Local blogger and yogurt shill Pim Techamuanvivit’s book came out this month, and today Eat Me Daily has a review by Grub Street Chicago’s own Helen Rosner. Unfortunately, it sounds like Pim could have used another couple of re-writes on The Foodie Handbook (Chronicle Books).
Primary among Helen’s complaints are Pim’s lack of descriptive power (“helpfully describing hibiscus as ‘floral’ and strawberries as ‘fruity’”) and her outlandish directives on what we must do to be true “foodies” (“we aren’t granted the title of foodie if we try for a table at elBulli; we receive that honor only if we manage to actually get one”). Still, as we know from reading her blog, Pim is so enthusiastic about good food that it’ tends to rub off, a trait not lost on Helen: “The book’s strongest moments are when she is at her most kookily joyous, being bossy about Bangkok’s street food scene or expounding on her relationship with her favorite cheesemonger.” That’s exactly why we read Chez Pim in the first place, and why we’ll continue to do so, but it sounds like it may be worth waiting to buy this book till it comes out in paperback.
What’s a Foodie, Anyway? The Foodie Handbook by Pim Techamuanvivit [Eat Me Daily]
