Jim Gaffigan

I reviewed the audiobook version of Mr. Gaffigan’s Dad is Fat for Cannonball Read 5. He’s back with a new book, which I only discovered because of its prominent display at the bookstore, and the cover. The cover is clever – a cake topper version of Mr. Gaffigan next to a cake topper version of a hot dog, on top of a fancy wedding cake.

The book behind the cover is a nice, light, entertaining read. It’s a bit of a mishmash, with everything connected to Mr. Gaffigan’s love of food. show more But not in a ‘foodie’ way. Nope, this is about his love of all food, not just artisanal cheese from locally sourced cows. Sure, he devotes a fair amount of space to fancy steak, but a lot of it is about things like McDonalds, hot dogs, and pizza. It’s a hodgepodge that seems even more disconnected than your average collection of essays, and yet it still works. It’s something I appreciate, especially as I am someone who loves food as well.

In the beginning he talks through his view of the food that each region of the U.S. is known for, from coffee in the Pacific Northwest to crab in Maryland. As an aside, he is not a fan of the seafood the east coast loves – he refers to lobster and crab as sea bugs. I can relate. As a comedian who travels for a living, he is in the somewhat rare position of being able to share a pretty well-informed opinion about the different food available in cities across the U.S., large and small. Not many of us can say we’ve eaten in dozens of towns across the fifty states.

The book took a while to get going for me, but once it did, I found myself giggling and cackling, annoying my husband as I insisted on reading passage after passage out loud to him. The book is fun, and a nice read for when everything else has been just a little too much. October was a mostly shitty month in many ways, and an exhausting one at work, so this was what I needed. It isn’t perfect – the beginning does wander dangerously close to fat shaming – but for the most part it’s a nice palate cleanser between the heavier stuff. show less

Jim Gaffigan loves food; anyone who has ever listened to him perform one of his stand-up routines knows that about him. So, it seems only natural that his love of food makes him the perfect candidate to write an entire book about food. Granted, this might seem odd to someone who is not familiar with his comedy. However, pairing Mr. Gaffigan with food is like the first pairing of chocolate and peanut butter. In essence, it is the perfect pairing.

Mr. Gaffigan shares his thoughts on everything show more from vegetables to dessert. He covers a fine dining experience and the myriad of fast food locales and types of take-out available. He even shares with readers his unique map of the United States. It is the kind of light-hearted trip down memory lane of favorite meals that makes one hungry and rethink every questionable meal choice one has ever made. Then again, Mr. Gaffigan has a way of affirming those poor food choices as perfectly normal and totally acceptable. Okay, well maybe not acceptable, but he totally makes you feel better about them.

Food: A Love Story is one of those books that should come with a warning label. This label should read, “Warning: Do not listen to this audiobook while driving as it may cause accidents. Do not listen while eating because you may choke. Do not listen while at work because your coworkers may wonder if everything is okay.” This homage to all foods, except kale because kale is a hairy weed after all, is an absolute delight and worth every weird look you will get for laughing out loud in public. show less

Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan is a very highly recommended hilarious book about, well, loving food and a culinary tour, of sorts, across the USA.

As Gaffigan points out: “What are my qualifications to write this book? None really. So why should you read it? Here’s why: I’m a little fat. If a thin guy were to write about a love of food and eating I’d highly recommend that you do not read his book." Cheeseburgers and bacon are high on the list, for obvious reasons, but that is a show more starting point for what Gaffigan loves. He makes it quite clear that he loves to eat, eats basically all the time, thinks about food constantly, and is ready to share his informed opinion about what he likes to eat across the USA. The Geography of American Food according to Gaffigan is: Seabugland; Eating BBQland; Super Bowl Sunday Foodland; Mexican Foodland; Wineland; Coffeeland; Food Anxietyland.

He also makes it clear in a humorous way what he doesn't enjoy. "Ten years ago nobody ate kale. Then someone (probably a kale farmer or Satan) discovered that kale had some health benefits, and off kale went. Now we are in the middle of a full-fledged kale trend or, as I call it, a kale epidemic." Kale is just one of the foods that are a no-go for him and he is entertaining while he covers what he doesn't like as much as what he likes.

This is my first Gaffigan book and I quite enjoyed the clean comedy, the inclusion of his wife and children in the stories, and that it is an entertaining lighthearted book about the foods he loves. Admittedly, I approached reading it with a bit of trepidation after recent not funny political comments from him, but this was written years before that and was great escapism during a trying time. I found myself laughing or chuckling throughout the whole book. I'm going to leave with two quotes: "There are some people who don’t like ketchup. I think they are called losers." and something that needs to be made into one of those inspirational wall plaques, "I mostly eat ice cream at night in sweatpants, the uniform of ice cream eating."

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/12/food-love-story.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3674718698 show less

It's funny how books influence you. One minute I'm hyper attentive to everything I'm eating for health's sake. The next moment (after finishing Dad is Fat) I'm hyper attentive to everything I'm eating because I LOVE FOOD.

And I'm okay with that.

Jim Gaffigan is the guy who rocketed to fame on the strength of his "Hot Pockets" routine. I doubt he expected it to be so popular, or to have total strangers singing renditions of the jingle to him in random places. But he owns it, he's grateful for show more it, and with Dad is Fat, he expands on it, as well as a lot of other favorite (and not so favorite) foods. We listened to an audio version of Gaffigan reading his book to us on a family road trip to the northwest and back, and all I wanted to do is pull over and find a good steak. Or a bagel. Or fries. Or cake. Or...well, or whatever he was lavishly describing at the moment.

Did I say lavishly? I mean hilariously, because the book is a hoot and a holler. Gaffigan knows how to make me laugh and I will gladly listen to or read anything he writes (though I'd rather listen, because it's far funnier to hear it in his own voice). show less