America the Edible: A Hungry History, from Sea to Dining Sea by Adam Richman

Written in 2010, Adam Richman was riding high as the host of Man V. Food. The Travel Channel series saw Richman going to various cities, exploring the food culture. He'd close out each episode by going to an eatery that boasted a ridiculous food eating challenge. I remember on our first anniversary, I ate a 64 oz Sundae in less than 10 minutes. Unfortunately, you didn't get it free unless you finished it in 4 minutes or less. But hopefully, you get the picture of what Adam Richman was doing.

This book isn't tied into his Travel Channel travels. However, Richman does go on to review the culture and history of almost a dozen cities in the United States. Being July and the sesquicentennial, this seemed like an appropriate read. Cleveland, Ohio, Austin, Texas, and Savannah Georgia are some of the foodie destinations Richman explores. Only St. Louis, Missouri and Brooklyn were the places that the author chronicles that I have been to. So I learned a lot. Plus I made notes of places to check out the next time I travel to the Show Me State to visit my wife's family. 

Before Man V. Food, Adam Richman was a struggling actor either trying to survive in Hollywood or travelling the nation as part of a theater troupe. In those cities, he made notes of the eateries he had listed as well as the various tours of food markets and manufacturing. As an actor, its a common practice to give recommendations to other thespians when they are in a city for their next acting gig. Plus, being on the road can feel like a blur, so Richman would journal of the places he visited, and take pictures, in order to keep memories both good and bad. When it came to the bad, there was usually a woman involved.

I like Adam Richman now. He's really insightful and funny on shoes like The Foods That Built America and Hazardous History with Henry Winkler. But during his stint on MVF, I could take him or leave him. I liked his tour guide persona at the beginning of the show. His Jewish Michael Jordan persona when he would partake in during the food competition parts of the show, not so much... This book reflects Richman as a struggling, young actor. He was also kind of a slut. 

In every city, he's got a girl that he's either in a doomed relationship with or he's hooking up with or failing misery despite giving it everything he's got. There's a fair amount of sex. Thankfully, it's not raunchy, locker room accounts of his conquests. And I will admit, he's got charisma. But it's really annoying. 

I also don't understand the whole sexy food culture. Being in the culinary industry for nigh 21 years, I have never understood it. I'm more of an addict than a lover. But Richman gets down right orgasmic with the food. I do commend that when he finds a meal that was lackluster, he doesn't hold back. I critique the food I eat too. But having taught culinary high schoolers and college students, I'm a bit more forgiving when it comes to poor service and mistakes as long as you don't try to kill me by not properly addressing my food allergy when I ask if celery seeds are in the cole slaw 

Like I said earlier, I learned a lot about each city. Though the 3rd through about the 6th page of every chapter read like a student's report on major city. The climate. The natural resources. The breakdown of the ethnic population. I felt like I was grading my Culinary II students annual projects on Popular American Soups. It's not Richman's fault. He does a good job. It's just those sections felt very familiar to me...

This book is 16 years old. Richman, I see, has been happily married for about 3 years now. While hosting MVF, he gained nearly a 100 pounds. Famously, he quit the show to take better care of himself. He has probably matured lots as he got older. It was just a shock to see how candid he gets about food, travel, acting, his love life... It's like seeing your high school math teacher in public somewhere. It's awkward. And it's not something I can add to my office bookshelf for my students to borrow. 

I'll probably keep it until Christmas. That's when we're supposed to go to St. Louis. It'll be interesting to see if some of the places he ate at 20 years ago are still there. And you better believe, I'll be getting some Imo's pizza when I am there. It's amazing stuff with a unique, creamy cheese calld Provel and something of which both Richman and myself can agree.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York

I brought this graphic novel by The New Yorker's Roz Chast with me on a recent trip to the Big Apple. It was a brilliant idea. Not just for mood reading but because of how Chast breaks down all of the secrets of the City That Never Sleeps. 

Chast originally wrote this book as a manual for her daughter who was moving into Manhattan as a student at NYU. The cartoonist broke down the ins-and-outs of the subway system, how to catch a cab, and the grid lay-out of the city. I don't know how much this book helped her daughter, by Chast's book really helped me understand how to use NYC mass transit. 

There's also sections on finding a place to dine and shop, how to get an apartment, and tourism in hopes of not looking like a tourist. 

Yes, this is a love letter to Gotham. But it's also an insightful guide that does more in 176 pages than some travel guides do in multi-volume examinations of New York. 

A must for anyone travelling to the Five Burroughs. You need to get over the graphic novel format as you will miss out on one of the most valuable travel tools crafted in a long time. In fact, it's one of the best books of 2017 in my opinion!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Around the World

This graphic novel is about 3 world travelers who were inspired in some way by Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. One adventurer, Nellie Bly, meets Verne in France and is racing to beat the 80-day goal while writing for a global publication. Another tourist rides his bicycle across the globe while a seasoned sailor travels the world in a restored yacht. But neither of them have a deadline.

A very informative biography of globetrotter from the turn of the century. This type of book is what makes reading and learning fun- not just for kids, but enjoyable for the young at heart of all ages.

I highly recommend.

WORTH CONSUMING!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley by Neal Thompson

I remember watching the 80s ABC version of Ripley’s starring Jack Palance when I was a kid. The host scared the hell outta me and so did the opening sequence. I remember seeing Rip’s face on the opening credits and thinking “Just who was they guy?” I also fell in love with the Beleive it or Not odditoriums and the comic strip, reading my grandpa’s old Ripley paperbacks before starting my own collection.

  All of those fond memories of BION are collected in the biography of the Marco Polo of the 20th Century. A fascinating read about a man who loved to play as hard as he worked. From his outsider upbringing to becoming a ladies man, it’s amazing to see just how much a workaholic Ripley was.

  There are some pictures in the middle of the book, but I would’ve loved to have read a few of his comic strips. (Only one is even reprinted legibly in the book towards the end.) One needed aspect of the book are little BION snippets about the many cast of characters Ripley encounters both home and abroad. And talking about broads, Ripley had his share of ’em. I was surprised how many ladies fawned over a guy who collected shrunken heads, tribal masks and erotic photos of amputees.

  Essentially, Robert Ripley is an oddball. But he loved the planet he lived on and the odder, the better. A must read for fans of shows like “Oddities” and “World’s Dumbest” and other shows that explore the strange, goofy, or just plain spooky.

  Believe it or not, this book is Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.