Table Talk

Description

A.A. Gill knows food, and loves food. A meal is never just a meal. It has a past, a history, connotations. It is a metaphor for life. A.A. Gill delights in decoding what lies behind the food on our plates: famously, his reviews are as much ruminations on society at large as they are about the restaurants themselves. So alongside the concepts, customers and cuisines, ten years of writing about restaurants has yielded insights on everything from yaks to cowboys, picnics to politics. TABLE TALK is an idiosyncratic selection of A.A. Gill's writing about food, taken from his Sunday Times and Tatler columns. Sometimes inspired by the traditions of a whole country, sometimes by a single ingredient, it is a celebration of what great eating can be, an excoriation of those who get it wrong, and an education about our own appetites. Because it spans a decade, the book focuses on A.A. Gill's general dining experiences rather than individual restaurants - food fads, tipping, chefs, ingredients, eating in town and country and abroad, and the best and worst dining experiences. Fizzing with wit, it is a treat for gourmands, gourmets and anyone who relishes good writing.

Promotion info

A.A. Gill's witty observations and scathing criticism have been the highlight of reading the Sunday papers for over ten years His fearsome knowledge, and fearless honesty, make him one of the most respected critics to walk through a restaurant's doors THE ANGRY ISLAND and PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS have reinforced A.A. Gill's reputation as a formidable and funny essayist 'He is still, by miles, the most brilliant journalist of our age' Lynn Barber, Daily Telegraph 'At his best, Gill shows how real insight into a culture can be gleaned from the manner in which its food is produced, distributed, prepared and consumed' New Statesman 'Certainly a book that whets the appetite and an ideal... present for the foodie in your life' Dublin Evening Herald 'Infuriating and funny in equal measure, but always delectably readable' Big Issue

Author description

A.A. Gill was born in Edinburgh. He is the author of two novels, books on two of London's most famous restaurants, and a travel book. He is the TV and restaurant critic for the Sunday Times and is a contributing editor to GQ magazine. He lives in London and spends much of his year travelling.