Great fun! I especially enjoyed the titular first essay, as well as the introduction. Fisher shines as always. The collection had a good balance between, 'eating alone is freeing!' and, 'eating alone is depressing!'. Some essays were humorous, some poignant. ( )

What a delightful book! I bought it because it matched my love of food and my current predicament as a single gal. This is a collection of essays written by professional writers, some of whom write/wrote about food for a living (Laura Colwin) or who write in other genres (Nora Ephron) or a combination (Amanda Hesser) to name a few.

All of the essays revolve around dining solo -- whether cooking for yourself, dining out alone, dreaming of cooking just for yourself, despising it, willing yourself to cook a square meal or dreaming up funky dishes you wouldn't dare admit to. Some of the essays feature recipes (I marked the page for Grill-Curried Shrimp Quesarito with Avocado Raita). Others are just stream-of-consciousness ramblings. All are enjoyable. Whether you are single or not, enjoy cooking or not, you should read this book! ( )

Summary: Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant is a collection of essays from cooks, chefs, writers, and others, all on the theme of eating alone. There's a broad range of topics that fall under that heading - essays confessing what people crave when no one is watching, essays from people who make eating alone a celebration, essays from people who avoid eating alone whenever possible, essays from people who love cooking for themselves, essays from people who wish they got the chance to cook just for themselves, essays from people who can't stand cooking but have mastered the art of dining out for one, and so on. There's humor, commiseration, advice, soul-baring, and plenty of recipes for one.

Review: This was fantastic; a treat for the senses, and a balm for the soul of someone who habitually eats alone. While you can make the argument that eating is meant to be a social activity, almost everybody eats alone at some point in their lives, and this book sets out to remind us that while we might not be sharing our meal with anyone, we are never really alone in our solo eating. What I enjoyed most about this book was the sense of connection I found with the authors in almost each and every essay: Ann Patchett shares my love for Saltines spread with butter when no one is watching. Jeremy Jackson shares my love of canned black beans and the Moosewood Cookbook. Anneli Rufus and I share a craving for starch in all forms. Courtney Eldridge and I both have a food-snob ex in our past. Jonathan Ames and I have both made ourselves ill with poorly-cooked eggs. Beverly Lowry and I will both crave the same simple foods over and over again for weeks if not months at a time. Laura Dave's essay is about moving to and cooking in New York City, but it sounded to me like she was talking exactly about grad school. And so on. The connections I made are not going to be the same ones that other people find, but there's a wide enough variety that I bet everyone will find something they relate to. Not all essays will resonate with every reader - and for sure, some of them worked for me more than others - but there's enough here that everyone will find something to enjoy. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you even vaguely enjoy food writing, read it. It's funny, easy to read, full of tasty-sounding recipes, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyable. ( )

A nice amount of variety upon the theme. The tales of eating badly, or at least eccentrically, are usually the most interesting. But that's at least in part because it's the opposite of my own tendencies. Most pieces were amusing rather than sentimental. Some very intriguing recipes. Few authors were unsympathetic. And there was the unexpected bonus of a piece by a waitress at my all-time favorite restaurant, although reading it made me homesick and she has a pretty different idea of the restaurant's level of formality than its diners do. ( )

Hilarious and delicious. Essays and memoirs of eating and cooking alone. I had no idea people were afraid to dine alone! I've always been comfortable eating and cooking solo, in private and public - but this was a great read - good food, funny perspectives, and recipes all under one cover. I think my favorite is the account by Haruki Murakami... ( )

I don't normally read short stories, but this was a fun volume to read. I was able to connect with many of the single people and came away with some new recipes ideas. This was a book for my book club at Bounty Books ( )

A group of writings by cooks, chefs and others with a passion for food, and what they eat when alone. Interesting, and the recipes are a nice addition to the book.

Author Jenni Ferrari-Adler's was rereading Laurie Colwin's seminal essay on cooking only for oneself when she was struck by the fact that we are all connected by the fact that we cook for ourselves in a drastically different way than we would ever feed other people. Thus was the idea for this delightfully entertaining book of essays by twenty-six widely varied authors. The intriguing mix includes cookbook authors such as Marcella Hazen and Paula Wolfert, and authors like Anne Patchett and Haruki Murakami. What becomes clear is that everyone takes on the task of self-feeding very differently.

I remember well those days when I only had myself to cook for. I tended to have large salads as daily fare while cooking meals on the weekends that I could divvy up and freeze for later consumption. However, I came from a family where food was our religion (think French attitude living in Kansas). Most of the people I knew never cooked for themselves at all. They lived for those visits home or invitations to join friends who had families. In these days of frozen dinners, which were not nearly as good or available in the days when I was single, I fear very few will undergo the trials and pleasures which we see detailed in these varied, fascinating essays.

