In "Hunger Like a Thirst", Besha Rodell tells the story of her life from her childhood in Australia to her career as one of the last anonymous food critics. Rodell is a gifted writer and storyteller- as one would imagine, given the nature of her work- and her story is remarkable in that she spent so much time in poverty and yet still found her way into the world of luxurious cuisine and food writing. We see that the restaurant industry is brutal, elitist, and often sexist, and Rodell's journey has been interesting to say the least.

This book is a really interesting blend of anecdotes from the author's life, insights into the restaurant industry and restaurant reviewing, and one-off stories about particularly influential reviews in her career. For me, the most fascinating part was the author lifting the curtain on the seemingly small world of professional restaurant critiquing, which is an area that seems to interest a lot of people. There is obviously very little known about it because critics' anonymity is so important and therefore, the process is very guarded and mysterious. She also calls out some of the less glamorous portions- the expense, the travel, the stress of repeating visits without getting recognized, and the toll it takes on her family.

The cover of the book really does it a disservice, as it looks more like a romance novel cover than a serious memoir.

Readers who are interested in the restaurant industry and foodies at heart will surely find Rodell's memoir fascinating, though she never goes too in-depth on the details of the food. The book did inspire me to look up some of the author's reviews and work, and that was a fun rabbit hole in itself.

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the advanced read.

See full review on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution website:

"HUNGER LIKE A THIRST" REVEALS THE GLAMOUR AND GRIND OF REVIEWING RESTAURANTS

"How does a journalist score a gig jet-setting from country to country — eating dinner at a remote village in Italy and breakfast at a mountain chalet in Slovenia — on a mission to compile a list of the 50 best restaurants in the world?

Acclaimed food critic Besha Rodell reveals the grind required to land her coveted job working for Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure magazines in her memoir “Hunger Like a Thirst: From Food Stamps to Fine Dining, a Restaurant Critic Finds Her Place at the Table.” And it is quite a delectable journey..."

https://www.ajc.com/arts-entertainment/2025/05/hunger-like-a-thirst-reveals-the-glamour-and-grind-of-reviewing-restaurants/

Hunger Like a Thirst was an interesting read, but I thought it would be so much more about the author's dining experiences as a critic, but the was actually pretty glossed over.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

I love all kinds of food writing, so when I saw a memoir from one of the world's last "anonymous" food critics, I knew I wanted to read it.

Admittedly, I really didn't know much about Besha Rodell at all, so it was fascinating to hear her journey--she provides just the right balance of food writing, travel writing, and personal stories to keep my interest and learn a few things a long the way.

She's a talented writer that brings you into each story, each new desination, and each restaurant, and she doesn't sugarcoat the hard stuff or make everything super-dramatic.

Definitely recommended for anyone that enjoys anythine related to food, travel, or self-discovery.

I am a huge foodie, so I jump at any chance to read a memoir of someone who has worked in the food field. I'd never heard of Besha Rodell before, but after reading her memoir, I'm definitely intrigued, and will be looking up her other work. I enjoyed her stories, and it seemed like she's lived a very interesting life.

The key to a great memoir is threefold: an interesting life, a vibrant, engaging voice, and ideally some insight into the world you’re portraying and the themes you’re evoking. Besha Rodell busts right out the gate with all three. Given her background as a food <i>writer</i>, specifically, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. But I’m ashamed to admit, I had no idea who she was until I picked up this book. In a way, this was almost a boon, getting wrapped up in the story she was telling me without any expectations or preconceptions. 


I deeply appreciated the honesty with which Rodell approached her subject matter, from the entrenched misogyny the food world hasn’t managed to buck to this day, to the dysfunctional side of her own family. In particular, I appreciated her candor in admitting that she low-key ruined her son’s life by moving back to Australia, instead of pretending it was a quirky global learning experience for him, as many other writers might. At the same time, there’s nothing glib or ‘edgy’ about her portrayals. She makes no bones about how much she loves what she does—the food, the travel, the novelty—and also how strenuous it is. She is also clearly very knowledgeable, as the chapters dealing with the history of food and food service pay testament to.

