Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run by Alton Brown

Recently one of my culinary students asked me if I had ever heard of Alton Brown. Had I heard of Alton Brown? He's like my culinary hero. He's one of the reasons I got into becoming a foodie. He actually advised me in person to go to culinary school in order to achieve certain career goals I had.

Yes, I have heard of Alton Brown!!!

I had several of his books on the bookcase in my office and brought them out for my student to inspect. From looking them over I inspired myself to take one of his books and give it a read in my quest for extending my culinary knowledge. 

I chose Feasting On Asphalt: The River Run because I had been such a fan of the 6-part documentary along with the first miniseries. In 2007, Alton Brown and his camera crew rented motorcycles and a RV to drive the entire length of the Mississippi River, starting all the way down in the Louisiana Delta up to the lutefisk filled waters of Minnesota. 

Along the way, the crew would explore the diners, restaurants and food manufacturers that were off the beaten path in hopes of recapturing the spirit of the All-American road trip before the days of the interstate highway systems made everything much more accessible.

There's a lot of fun to be had going the long way. Sadly, the extra time isn't one of those benefits. But by travelling the byways as opposed to the interstates, there are still some small town gems to be found. But you better hurry as larger box stores and restaurant conglomerates are making those bight spots fade into distant memory.

This book is a journal companion piece to the video diary Brown makes of his trip. Added to this book that you don't find on the show are about 40 recipes. Brown also includes a buyer's guide for some of the special ingredients he bought along his trek to make those dishes. However, being that this book is about 15 years old and COVID lockdown did considerable damage to the smaller corners of the culinary industry, don't be surprised if many of the attractions and purveyors are no longer in business.

I wish Alton Brown had written such a journal for his first road trip which explored the original path of legendary Route 66. Also, I just recently learned that there was a third volume in the series! Feasting on Waves had Alton and company on boats touring the Caribbean. How did I miss this one?! And why didn't Alton write a book about it?? I especially would like such a thing since with Alton Brown's relationship with Food Network has been terminated, Feasting on Waves is no longer available on streaming. 

Ah... missed opportunities.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.