I know Stanley Tucci as an actor. Little did I know he really saw his life through his relationship with food, and that shines through the retelling of his memoir. The story follows his upbringing and adult life, surrounded by appreciation and obsession of food. To Tucci, food means family connection, festivity, celebration, expression of love and even a creative outlet. It is a way to break the ice and make people happy. Coming from an Italian root, it even means the preservation of tradition (or dogma) and of what is already perfect.
The book itself also doubles as his best-of cookbook as he shared his favourite recipes (e.g. Various cocktails, zegpole, lasagna, Timpano, pizzochreri , fish stew, pork and lamb chop). I also got to learn some obscured Italian dishes and ingredient such as Bitto (a Northern Italian cheese that can be aged for 10+ years) and Bottarga (aged fish roe). Food culture can be so intricate and loving and this book is a fun reminder.
It is nice to be reading a memoir that does not really talk about trauma and insecurity (negative relationship with food is real and is a big topic in itself). It is a good introspection on what food, something that we interacts with on a daily (usually even hourly) basis, means to us as we live our life, how it sustain, enrich and challenges us. Writing this article makes me hungry for good food and I might have to go find a nice Italian restaurant to eat this weekend!