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I’ve been aware of the main details of Joan Nathan’s life for some time — I liked reading the book because I lived in some of the same places that she lived, and I share some of the memories from my own life. Raised in Jewish communities in the New York and East Coast area (unlike me, a midwesterner, though sharing the Jewish-American experiences), she came to Ann Arbor as a student a few years before we moved here. She also spent time in Paris, France at about the same time that we spent our first stay in Grenoble, and many of her memories remind me of things I enjoyed there as well. Obviously this makes it fun to read the early chapters of her book, especially as she provides connected recipes for each short chapter.
As background for her childhood, she also described family memories of her parents’ origins in Europe. I especially liked her brief stories of Augsburg, Germany, and I would like to try her recipe for Augsburg’s special plum cake, Zwetschgenkuchen, when plums are in season. I’ve heard of it from my own family — my son-in-law is from Augsburg. He, my daughter, and my granddaughters have talked about this favorite, also called Zwetschgendatschi. They say it can’t really be made properly except with the special local Augsburg plums!
In her twenties, Joan Nathan had several very interesting jobs, especially working in Jerusalem as an aid to the mayor, and also worked in publishing in New York. She describes these years by alternating recipes with memories, which I enjoyed. My own visits to Israel were many years later, which contributed to how much I enjoyed this part of her story. And this is Joan Nathan, so I am sure that the recipes would come out just delicious if you cooked them!
After her marriage in the early 1970s, the author lived in Washington, DC, where she met many prominent members of political and social society, as well as many celebrities of cooking and culinary journalism. At this point, her book seems to do more name-dropping than really interesting narrative. I was dissatisfied with the way she presented these intriguing relationships, but felt that she never really provided a thorough portrayal of the many compelling figures who came in and out of her life. Sad to say, I really didn’t connect to these later chapters, and eventually scanned them rather than reading in detail.
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Blog post © 2025 mae sander
I've always been a fan of Joan Nathan's cookbooks. I would probably enjoy reading My Life in Recipes. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI met Joan Nathan at a PBS meeting and had an autographed cookbook that I later passed on to my cousin (somewhat regretfully but I just have too many cookbooks!) She was very gracious. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI like to read cookbooks too. Not only about the recipes, but also the stories. I hope you get to try the sticky buns and they're as good as they were when you bought them. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteI know many people love memoirs, and I do like them, but it is rare that I love them. Memoir writers are often people who are famous for reasons other than their abilities to write. Just my two cents.
ReplyDeleteI also love to read cookbooks, but have never heard of Joan Nathan. I have, on the other hand, heard of Anne Burrell, who died last week. I loved watching her on Chopped and Worst Cooks, among others.
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