Last but not least, I won’t lie, Rodell’s background makes her a lot more relatable to me than many of her fellow food writers. Even the luminaries (whom I love) like Ruth Reichl and Anthony Bourdain (RIP) likely wouldn’t have wound up eating their way to fame if their families weren’t loooooaaaaaded. Rodell’s background, instead, felt a lot more familiar. That bit where she says, “I didn’t crave wealth, I craved luxury,” really resonated with me. If you don’t get a lot of luxe as a kid, yeah, it’s a bit like stepping into a fairy tale.

All in all, a terrific read, and you better believe I’ll be scouring the web for Rodell’s other writing now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

I wholeheartedly blame Ben Mims for making me into a foodie. In college, he would make these amazing Sunday night dinners for our friend group. He would use ingredients like polenta and mascarpone; he would do things like toast coconut for homemade whoopie pies. He was (and still is) the BEST and most fun host, and he always has the perfect restaurant recommendations when you're planning a trip. Prior to those dinners, the height of my Sunday night sophistication was adding pineapple to my Papa John's pizza. But overnight, thanks to Ben, I was a culinary aficionado.

After college, Ben went on to attend culinary school and embark on the most incredible career, but those Sunday dinners gave me a craving for the world beyond Papa John's; I had been made into a foodie for life. I love to eat good food and go to pretty restaurants; and in 2018, when I read Ruth Reichl's Garlic & Sapphires, I realized that I also love to read about food.

I adored the adventures that Besha Rodell took me on in this book. The life of a food/restaurant critic is so interesting to me, and I loved hearing about her professional journey. Her stories were both entertaining and informative, and I've never wanted to plan a trip to Australia more than I do right now.

"We're launching a project called World's Best Restuarants, in partnership with Travel + Leisure," the editor told me. "The idea is that we send one critic around the world to pick thirty restaurants to be on the list. We want that critic to be you."

Can you even imagine? I. Would. Die.

This book is all kinds of fun and fully reinforces why I love nonfiction; it also has heart and made me think and opened my eyes to some issues of which I was honestly not aware.

Have you read any food-centered books? If not, what's the best restaurant meal of your life?

Hunger like a Thirst was a fascinating read. I learned so much about the food and restaurant review industry. The writing flowed well and I'd read more from the author

4.5⭐
Intensely personal and interestingly provocative memoir of a life lived in appreciation of food. From her childhood in Melbourne, life in North Carolina and living on the edge in NYC, Rodell's vibrant honesty is compelling reading. Some of the sections I found most compelling were not traveling around the world or sublime meals at top restaurants, but her thoughts on American food culture. What drove the establishment of chain restaurants? Why cocktails found a semi-renaissance in eateries like TGIFridays? Fascinating good for thought. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Besha’s parents were part professors and hippies. Coming from Australia, they settled in North Carolina. (I’m betting this was Asheville, known for its hippies and people that were part of the organic food movement.) Her parents didn’t stay together and her father returned to Australia while her mother moved to New York leaving her behind to care for a younger sister. Money was difficult to come by so Besha started off as a hostess in a restaurant and then moved to New York for a time along with her husband, Ryan, a chef. There she worked as a waitress and also worked on getting her degree. She then moved to Atlanta where she got her first job as a food critic. She loved her job and she loved the city. But the job folded along with the newspaper and she and her family ended up in Los Angeles with another job as a food critic. Along the way, she learned a lot about the business and she also tried very hard to be fair and stay incognito.

It’s at this point in the book that the author really grabbed my attention as she gave a terrific history of early cafeterias, and fast food restaurant. (I’m a bit of a history buff.) One restaurant in particular had me really laughing at her snarky comments. It shall go unnamed. Read the book to find out. She went on to give us a history of bars that led to co-ed cocktail bars with sugary drinks destined to turn one into a diabetic.

This book is quite interesting for me in that I have always been a Foodie and enjoy just perusing menus of restaurants to see what’s new and exciting. i certainly enjoyed reading this book and cannot imagine how Besha managed to keep up with the demanding travel like she did. She created some lovely memories for herself and I’m glad she shared them with us.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A food memoir from Besha Rodell who worked as a waitress and becomes a restaurant critic. This is her journey. You learn about food culture and what it’s like to work in different restaurants with different chefs.