The funny thing is that this book arrived in the mail on the day that I have a weekly, early evening class which puts everyone in our family on their own for a meal, instead of our usual practice of sitting down together. I settled down to begin reading, pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't a recipe book but filled with essays, before my solitary meal. It was only then I realized that on my one weekly chance to have a "meal for one" I invariable take great pleasure in the same thing ... Page Whole Yogurt (Greek), drizzled with honey, a handful of walnuts, and a glass of Viognier to finish. It was the perfect beginning to a book that is about that very same thing ... whether we choose to cook, to go out, or to forage for our dinner when alone. You too may find that these essays prompt similar reflections and remembrances of your own, which simply adds to the value and enjoyment of this book.

I found the every selection delightful and this struck me as possibly the perfect summer reading for anyone who enjoys reading food writing. ( )

Eating alone is not a regular occurrence for me anymore, but it does happen occasionally, and it did happen a lot when I was in college. I expect it will happen more in the future.

I have a love/hate relationship with eating alone. I like that I can be selfish when choosing foods when I’m alone, especially since my partner is very picky when it comes to fruits and vegetables. (He is trying new things lately despite his aversion to them. I’m very grateful to him for that.) This is also one of the reasons I love eating out: I can be selfish without being alone. (I’m envisioning the deliciously sour and potent lemon tart I had at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Yountville, CA, a dessert reserved for selfish occasions.) When I’m eating alone, I dislike the fact that I have no one to share my joy with, no one to cook for besides myself, no one to Ooh and Aah at my efforts, no one to talk to.

These short stories encompass those feelings through many different voices, some with more love than hate for eating alone than others (and vice versa), and all with different experiences and reasons for eating alone.

As a collection, this book is lovely. The stories can be read individually or in one fell-swoop. I adopted the latter strategy, and I enjoyed it very much. I felt as though I was being let in to these authors’ lives, voyeuristically watching them alone in their homes or out to eat, being let in on the secret of their habits. It’s terribly interesting, and I almost feel guilty for enjoying it. Almost. ( )

The essays, by authors including Nora Ephron, M.F.K. Fisher, and Steve Almond, each approach the topic in a different way. Perhaps what is so intriguing is seeing how different people in different stages of life view the act of eating alone. People who are young and single find it disconcerting, but others with children and families find that eating alone is a rare luxury that should be savored. Several of the essays also include some intriguing recipes....

To read the rest of my review, go here: http://apparentlynotderanged.blogspot... ( )

Very entertaining read. This collection of essays & short stories covers a wide spectrum of dining alone. I felt that my current, personal, phase of consisting mostly on tomato sandwiches & a saute of cabbage, onions, hot peppers and zucchini from the farmers market dispersed by snacks of PB&J on white bread could easily fit right into this book. ( )

The introduction and the first few essays were incredible. I thought I'd finish the book that night, but then I had to put it down and it's been a struggle ever since. It made me ponder what I eat when I'm alone now, which is like many of the authors a favorite food, but not one that makes a huge mess or is complicated to cook. ( )

Cooking for yourself allows you to be strange or decadent or both. The chances of liking what you make are high, but if it winds up being disgusting, you can always throw it away and order a pizza; no one else will ever know. In the end, the experimentation, the impulsiveness, and the invention that such conditions allow for will probably make you a better cook. - Jenni Ferrari-Adler, in the introduction

I picked up this book, having just moved into my first post-collegiate apartment and realizing that I'm the one in charge of the kitchen now. The book, with contributions from 27 diverse authors, speaks on many different levels about our relationships to food and cooking.

Some of the authors focus on cooking or dining alone. Others discuss specific ingredients or times in their lives. Some include recipes, hoping that by showing you a slice of their life, they've tempted you to take a bite as well. Some are humorous, while others take a more serious bent. This book really has something for everyone.

My favorite essays are:
*Dinner for One, Please, James by Ann Patchett, about finding peace and pleasure in eating alone.
*Beans and Me by Jeremy Jackson, a funny look at a humble ingredient.
*Asparagus Superhero by Phoebe Nobles, about Nobles' quest to eat asparagus every day for two months.
*The Legend of the Salsa Rosa by Ben Karlin, which brought me back to my semester abroad in Italy.
*Que Sera Sarito: An (Almost) Foolproof Plan to Never Ever Eat Alone Again by Steve Almond, a hilarious recipe in story form for an open-face quesadilla.
*The Year of Spaghetti by Haruki Murakami, an etheral story about eating Italian in Japan.
*Protective Measures by Jami Attenberg, comparing food to a drug (and rightly so).
*How to Cook in a New York Apartment by Laura Dave, about learning the rules of your kitchen.

Shortly after reading this book, I did find myself alone in my kitchen with an eggplant. The results were tasty enough for me. I don't know if anyone else would ever agree with me on that, but I was content to cook and eat my eggplant alone. ( )