Insensitive and offensive (Rating 2 of 5)
» Sagebrush Gardener
The book is not so much about bread itself but about the author's experiences in various cultures around the world, all connected by the common theme of bread baking. But that is not what bothered me. In fact she is privileged to have many fascinating cultural experiences which could have made for informative and entertaining reading. Unfortunately this was overshadowed for me by her constant stream of critical and demeaning comments about those who were kind enough to be her hosts. She refers more than once to the native food as "slop" and at one point suggests that her host is "in our room sniffing our underwear" while she and her companion are out exploring. Perhaps such comments are intended to be funny but I found them rude and tasteless. I envied the author's experiences but felt sorry for those who showed kindness to her only to be humiliated by her graceless criticism
Entertaining but (Rating 3 of 5)
» Pellegrino
I was really looking forward to reading this book. I'm a serious home bread baker and assumed the author must be a baker too. Not so. Her style is witty and and an easy read, but as the book went on I found the chapters less about bread and more about the author's adventures. The recipes she included are mostly unusable. There is a factual error in one of her statements, that ever since Tuscans started omitting salt from their bread several hundred years ago, Italians have been making saltless bread ever since. NOT true! The recipe for French bread after all the rhapsodizing on artisanal French breads was for one made in a bread machine. Please ! The sections on Morocco and Jordan were outstanding, and those on the Wonder bread factory and the US military's Frankenbread were terrific contrasts
An exuberant, joyful romp (Rating 5 of 5)
» sjchaney
What a joyful, exuberant book this is. Seligson is compassionate, funny, self-effacing, inciteful and fearless. Unless you're humor impaired you'll laugh throughout while this intrepid reporter hops around the globe showing us how diverse cultures worship the ancient tradition of bread making.
Her writing is filled with fine-honed, priceless gems. I love this book!
Disappointing (Rating 2 of 5)
» R. Lee
I enjoyed the first chapter of the book which was what I expected the book to be about i.e. bread in one global country. As each chapter went by, the book became less about bread and more about the author forcing her personality on the reader. It was a limited collection of travelogues, many in the USA, with bread as the intended link between chapters. If you want to read a second rate travel book with something about bread in each chapter this is the book for you. If you want to read a well thought out book on comparitive breads around the world look elswhere
Fun and fascinating (Rating 5 of 5)
» P. Lozar
This isn't just another travel book with a gimmick: as Seligson points out, bread is central to almost every culture in the world, so observing how people make their distinctive form of bread tells us a great deal about their approach to life in general. The author is curious, a good observer, and respectful of the people she visits; so not only are her stories fascinating, but she's able to take us into situations where tourists are rarely welcome. I was favorably impressed with her chapter on horno bread: when it turns out that the pueblos aren't eager to welcome yet one more travel writer, she respects their wishes and adopts a low-key approach rather than becoming invasive (or writing a whiny "my bad experiences with the Indians" piece, which seems to be a far too common practice!). (I should add that horno bread varies widely: the loaf she tried was uninteresting, but I recently got a loaf from San Felipe pueblo that's right up there with the boutique farm breads.) As a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, I was sorry that Seligson didn't explore sourdough in more depth, although, as she notes briefly, commercial starters have taken their toll (so it's not just cranky old age that makes me insist that "it doesn't taste as good as it used to"!). But that's just a quibble; in general, the book is fun to read and surprisingly informative, and I recommend it highly
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