"two for the road" news and stories

This week's New York Times Book Review is dedicated to food, but seems to concentrate on those whose lives have been about food. The books they focus on are not cookbooks, though a few reviews are included. Instead, the books are memoirs and compilations, reminding us that food is an integral part of life and, for some, it is life.

The Times has printed the first chapters of several food-related books this week, including two books, Two for the Road and The Nasty Bits, which we reviewed here. There is only one problem with reading through these excerpts, though it's not necessarily a bad one: after you read the first chapters, you may just have to hop in the car and drop by the nearest bookstore! Read them at your own risk:

• Two for the Road - The story of how the concept of roadfood came about
• My Life in France - The story of cooking, eating, France, California and Julia Child's life
• What to Eat - How to find things that you want/should want to eat in the grocery store
• The Nasty Bits - Anthony Bourdain's latest collection of essays from his life and travels

[Image NYT]

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Jane and Michael Stern, the pair behind the Roadfood website and Roadfood, the ultimate in-car food resource, have just released Two for the Road. It's part cookbook, part culinary travel guide and all great storytelling. The book chronicles their adventures - most of which happen over food, of course - all across the country, traveling more than 3 million miles across tiny dirt roads and busy highways. They have a fantastic eye for detail, from the tie of the man who sold them their first car to the mouthwatering perfection of hash browns at a diner in a town that is a speck on a pastel-colored state map. On top of the wonderful, fun-to-read text, ending each of the chapters are recipes that they have collected on their travels, so you can make some of the best "road foods" at home after you read about them - if you're not in the car and on the road yourself before you finish the book.

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