Elissa Altman

Food and fucked up family make up the memoirs of many a Jewish writer, and this one is no exception. Elissa's parents are unobservant Jews and her beloved Orthodox grandmother Gaga teaches Elissa to cook and also to rebel against male authority. There are some funny bits, including the obligatory forced consumption of borsht and a horrifying encounter with a plate of brains (escape from the table permitted). And, as in Marjorie Morningstar and Dirty Dancing, redemption and loss of virginity are highlights of being a teenager working summers at a Catskill hotel. Elissa comes out to her family with minimal fuss, marries a goy, and becomes a first class chef and cookbook author. I liked it but didn't love it - so sue me.… (más)

Many of us 2nd and 3rd generation Jews experienced familial dysfunction similar to Altman's. Stressful balancing how to keep the old counties' religious and cultural traditions demanded by immigrant grandparents or parents and how much to assimilate into the tempting new world. Seems the stricter the immigrants the more quickly the younger generation made new non-Jewish friends, ate new (unkosher) foods, and participated in American culture.

Add in Altman's parents' unhappy marriage, poor communication, a tyrannical grandfather's (dad's father) criticism of his son, and that son's desperate but unsuccessful efforts to earn his father's love, a grandmother (mom's mom) who loved cooking but hated being married and you have a good book about a disaster of a family. And despite this and other crazy family members with strange personalities and secrets, Elissa loved her family and did her best for them.

Reading this book will definitely help you appreciate the family you have!… (más)