Dwight Garner, a noted New York Times book critic, dives into his delightful new food book, 'The Upstairs Delicatessen.' He shares the inspirations behind his work, highlighting the intersection of food and literature. Garner recalls memorable meals and discusses the joy of cookbooks filled with personal stories and recipes. He also humorously reflects on quirky drink preferences and explores profound themes like last meals and culinary nostalgia. His insights illuminate how food connects us to memory, culture, and personal history.
Dwight Garner's 'The Upstairs Delicatessen' creatively intertwines food with memories and literature, reflecting personal narratives through culinary experiences.
His extensive cookbook collection serves as a relaxing escape for Garner, highlighting the role of cookbooks in inspiring creativity and connection.
Garner's exploration of end-of-life meals reveals how food choices can symbolize personal legacies and deeper philosophical themes in life.
Deep dives
Dwight Garner's Culinary Memoir
Dwight Garner's book, 'The Upstairs Delicatessen', intertwines memoir and literary references through food. He explores how his memories are connected to the meals he has experienced and the literature he has consumed. The title is inspired by critic Seymour Krim's description of memory as an 'upstairs delicatessen', suggesting that our recollections are as varied and rich as a diverse menu. Garner argues that food evokes memories and literary moments, demonstrating the deep connection between what we eat and how we remember.
The Cookbook Addiction
Garner shares his passion for cookbooks, highlighting that he owns around 400, with many currently in storage. He finds that navigating through cookbooks helps him relax at the end of a long workday spent reading and writing. He appreciates cookbooks that are dense with recipes, emphasizing that they should inspire and ignite creativity in the kitchen. He also discusses his wife's profession as a cookbook writer and how their appreciation for cookbooks is a shared connection, albeit one that sometimes leads to light-hearted frustration.
Literary Food References
The conversation dives into how literature often intertwines with food, with Garner sharing memorable scenes such as the mac and cheese reference from Quentin Tarantino's work. He mentions how this connection to food within stories sparks deeper conversations about characters and their environments. Quotes from his commonplace book showcase a long history of literary influences, blending humor with food critiques. This synthesis of food references reflects how intertwined culinary experiences are with personal narratives and culture.
End-of-Life Reflections
Garner expresses a fascination with end-of-life memoirs and last meals, viewing them as profound insights into human existence. He highlights the poignant final meal of former French President Mitterrand, which included luxurious dishes like orlolons and oysters, illustrating the power of food in defining personal legacies. He reflects on how such narratives encapsulate a person's relationship with food and life's moments. This exploration not only reveals how food choices can symbolize life stages but also link to broader philosophical themes.
Culinary Exploration and Future Projects
In discussing his future aspirations, Garner expresses interest in writing a book centered around organ meats and his West Virginian roots. He aims to capture the intricacies of growing up in an often-overlooked cultural landscape, shedding light on its rich culinary traditions. He mentions the pepperoni roll as a hallmark dish from West Virginia, illustrating how food can serve as a cultural identifier. His enthusiasm for both food history and personal storytelling reflects his desire to convey the significance of culinary practices through a narrative lens.
Dwight Garner has been a book critic for the New York Times since 2008, and he has now written one of our favorite food books in years (not an exaggeration). The Upstairs Delicatessen is a book about “eating, reading, reading about eating, and eating while reading.” This is completely, 100% our bag, and Dwight’s style and rhythm had us reading until we were full (and then some). In this extremely fun episode, Dwight shares the book’s origins and digs into some of his most memorable meals and books, and books about meals, and meals…you get the point. It’s a fun conversation with one of the sharpest minds in the media.
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