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CarpeLibrum

Carpe Librum

Bookish conversation with author Samantha Wilcoxson.

 

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Historical Novel Society

Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan

Food: A Love Story - Jim Gaffigan

This book is exactly like listening to a 6 hour stand up act. It's even read by Jim Gaffigan, and though he starts out sounding a little bit like he's going to try sound like a narrator his stage persona quickly takes over.

 

I happen to adore Jim Gaffigan. He's from northwest Indiana, loves food, and manages to have an entire act that I know I can watch with my children and not have to worry about awkward moments. So much comedy is raunchy and inappropriate. In a world of filth that is supposed to be funny, Jim Gaffigan stands out, and he's hilarious.

 

So, why not 5 stars? I don't know exactly. I laughed out loud on countless occasions as I was listening to this & found myself just sitting and listening when I was supposed to be doing something else. My son and husband listened to part of it with me & loved it too. I guess it's just that I feel odd giving what is essentially a stand-up act 5 stars. Obviously, this is no great work of literature, but it isn't meant to be.

 

If you have watched Gaffigan's stand-up, some of this will be repetitive, but I didn't mind that either. In fact, when we don't know what to watch in our house, we look him up on Netflix, so I've heard some of these jokes multiple times. They still make me laugh.

 

Of course, Hot Pockets get a mention, but so do many other foods. The entire US is broken down geographically by food, and I'm ashamed to admit that where I live falls into both 'Superbowl Food Land' and 'Hot Dog Alley'. He talks about his favorite and least favorite restaurants and some of our weird habits surrounding food. I couldn't possibly pick my favorite quote, so here's a whole list of them.