Loved this one. It has been ages since I enjoyed a food memoir as much as I enjoyed reading this one. I cannot believe I did not know who Besha Rodell was before reading this. She has a voice and perspective that feels fresh, without trying too hard. She is deeply knowledgeable without being pedantic, and most important, she is highly entertaining. The ground covered may seem familiar at first, but this story feels new to me. Inevitable that somebody will compare this memoir to Ruth Reichl’s books, and I get that, but Besha Rodell's voice is distinct and the work stands on its own.
Loved it, read it, no notes.
Highly Recommend.

I am unfamiliar with author Besha Rodell’s work as a reviewer; although I must have read some of her work without recognizing her name. In HUNGER LIKE A THIRST, she shares her complex upbringing and early desires to eat often in fancy restaurants. Rodell crafted a career that she readily admits is the epitome of desired jobs. She travels, eats and drinks the very best food and learns about the world as she writes reviews about her experiences. This book is engaging and compelling in no small part because the author is so open about her work and life. The final chapter about Anthony Bourdain is an added gift from a talented author. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I love food memoirs and learning more about the food industry. Rodell’s Hunger Like a Thirst brought a fresh and honest perspective as she examines her life through food and as a restaurant critic across cities and continents. I particularly enjoyed some of the musings on moving and the concept of where you are from as someone who has moved across the US several times in my life. This was 5 stars for me until about the 80%-85% mark - when Rodell shifted the focus to some of her industry peers, the narrative was less compelling and I was left wondering what happened.
I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy reading about different facets of the food world.

Bethany Rodell has written a very engaging look at the world of food,.Asa restaurant critic she is interesting and entertaining really enjoyed.#NetGalley #celadon

I do enjoy reading about the food industry- specifically restaurants and all its behind-the-scenes prep work, inner machinations, hookups, the challenging long hours of a chef, wait staff, reservationist, hostess...etc. This memoir takes us on a different tangent with a woman who becomes a food critic/writer. I didn't enjoy that aspect as much. However, Rodell is a gifted writer, especially when she so exquisitely describes her surroundings in these various eateries. I was intrigued by her childhood growing up with limited financial means, yet gravitating towards dining in expensive restaurants- always finding a way to do that. I was also fascinated by her cunning tactic of never being photographed so that the restaurants wouldn't know they were being scrutinized. Some of the things I didn't like were the cover of the book (which reminded me of a rom-com horror story), some political musings, and some intermittent cursing that increased during the end- which at first seemed natural and endearing but then began to grate on my reading ears. You've really got to love this job in order to deal with the strain of both travel and moving and the collateral impact on your spouse and children, which she honestly shared in this book. Rodell clearly has a passion for it and I applaud her dedication and strength in pursuing this profession.

Thank you to Celadon Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

An intriguing memoir by a food writer that focuses as much on the industry as it does on the author. It's linear until it's not and there's a review in the middle which seemed out of place. The essay on Bourdain reminded me once again of what he added to the world. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Hunger Like a Thirst a Memoir by Besha Rodell

Nothing could be finer to Besha Rodell than eating in a restaurant. This was true from childhood to adulthood. The career path was predetermined for this future food and restaurant critic/writer/reviewer.

Her humble beginnings in Australia shaped Besha’s life. Fate took her to the United States where she learned so much more about restaurants, food, being a server and any job related to the aforementioned. Besha was a go-getter talking to people in hospitality and learning all she could about this industry.

She was ways in the brink of poverty living hand to mouth and met many who helped her along or stood in her way as a writer. She moved around a lot and eventually found some stability with her partner Ryan. This memoir covers the successes and failures in her career.

A worthy read if this topic interests you. It’s a solid three star review from me.

The most beautiful chapter of the book is tucked away at the back. A bittersweet love letter to Bourdain and what he represented in food culture, it's the best example of how Rodell's writing can be about food while being about so much more than what is on the end of our forks. Rodell uses that chapter as a eulogy; for the dreams of her youth, for the state of food criticism today, for everything that has been lost due to the inescapable grind of the restaurant industry and the decimation brought on by the pandemic. Putting such a, frankly, downer of a chapter at the front of the book is probably a non-starter, but if I had had that taste of her writing at the start of this, at times too long, memoir, I think I would have been able to better contextualize her admitted navel-gazing and retreading of ground that, at times, has felt over-covered.

Her family sounds amazing though, sign me up.

This was a book full of great information. It was very easy to read and I would highly recommend it.