A Slice of Life Tapa dura - 2003

de Bonnie Marranca

A Slice of Life is a collection of contemporary food writing that readers can really sink their teeth into

Organized into chapters addressing descriptions of actual meals, autobiographical memories, the cultural spectacle of eating, the concept of want, the celebration of good food, and the philosophical, spiritual, and ethical aspects of food, author Bonnie Marranca has cooked up a tempting meal of writing that reflect on how the consumption of food-or the lack of it-takes on larger social significance. Charles Simic eulogizes tomatoes and questions bioengineering, Wole Soyinka delves into the nature of fasting, Umberto Eco declaims on in-flight dining, and Emily Prager reminisces, in an original essay, about Swedish food and the rejuvenating possibilities of a trip to Ikea-among others.

Garnishing the feast are Marranca's tantalizing introduction and Betty Fussell's meditation on the essential connection between food, existence, and writing. A Slice of Life is a banquet that readers will savor through its many courses.