Small Fires

An enjoyable book! About how we diminish the 'work' that goes into cooking in the name of 'love'. About recipes—what they bring to the table, what they don't, how we follow a recipe (to the dot, intuition, no measurement cooking etc. I def did not know about the 'no-recipe recipe book by New york Times editor Sam Sifton). Describing each cooking session as a performance. About Nigella Lawson's use of possessives in the way she describes her cooking and food. About MFK Fischer's thoughts on food. About navigating life through different hairstyles and food—the slow transformation.

Quotes:
"Nigella's use of possessive pronouns unsettles me too. My chocolate cake, my quick paste, my upmarket mushy peas. They are all declared delicious...The possessive pronouns come across as boastful, greedy, even immodest."

"Spattering is not mentioned in the recipe. The text does not anticipate the liveliness of the process it describes, which spatters wildly"

"Can I only appreciate cooking through the imagination of the other...I have been dependent on living through the appetites and desires of others. Alone I am so lost"

"Small Fires in the Kitchen" by Rebecca May Johnson is a thought-provoking and deliciously immersive memoir that takes readers on a captivating culinary journey. With its evocative storytelling, heartfelt reflections, and mouthwatering recipes, this book offers a unique blend of food, culture, and personal growth that will resonate with readers who are passionate about both cooking and self-discovery.

In this memoir, Johnson invites readers into her world as she navigates her way through the complexities of life, love, and her deep connection to food. Each chapter is a window into her experiences, combining vivid descriptions of her culinary experiments with introspective musings on identity, family, and the power of food to evoke emotions and forge connections.

I requested “Small Fires” from NetGalley because of the description of this shorter novel, and so I express my deep gratitude to whomever wrote the blurb as it is in no way misleading or misfocused.

This work by Rebecca May Johnson is not only and introspective look at her life but also at how a humble sauce recipe has developed through the different stages of her life. At times this feels like a recitation. But it’s so much more than that. “Small Fires” is part memoir, part critical (academic) essay, part love story, part feminist lit, part bildungsroman, part classical text, and part ode, and that’s what I loved most: Johnson’s homage to the sauce recipe central to her work of nonfiction.

The narrative thread follows a logical trajectory, and readers are given glimpses of Johnson’s life and backstory but not too much insight…Just enough to keep you coming back for more, like a delicious meal you can’t get enough of!

There is a lot to unpack in such a short piece, but I think that Johnson’s execution is pretty appetizing—and I’m not even a fan of personal nonfiction narratives (personal essays, memoirs, autobiographies, etc…)! So imagine my surprise when I finished this, thought back on the work and my enjoyment level while reading it and realized that I was quite impressed with it! I’ve read Nina Mingya Powles short work, “Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai” (2020) and didn’t enjoy it, but did enjoy Nigella Lawson’s even shorter work, “Eating: Vintage Minis” (2017). So I admit that I did feel some trepidation when I requested “Small Fires”, but am I ever glad that I did.

If you’re a fan of memoirs, academic infused nonfiction, coming-of-age stories, and writing about food and/or cooking, then this could be for you!

Now, my mission is to find Marcella Hazan's sugo fresco al pomodoro recipe! Wish me luck!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for allowing me to read an ARC of Rebecca May Johnson’s newest title: “Small Fires”.

This book is incredible and thought-provoking and I loved it enormously.

I sort of want to say this is a book that is "ostensibly" about cooking... except that it IS about cooking, there's nothing ostensible about it. But it also uses cooking as a metaphor for many things, and looks at recipes and in-kitchen behaviour both for themselves and as metaphors, and reflects on the author's life in general as well as her relationship with food and the preparation thereof.

I love reading about food and cooking and, although I feel a little guilty about it, I also love reading about how people feel about food. (The guilt comes because I feel like a voyeur.) This book does that for me, as well as touching on other things I hadn't realised I would love in connection with a discussion of cooking. Such as...

Johnson has a PhD looking at a German translation of The Odyssey, and I had never before considered how you could make connections between that text and the myriad ways that cooking and food (not to mention gender - although I had thought about that a bit) are used in western society. The way that how we talk/feel about translation can also connect to the way we talk/feel about cooking was absorbing. And then there's all the other theoretical stuff, like the psychoanalyst who thinks that cooking from a recipe is a sign that the cook lacks creativity... which made me, and Johnson, rage.

