Minutes November book: Blood, Bones & Butter

Blood, Bones & Butter

By Gabrielle Hamilton

(Chosen by JM)




(Thanks to Domestic Goddess for taking notes for the minutes in my absence - Ed.)

 JM chose this book on the recommendation of her husband who had read it. She thought it would offer a light-hearted and easy-to-read option that would appeal to the culinary whizzes among us.

About the author:

Gabrielle Hamilton is the chef/owner of PRUNE which she opened in New York City’s East Village in October 1999. Gabrielle has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, GQ, Bon Appetit, Saveur and Food & Wine. Gabrielle was also nominated for Best Chef NYC in 2009 and 2010 by the James Beard Foundation and in 2011 won the category. Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef is a New York Time bestseller, and has been published in six languages and won the James Beard Foundation’s award for Writing and Literature in 2012. She lives in Manhattan with her two sons.

(general biographical detail from the website for the book)

What the publisher says about the book:

Gabrielle Hamilton's childhood home in rural New Jersey, with her four siblings and her parents who threw grand parties (hundreds of guests came to enjoy the pigeon pies and baby lambs roasted over wood fires), was thrilling , magnificent. But when her parents divorced and the family scattered, Gabrielle was left, aged twelve, almost alone in the empty house for the summer. Forced to fend for herself, she drew on the hours spent watching her adored mother at the stove, and got a kitchen job in the nearest town. The riotous years that followed were full of hard graft, hard living and many far-flung kitchens. In New York, and with rent to pay, Gabrielle spent years working in soulless catering factories, then found herself graduating with a creative writing degree, opening a restaurant and entering into an unlikely and flawed marriage with an Italian man. Every summer they take their two boys to the family home, and her beloved mother-in-law, in Puglia. Gabrielle gives us the stories, gritty and intimate, of the people, places and meals that have shaped her journey. Unflinchingly honest, moving, funny, sharply crafted - Blood, Bones & Butter is a rollicking, passionate story about food, purpose and family. Not only is Gabrielle Hamilton one of America's most recognised chefs, she is also set to make her mark as an uncompromising literary talent.

What we discussed about the book:

• The honesty of the author, often at her own expense.
• How would we describe her love relationships, particularly her marriage?
• How would we describe her relationships with her parents and the rest of her family?
• The pitfalls of opening a restaurant. Is it something better tackled with a degree of ignorance?
• In what ways is the title of the book apt?
• The authenticity of her descriptions of Italian family life, and acceptance into the family.
• The difference between describing yourself as a 'chef' and as a 'cook'.
• Why did she freeze when speaking to the students at the conference? Was this in character?
• The writing style - how descriptive and evocative it was.
• Some editions have an extra chapter - does this chapter change the experience of reading the book?
• How well we related to the author's character.

And then we were sidetracked into:

• The current status of PRUNE restaurant (closed due to Hurricane Sandy)
• Is honesty in cooking easier to achieve than honesty in relationships?
• The author's amazing work ethic.
• Our love of the lists in the book.

In other news, we discussed:

• School fees for years that include 'outward bound' experiences.
• The importance (or not!) of linen being laundered correctly.
• The etiquette of using someone's beach house.
• Cycling up Anderson Street hill.

Ratings:
Range: 7 to 8.5
Average:  7.8

Next book: The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J Mazzeo (chosen by T-Rex)