste: My life through food. Gallery Books.Stanley Tucci is an actor and a filmmaker. He brought his love of food in the series Searching for Italy where he took viewers on a food tour of Italy.I tend to like books that talk about food and Stanley Tucci's memoir was wonderful. His description of pasta left my mouth watering to the point that I made spaghetti that very night. He begins by talking about his mother's love of food: "there was a daily, almost obsessive focus on the quality of the ingredients, their careful preparation the passing on of family recipes, and cultural and culinary traditions." Weaving stories, recipes, and descriptions of food experiences and traditions we learn about Tucci as a young man, actor, and family man. We also learn about his values. For example, his mother exhorted, "You can't know if you don't like something if you haven't had it. You have to try it. You have to try everything." He described food as "connective tissue" bringing people together. Tucci noted, "if you're a food lover, there is always something gratifying about connecting with the vegetable, the fruit, or whatever animal, whether you've grown it, raised it, or hunted it, before it becomes your food. But to make that connection and then connect with someone else simultaneously is an exalted, almost spiritual level of foodie intimacy." He reserved his experience of throat cancer until the chapter. It was as though, the prior chapters were the prelude to fully understanding how threatening oropharyngeal cancer would be to a man who clearly loves food. His diagnosis meant that for almost two years, he primarily ate easy to swallow foods. Reflecting, he said: "Food at once grounded me and took me to other places. It comforted me and challenged me. It was part of the fabric that made up my creative self and my domestic self."This would be a wonderful book to discussion food culture, the sociology of food, and hospitality - food as a weaver of the social fabric.

I wholeheartedly admit that I have a major crush on this sexagenarian. With his charm, humour and bald pate, Stanley Tucci (or The Tuch as I refer to him), has that somethin' somethin'. My husband doesn't understand my crush, but he accepts it. Good man.Stanley Tucci is a man of many talents. He's an actor who has been in such films as The Hunger Games, Julie and Julia, Captain America: First Avenger, The Devil Wears Prada and Easy A (my personal fav) to name just a few. He's a humanitarian and a self-proclaimed and avid foodie and it's this love of food that is the basis for this memoir.No matter where he is - Westchester, New York to England to film sets around the world - Tucci's love of food is clear. With charm and wit, he shares personal anecdotes to show how food has influenced his life and how this appreciation of food connects him to his family and Italian heritage. He also shares his health battles, how his family has handled the pandemic and I loved the touching way he mentions the two loves of his life.'The Tuch' reveals a bit of food snobbery at times, but all is forgiven because he is charming as he shares touching moments and humourous bits. His name dropping of his celeb friends was thoroughly enjoyable - particularly Meryl and a very famous Canadian (who was a surprising connection - and also one of my crushes). I was delighted to know these two men are such good friends.Charming, funny (with a hint of snark), smart and simply marvelous, this memoir with a side of foodie love was a thoroughly enjoyable read/listen. I bought both the hardcover and audiobook (something I rarely do), but a must in this case. I highly recommend the audiobook to listen to Stanley tell his story and the hardcover for the recipes.

Tucci has a nice, easy-going style of writing and the book is an interesting, engaging piece of work. A light, breezy read, perfect for those who love to read about food 😊👍

I love Stanley Tucci! Great book about himself….food equals pleasure! I read it at the beach and it’s simply amazing! Witty and real!

Absolutely don’t read if you’re hungry. If you’re not hungry, read it and you will be.