This book is at times prickly, at times confronting; Johnson reflects on large chunks of her life so sometimes she is bewildered and struggling while other times doing quite well. There were a LOT of times I responded on a very emotional level with what Johnson was saying: I cook for those I love; I struggle to think about making food for just myself; I have struggled with what my love of cooking says about me in terms of feminism (thank you, third wave feminism, for teaching me about the issues of second-wave feminism).

This is a powerful book. About cooking, yes, and the place of the recipe - and my goodness, Johnson's exploration of what a single recipe can be, what it does, what it means: all of these things are glorious. It's also an exploration of life, although I hesitate to call it a memoir and it's certainly not autobiography. Many people come into Johnson's life through the book, as she cooks for them and reflects on their relationships, but there's not a lot of names - there's a sustained reflection on the idea of 'YOU' as the one cooked for, and what body YOU represents changes over time, and exactly who they are and their relationship to Johnson is irrelevant for the purpose of the book. I liked this, too, even though the biography-reader in me kept expecting to understand the various relationships. But it's not necessary for the book.

This is a book that I may need to own, in paper.

I've been thinking about this ever since I finished it a couple of days ago. I've talked about it with a few people too, so it's certainly been successful in worming its way into my thoughts. This is an exploration of cookery and its place in our lives, specifically in the case of the author and generally in the case of everyone else. The writer talks about the diminishment of women's jobs and the dismissal of cookery as a creative, philosophical and rewarding practice. She weaves into this her thoughts on translation, on psychology and philosophy, on gender and somehow ties it all into thinking about sausages. This is amazing.

I was not expecting this to be filled with as many interesting observations as it was. The author's words read like pure poetry while simultaneously digging into nuance of women in the kitchen. The formatting reads poetically with a stream of consciousness tone that made the whole book more approachable. I can't say I was expecting the tone of witty observation and critique, but I very much enjoyed it.

SMALL FIRES was a revelation for this non-cook, through its insights and poetic prose about the culinary life and how cooking has often been viewed as "women's work done out of love," rather than a means to personal growth and insight. The recipes are delicious, the storytelling captivating, the memoir a must-read for anyone who loves cooking, eating, and reflecting. Recommended!

A lovely, unusual, and thought-provoking exploration of cooking and the performance of cooking and cooking as an intellectual pursuit. Not everything resonated with me but I love the style and spirit of the writing and the inventive interpretation of a memoir.

Thank you very much to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

In Small Fires, Rebecca May Johnson turns her academic lens inward, philosophizing on the creation and development of self through the food we choose to prepare for others. Building on the years of cooking documented in her Dinner Document blog (now archived), the author examines her own motivations for cooking for the people in her life. She explains how she selects a dish and the ingredients for it, and goes through the process of making, re-making and often re-inventing those dishes. First using a simple recipe for tomato sauce and later a recipe for rice pudding, Johnson convincingly demonstrates the autonomy and power home cooks can have, fiercely rebutting those who reject recipes as stifling.

With its references to Greek classics and obscure, out of print cookbooks and essays on food, the writing can be a bit heavy which is the reason for my rating. However, Johnson's passion for the kitchen and all those who choose to harness their creative power within it is evident in every page.

Part poetry and part manifesto, Small Fires will ignite a creative spark in your kitchen, whether you usually cook only for you or for the "You" Johnson alludes to in her book.

Note: This book was previously published in the U.K. in 2022. I gratefully received a review copy from the publisher on the occasion of the 2023 North American release.

This was a quick and easy read for me as I love a good book that has a food theme. It is a memoir yet it is so much more.

This is a book that will make you think and reflect, it tells stories, shares life experiences and even has recipes. Yippee! I love a good recipe. It is interesting, entertaining, is quick and easy to read and it is a book I would happily share with friends and family.

Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I picked this up a couple of weeks ago and put it down again. On my second attempt, I devoured (!) it in one sitting. A clever, engaging, thought provoking, warm, witty and wonderful read. The power of the every day acts. An empowering lovely read. Recommend.

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where memoirs and food writing are popular.

Really enjoyed this. Would love to read more writing related to food and culture. Accessible and supported by a wide range of references. Definitely will be recommending!