Food: A Love Story Paperback – September 22, 2015

Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan is a very highly recommended hilarious book about, well, loving food and a culinary tour, of sorts, across the USA.As Gaffigan points out: “What are my qualifications to write this book? None really. So why should you read it? Here’s why: I’m a little fat. If a thin guy were to write about a love of food and eating I’d highly recommend that you do not read his book." Cheeseburgers and bacon are high on the list, for obvious reasons, but that is a starting point for what Gaffigan loves. He makes it quite clear that he loves to eat, eats basically all the time, thinks about food constantly, and is ready to share his informed opinion about what he likes to eat across the USA. The Geography of American Food according to Gaffigan is: Seabugland; Eating BBQland; Super Bowl Sunday Foodland; Mexican Foodland; Wineland; Coffeeland; Food Anxietyland.He also makes it clear in a humorous way what he doesn't enjoy. "Ten years ago nobody ate kale. Then someone (probably a kale farmer or Satan) discovered that kale had some health benefits, and off kale went. Now we are in the middle of a full-fledged kale trend or, as I call it, a kale epidemic." Kale is just one of the foods that are a no-go for him and he is entertaining while he covers what he doesn't like as much as what he likes.This is my first Gaffigan book and I quite enjoyed the clean comedy, the inclusion of his wife and children in the stories, and that it is an entertaining lighthearted book about the foods he loves. Admittedly, I approached reading it with a bit of trepidation after recent not funny political comments from him, but this was written years before that and was great escapism during a trying time. I found myself laughing or chuckling throughout the whole book. I'm going to leave with two quotes: "There are some people who don’t like ketchup. I think they are called losers." and something that needs to be made into one of those inspirational wall plaques, "I mostly eat ice cream at night in sweatpants, the uniform of ice cream eating."

I love Jim Gaffigan, and while this was not as funny as "Dad is Fat", I did really enjoy this book. And you don't have to be a food lover to enjoy it. Anyone who eats any kind of regular food at all will find humor in his anecdotes and humor. I found myself laughing out loud several times as I read this book. It’s a fast read and meant to be that way. Jim’s commentary on all the different fast food chains, the absurdity of some menu choices in the U.S., etc, were hysterical. The main reason I enjoyed the book is that I just love Jim’s quirky and down-to-earth sense of humor that the “everyday person” can relate to. Disclaimer: if you are a very uptight vegetarian who never eats anything like pizza or fast food, you will probably not enjoy this book unless you have a good sense of humor.

My interest in Jim Gaffigan’s work has followed a strange path. Never very familiar with him as a stand-up comic, I read his book Dad Is Fat because that was a sentence I heard often from my own children. That book turned out to be laugh-out-loud funny, so it’s no surprise that I took a look at his follow-up, Food: A Love Story. Once again, I was impressed by the number of belly-laughs I got out of this book. I do not consider myself particularly funny, which makes my appreciation of those who are that much greater.The other odd thing which struck me again as I was reading this was how similar Mr. Gaffigan and I are (apart from the funny thing). Though we’ve never crossed paths, we tread much of the same ground in NYC, bringing up our kids and trying not to upset our healthy-minded wives too much with our eating habits. Our palates also seem to be equally warped by a meat & potatoes 1970’s Midwestern upbringing. It’s something that stands out in relief as we try to make our way in the Big Apple.In the days since reading Dad Is Fat I have watched a few of Mr. Gaffigan’s performances online so I can better place a voice with the text. It’s certainly not necessary for enjoyment of his books, but it does give reading his work a bit more flavor (a weak pun is the best I can do). I have to say, I’m already looking forward to whatever else he comes up with next.

I absolutely loved Jim's first book, "Dad is Fat". I listened to it 3 or 4 times on audio (the best way to experience it, because you get Jim's delivery and cadence), and I also purchased it on Kindle to read. For this follow up, Jim has done the seemingly impossible and written a book that is not only superior to "Dad is Fat", but VASTLY superior. "Food: A Love Story" is laugh-out-loud hilarious from start to finish, causing many people to stare at me as I giggled to myself while reading. I read it on Kindle, and I can't wait to experience this book again on audio while driving to and from work to liven up my day. Every part of this book is hilarious, and I don't even know where to begin to describe it. It's just brilliant, genius, and insane all at once, while ripping apart every major fast food chain, food trend, and geographical food tendencies. Buy it, read it, laugh. Repeat!

Food was a fun and easy read while on vacation. The author's insights into certain foods are a delight, and his restaurant and fast food commentaries are spot on. That being said, the book lost some of its punch in the second half. It may have been funnier as part of his live comedic show.

J'adore cet acteur et ses autres ouvrage sont aussi hilarants que ses spectacles!!J'acheterai sans aucun doute les prochains ouvrages!!!

Great book. Very funny. Laughed a lot. Book goes a lot deeper than his stand up. Love both. Who doesn't love McDonald's?

A hilarious take on food, family, and life in general. Perfect for those times when you want something light to keep your spirits up.

Ein sehr lustiges Buch! Eine amerikanische Freundin hatte es mir empfohlen und ich habe es sofort gekauft und in einem durch gelesen. An manchen Stellen habe ich laut los gelacht. Jetzt möchte ich auch unbedingt sein erstes Buch "Das is fat" lesen!

Hard to read as I was having trouble holding it still due to constant giggling.