The Gallery of Regrettable Food

Rating:
Summary: Silly and Wonderful
Review: This book is a hilarious compilation of old, often disgusting recipes. Lileks is at his best when he points out the patent absurdity of a meal - as he does time and again.

The pictures may turn your stomach, though!

Humor writing at its finest. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: very nice
Review: An extremely entertaining read by a funny, funny man with an amicable cynic's eye, a historian's perspective and a cast-iron stomach. I think my mom had ALL of these cook books More than an anti-cookbook
This book is truly a gift to share with others. Just like my new beverage of choice that replaced my morning brew. Its called s oyfee and taste so wonderful with no caffeine or acids. Organic and made from soya! Bye bye acid stomach and hello healthy tummy! Google it under "acid free coffee"

Rating:
Summary: Funniest thing I've read to date
Review: The pictures and text from the "modern" cookbooks of decades past are funny in themselves, but it's Lileks' commentary that made me laugh so hard and so often the dog stared at me, and my husband asked, "Is that book really that funny?" (Yes, it is.)





Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest damned books out there!
Review: For those of you who have gone crawling through the dark, dank, and mysterious lair that is your mom's cookbook shelf, looked at the *OLDEST* books, and wondered "What in God's name were they *thinking* when they wrote this", you're in for a real treat! This book combines James Lileks' hilariously sarcastic commentary with pictures taken from some of the most revolting "cookbooks" ever published to create one of the funniest looks at Yesteryear pop culture that you'll ever come across. Check out James Lileks' website (www.lileks.com) for a preview of both this book, and his newest book "Interior Desecrations", as well as other gems of Retro hilarity. However, I would suggest that, prior to visiting his site, you: 1) Budget a few hours (at minimum) to peruse the site, and; 2) Do not drink anything that you do not mind snorting out your nose, spraying across your keyboard/monitor, etc...

Rating:
Summary: MST3K Treatment for Cookbooks
Review: It's fun to mock, and even relatively mundane recipes can become funny and digusting when accompanied by Lilek's biting text. All the better when the recipes are truly horrendous, rather than relatively mundane--and many of these classics are, at least to modern eyes. (An 87-year-old friend of mine failed to see the humor.) Satire fans will find plenty of enjoyment here, both in reading the book and shoving it at their friends.

If you aren't already familiar with these delicacies and would like a taste, you can start by visiting Lilek's website, www.lileks.com, a slice of which the book archives.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Hysterical
Review: I keep this gem of a book on my coffee table. The first time I read it, I had tears streaming down my face from laughter. The second, third and fourth times I read it, I was also laughing so hard that I was choking. Anyone who comes to my house gets hypnotized by it. This book literally kidnaps my company. I say, "Time for dinner!", and Nobody can hear me because they are mezmorized by "MEAT MEAT MEAT!"

Rating:
Summary: Heartburn Central
Review: "The Gallery of Regrettable Food" chronicles how Americans cooked in the past by displaying foods from selected cookbooks. Much of the material is from the 1940s and 1950s, and the cookbooks clearly targeted housewives who were trying to add some zest to boring food. Some of the pictures are truly revolting and need no comment - but author James Lileks often adds just the right jab that left me laughing out loud.

Lileks actually started this project as a website, which grew very popular and lead to this book. He should be commended for being generous enough to make this material available for free. However, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with the book, as the website actually contains a large portion of what's here. Despite this disappointment, the book is entertaining and certainly makes a good companion piece to the website. The book is attractively constructed, especially considering the hideous food pictures!

Some of his descriptions and riffs are absolutely hilarious, particularly the long piece on "Aunt Jenny" and her Spry-based baking obsession. Of course, as with any humor, some of it misses, such as the segment on a Better Homes and Gardens BBQ cookbook. I enjoy reading food history, and I think that others with similar interests will also like this book. "The Gallery of Regrettable Food" would also make a nice gift for people who appreciate food humor.


Rating:
Summary: What a Blast....ummmmm...from the past!
Review: I first heard about this book by visiting CNET's Desmond Crisis' website [http://www.desmondcrisis.com/] listed as his favorite website [http://www.lileks.com/].

I found James Lileks book to be so true to my roots growing up in the 50's, I just had to send a copy to my Mom. It's great to have a bit of nostalgia and a whole lot of humor mixed in.

Thank you James, for it was a wonderful time growing up!

Rating:
Summary: Did people actually used to eat like this???
Review: As an aspiring gourmet chef, I can easily say that this is my favorite cookbook. It proudly resides on the shelf next to my Culinary Institute Textbooks, and Larousse Gastranomique. Would I ever cook anything from within it's pages? Good God no! Well, not without a bet, anyways. While all other books will tell the reader what to do and how to do it, The Gallery of Regrettable Food stands as a stern warning of how NOT to cook.

Critically acclaimed columnist and blogger James Lileks focuses his rapier wit on the commerically produced food culture of the 50's and beyond. He skewers it up to make the most unappetizingly funny satire about a bland time when Jello was a main course, a few grains of black pepper made a meal spicey, and people feared getting touched in their bathing suit areas.

We currently live in a golden age of American cuisine. Gourmet cooking has its own cable network. Some chefs are as famous as movie stars. The best foods from the other side of the world are readily available just around the corner. The Gallery of Regrettable Food is a solemn reminder of just how far we as a culture have come.

If you have an interest in cooking and can laugh about it, this book is recommended. If you have an embarrassed sense of nostalgia for an American decade long past, this book is recommended. If you have trouble sticking to your diet, well, this book will work wonders for that too. Bon appetit, Mr. Lileks!