Mind wide open

Before there were food blogs, before there were blogs, period —heck, before there was even an Internet, there was John Thorne. He’s still around and, even today when the number of people writing personal essays about food has metastasized, there is nobody who does it better. For almost 25 years, he has published his work irregularly in a newsletter called Simple Food. (Newsletters, children, are what the self-published used before there were websites.) If you want to check it out for yourself, it is still going today and, almost as good, much of the best of his more recent work has been collected in “Mouth Wide Open,” published this month by North Point Press.

Thorne is a master of the deeply thought personal food essay — as opposed to the off-the-top-of-the-head rant so common today. He can take his affection for two ingredients as seemingly uninspiring as cod and potatoes (as he does in one of the essays collected in this book) and spin them into nearly 10,000 words that seamlessly weave history, cooking and literature into an altogether fascinating whole.

It must be said that Thorne is a better writer and eater than he is a cook. But actually that is one of the pleasures of reading him. He doesn’t propose himself a culinary authority; he’s just a guy who is hungry — for good food and good stories. And he manages to turn up both with regularity. Among the diverse topics collected in “Mouth” are bagna cauda, marmalade, beef kidneys and smoked kielbasa.

Thorne is nothing if not critical — in the best sort of way. He can be cranky, and to admire his writing is not always the same as agreeing with it. At this point I ought to confess that included in “Mouth” is an essay he wrote in 2001 that included references to me and to my first book “How to Read a French Fry.” He liked it, pretty much, I think, with certain reservations and suggested improvements. But coming from Thorne, that meant a lot.

"Mouth Wide Open,” by John Thorne, North Point Press, $26.

-- Russ Parsons

Comments

[Bryce]

Hi Mr. Parsons,

On the topic of cookbooks, what do you find yourself going back to time and again? And do you have any recommendations on books that pack a historical perspective? Congratulations on the Dec. 19 holiday issue. Did you cook the crown roast for your family or friends?

[galew]

I am a long time fan of yours, but even longer of John Thorne. His essays are always literate, knowledgeable and idiosyncratic. The new book is a terrific read.
That said, I agree with you about his actual cooking and recipes, but perhaps that is the point. He is coming from the same place most of us are that don't have access to 'professional equipment for the home' and really esoteric ingredients.

As an expatriot southern Californian now in VT, I am enjoying your blog enormously. Thanks.

[matt k.]

Thanks for the recommendation. Blogs are entertaining but they're usually shallow. Sometimes I can appreciate a long, thought-out essay on food or eating. I'll definitely try and pick this book up from the library or local bookstore.