Cover Image: A Good Meal Is Hard to Find

A Good Meal Is Hard to Find

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Give yourself an afternoon with this book! The short stories at the beginning of each recipe are very entertaining. Then, the recipes. These bring back memories that had been forgotten. A home revolves around the kitchen and all of the exciting eats that came out of it. My family and I have now tried 35 of the 60 recipes and are on schedule to sample all of them while rotating some back into our regular menus. This is a delightful read and an excellent cookbook..

Was this review helpful?

Southern recipes seem to appeal to almost everyone, no matter where they are from, and A Good Meal Is Hard to Find: Storied Recipes from the Deep South is one of those cookbooks that has instant appeal. It’s full of unique recipes and vignettes that are delightful. Amy C. Evans and award-winning cookbook author, Martha Hall Foose, have teamed up to create what could be a delightful cookbook. Evans is an artist and storyteller, and her bio doesn’t mention cook, so I assume she is the main author behind the format of the recipes in this cookbook. Unfortunately, there are two negative aspects that make this a no-go for me.

Negative #1: The recipes are written in an unconventional way rather than what has been the accepted standard through the years, i.e., rather than “add the flour,” it says, “add “your” flour.” How do they know it is my flour – it might be a neighbor’s, or my daughter’s? Obviously whoever wrote the recipes hasn’t had much experience in the fine art of recipe writing and hasn’t done her homework.

Foose has previously written an award-winning cookbook (that is excellent, by the way), and the recipes are written the time-honored, correct way. Why she ever agreed to put her name on a book with recipes written in such an amateurish way is unknown. For those who cook from cookbooks, this is highly irritating. Non-cooks, and those who don’t have much experience in using cookbooks may find nothing wrong with this format, but those of us who have some experience expect to follow recipes that are correctly written. To me, assuming all of the ingredients, ovens, bowls, etc. are mine is stupid, and is about as enjoyable as fingernails on a chalkboard. Incidentally, while the recipes generally use “your,” they are inconsistent, and use conventional jargon in parts of the recipes.

Negative #2: There are no photographs. There are dozens of charming illustrations, but nothing to let readers and cooks know what the finished dishes are supposed to look like. Granted, this cookbook contains retro recipes from a time when photos weren’t the norm, but with modern technology, there is no excuse for the lack of them.

All told, this is a cute book; the stories are fun, and the recipes are nice. But for me, the negatives outweigh the positives, and I would prefer to skip this one rather than let the poorly written recipes, that assume the ingredients are all mine, get on my nerves. I’ll stick with Foose’s previous cookbook that has great recipes that are easy to follow.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

What a fabulous concept! So much of what we love about our favorite recipes are the stories behind them. This captures the essence of an old family favorite.

Was this review helpful?

I saw only one recipe that looked interesting to make. This cookbook maybe interesting to others but not this Southerner.

Was this review helpful?

I’m a Southerner, born and bred. However, as an adult I left the south, following a career and then later a husband. I raised my children with manners and Southern staples such as sweet tea, grits, okra, and cornbread. I am always on the hunt for any book with Southern roots, and I eagerly grabbed this cookbook

My first reaction was a realization that a Southerner from the Lowcountry of South Carolina is not the same as a Southerner from the Mississippi Delta. There is not a single recipe in this book that I associate with my Southern heritage. I was also disappointed in the story-telling. There wasn’t really enough story-telling to draw me in. The short tidbits did not whet my appetite for the accompanying recipes.

Despite all this, the book is a feast for the eyes. I loved the vintage feel of the illustrations. The colors were bright and lively. The font variations and color schemes, along with the “notions & notes” made it enjoyable to read through the recipes. I also thoroughly enjoyed the favorite hot spots and products that were referenced throughout the book.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book, but if you are from Mississippi - it might be perfect for you.

Was this review helpful?

This is the first time I have really just sat down and read through a cook book. I have to say it was really enjoyable! All the unique stories where the different recipes came from and the illustrations in this book were just so unique and beautiful. I look forward to trying some of the recipes and definitely the cocktails.

Was this review helpful?

The first thing to know about this quirky cookbook is that it's not at all a normal cookbook. There is not a single photograph of one of the recipes, there's no nutritional information (that's definitely a good thing, as these are mainly horrifically unhealthy) and I'm giving it 4 stars despite the fact that I will probably never attempt to make more than a couple of recipes from it.

So why the high marks? It's fun, it's creative, it represents some real classic Southern cooking, and most of the recipes are likely to taste quite good. Most of all, it's because I appreciate that the two friends who wrote it are artists (in paint and literature). One friend painted quite kitchy paintings of things like Crisco cans and hair curlers, and together they created oddball characters to go with the paintings and recipes. Each recipe is introduced with a paragraph about some fictional (or not?) person who might give you this recipe. One lady smokes cigarettes while reading poetry in the bathtub. One man dabs peppermint on his neck so he smells like candy before heading to the skating rink. They gossip and argue, and most of them drink quite a lot. Indeed, the book is full of boozy recipes starting in the breakfast section.

I am a cook who cooks quite healthy. Most of what I cook is vegetarian, organic and gluten free. Chances are, someone in our family grew or foraged at least one ingredient in any meal I serve for supper. My 16 y/o son bakes cakes, cookies and pies several times a week but I've taught him how to grind the flours, make the extracts and pulverize the powdered sugar himself. This cookbook is full of white flour, saltine crackers, sardines and pork rinds. But no matter how I cook in my own kitchen, I can appreciate a well written recipe, a well told story and fun art. This book will serve up all of these. I'd recommend checking it out from the library rather than forking over the $25 price, but if you like this type of cooking and fun stories (think of the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Fried Green Tomatoes), this will make for a fun read and probably some tasty dishes. Just have a salad with them.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Was this review helpful?

An absolutely beautiful cookbook painting by one of the authors that are so gorgeous I want to frame them.Both authors southern girls share stories of their lives friends upbringing.The recipes sound so delicious so heartwarming. Can’t wait to try them.I will be gifting this book to special friends.#netgalley#chroniclebooks

Was this review helpful?

Unfortunately I am unable to leave review feedback due to download issues. Only 3 pages of the book were made available to read.

Was this review helpful?