I devoured this book. Despite its title, [b:The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading|65215109|The Upstairs Delicatessen On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading|Dwight Garner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1679839890l/65215109._SY75_.jpg|100097224] is not a meaty book. Divided into separate sections like Breakfast, Lunch, Shopping, Drinking, Dinner, it is larded with anecdotes, salted with literary quotations and references and peppered with humor. The index is pure gravy. ( )

Pretentious ( )

This was my last book of 2023 and it was a perfect one to end on. At first, his prodigious use of quote irritated me. Then, I grew to like it; it was very funny. As a result, I tried a peanut butter and pickle sandwich on toast (good), became less concerned about how much my husband drinks and shared the line - are you a bedwetter - which was recommended to stimulate conversation when seated next to a dull person at a dinner party. ( )

I read The Upstairs Delicatessen as part of the Kindle challenge. Dwight Garner's memoir was an amazing amalgam of food and books, moving us through the day from breakfast, lunch and dinner with other culinary side trips such as shopping and drinking. Garner is the book critic for The New York Times and his writing is a pleasure to read. The only frustration was not being to able to stop and read all the books he mentions! The title comes from Beat critic Seymour Krim who coined the term to refer to memory. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Food and books, what's not to love? ( )

"On Eating, Reading, Reading about Eating, & Eating While Reading." Shut up and take my money! This book was so awesome - eating and reading in one place, by someone who truly savors both. "I go to bed thinking about what's for breakfast." OMG, I'd be ashamed to agree if I weren't emboldened by him putting it in print; it's often the only thing that motivates me to get up off the couch and go to bed ("Only 8 hours till oatmeal...").

"People who grow up with too much good taste miss out. They don't get to make discoveries on their own." Yes, this was why I warmed to Dwight Garner and not to his wife, who was groomed from birth to prefer Annie's macaroni & cheese to Kraft.

Those were quotes from him; a huge proportion of the book, though, is given over to quotations by others. He is a voracious reader, after all.

He divides his book into sections - "Breakfast, "Lunch," a few interludes, and "Dinner." I was nearing the end when I started to realize there would be no dessert. Indeed he admits to having no sweet tooth, and I struggled to think of a single place in the book I had read anything about something sweet. I part company here with the author. I do not understand people who have no interest in dessert - as he and I would agree that we feel like a different species from those who have no particular interest in food. Dessert is the BEST food. Other foods WISH they were dessert. It's overwhelmingly men who don't care for dessert; I've always wondered if it was just a matter of feeling too unmanly if you admitted, yes, you want some damn creme brulee. ( )