It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time by Moira Hodgson is a book that brought out a mixed response from me. It seemed to me like it couldn’t make up it’s mind whether to be a cookbook or a memoir.
As a cookbook it lacked enough recipes, and as a memoir, well, it lacked feeling. Ms Hodgson grew up with a father in the British Foreign Office and as an adult emigrated to the US. She’s the food columnist for the New York Observer. Her writing is good, clear and concise. Yet, food is very evocative. And while she reports on a very interesting upbringing. She doesn’t talk much of the feelings or emotions her upbringing or the food brought out in her.
The book, while well written, doesn’t convey the emotion one would think it would. She does talk about how sometimes eating certain foods will bring back memories of the first time she ate it, or certain life situations. But it all comes across as flat to me.
As someone who has had a lifelong obsessive interest, and the ensuing weight problem, concerning food. The emotions that good food brings out are quite familiar to me. And I too can connect with the remembrance of where and how one first encountered a particular food.
The recipes are well written and simple. And should be easy to follow.
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time by Moira Hodgson just failed to connect with me, and thus is Not Recommended
