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The Man Who Ate the World: In Search of the Perfect Dinner
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Product Description
An astronomical gastronomical undertaking —one of the world’s preeminent restaurant critics takes on the giants of haute cuisine, one tasting menu at a time
Like the luxury fashion companies Gucci and Chanel, high-end dining has gone global, and Jay Rayner has watched, amazed, as the great names of the restaurant business have turned themselves from artisans into international brands.
Long suspecting that his job was too good to be true, Rayner uses his entrée into this world to probe the larger issues behind the globalization of dinner. Combining memoir with vivid scenes at the table; interviews with the world’s most renowned chefs, restaurateurs, and eaters; and a few well-placed rants and raves about life as a paid gourmand, Rayner puts his thoughtful, innovative, and hilarious stamp on food writing. He reports on high-end gastronomy from Vegas to Dubai, Moscow to Tokyo, London to New York, ending in Paris where he attempts to do with Michelin-starred restaurants what Morgan Spurlock did with McDonald’s in Super Size Me—eating at those establishments on consecutive days and never refusing a sixteen-course tasting menu when it’s offered.
The Man Who Ate the World is a fascinating and riotous look at the business and pleasure of fine dining.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #306336 in Books
- Published on: 2008-06-24
- Released on: 2008-06-24
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 288 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Rayner lives out every foodie’s fantasy: to dine in the world’s best restaurants, wolfing down master chefs’ most prized products, quaffing the finest vintages, ordering the rarest and most expensive dishes menus can offer, luxuriating in sumptuous surroundings as staff hover solicitously. A London restaurant critic, Rayner documents the capital’s ascent from the culinary embarrassment of fish-and-chips to enthronement as one of the world’s gastronomic destinations. He jets to arid Las Vegas, where he finds just how eagerly chefs violate the currently sacred mantra of locally produced ingredients for the golden opportunity to grab tourist dollars. He finds similar intersections of greed and gluttony in Dubai and Moscow, where expense tends to measure quality. He caps his worldwide quest with a week of unabashed overeating in Paris, visiting both new and classic celebrated Parisian restaurants till even his estimable constitution buckles under the caloric load. --Mark Knoblauch
Review
“Jay’s massive appetite for luxury items and his spectacular understanding of food, chefs, and dining combine to make this a hilarious and insightful journey into the world of restaurant meals. I may have been the bad seed at the root of this journey, but I take no credit whatsoever for his final realizations. I do wish he had invited me along though, for the great meals, for some sense of chef perspective, and to savor a couple of bottles of vintage Krug.”—Mario Batali
About the Author
Jay Rayner is the restaurant critic for the London Observer, a regular contributor to Gourmet, and has written for both Saveur and Food & Wine in the United States. He has also written novels, most recently The Oyster House Seige. Rayner began his acclaimed journalism career covering crime, politics, cinema, and theater, winning Young Journalist of the Year in 1991 and Critic of the Year in 2006 at the British Press Awards.
Customer Reviews
Hide your credit cards. Then read this book.
While reading this book, avoid Expedia and Orbitz or any deep-seated desires to taste Toyko or tour New York City. Stay far, far away from wine auctions and think twice about booking reservations at restaurants that issue fraud alerts. Because after reading Rayner's adventures and quest for the perfect meal, you'll want to spend a lot of money for your next travel/foodie fix.
With each chapter--and arrival in another city--you may crave exotic food and culinary adventure and more of Rayner's writing. He gives words life. His arrogant, yet charming tone reminds of that guy at that bar that you'd like to call your friend or uncle. I distinctly remember reading in bed and yet also sitting next to Rayner, getting sick in a cab or throwing envious glances to investment bankers wasting a $5000 bottle of wine just because they could. You may taste the sea. Or smell grapes. You may also feel your heart race when he describes what happens in France. And you'll definately experience Dubai in ways that this month's travel magazine can't describe. (His description called to mind the book, A Fine Balance.)
Soon after reading and loaning this book, I craved really good sushi. I checked the balance on our Visa, closed my eyes ... and Rayner was right. I could taste the sea. Read this now if you need a vacation or a gluttonous night out in town. The experience is free.
When at Katz's Deli get the tongue
I was so pysched when I read the 'Warning' (urging the reader to get a snack beforehand or suffer through hunger pains)that I actually grabbed a banana and settled into my couch for a long read. I happily read the first chapter about having a 'proper dinner' and wondered where in Upstate NY I could actually get a decent app of escargot. Still intrigued I read on. Las Vegas. Really? I know, a blossoming culinary mecca. The only things blossoming there are the busoms of the waitresses. I read on and slowly lost patience. Blah, blah truffle, blah, caviar, blah, freebies, blah, name dropping. I wanted to get into it, but just couldn't. I would recommend 'Garlic and Sapphires' by Ruth Reichl instead.
Author Jay Rayner searches the world for the perfect meal
Author Jay Rayner searches the world for the perfect meal, traveling to places around the globe, meeting master chefs, and eating exotic foods. His memoir includes interviews with famous chefs, restaurateurs and eaters, and provides a lively blend of food culture and food history perfect for general-interest libraries strong in food history and culture.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
