Reichl on the Road

After a long blogging absence that involved a move and a lot of packing and unpacking, I’m back to the blog!  I did take a brief break from moving and unpacking to go see Ruth Reichl on a local stop for her book tour.  She spoke in Portsmouth, NH, at the Music Hall on May 1st to promote her newest book, Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way, which was released in hardcover in April.

I had never been to a book signing event before, so I didn’t know what to antcipate, but I find Reichl to be smart and witty in her books, so I was really eager to hear her speak.  Reichl opened by reading a passage from a previous book, Tender at the Bone, which describes how Reichl’s mother often cooked and served spoiled, strange, and unappetizing foods.  She went on to explain that her mother was truly taste blind, leaving her and her brother to defend favored guests from foods that could make them sick.  Unusual beginnings for someone who is now an editor of Gourmet magazine and a renowned foodie.

Not Becoming My Mother was the product of years of wanting to write about her mother’s mental illness – Reichl’s mother suffered from bipolar disorder.  However, Reichl focused much of her energy talking not about her illness, but about feminism and the times in which her mother grew up.  The title of her book refers to the fact that Reichl’s mother loved her enough to push her not to emulate her mother - she speaks of how smart and driven her mother was – and how bored.  Women of Reichl’s mother’s generation were not encouraged to have ambitions outside of the home. 

When Reichl began cooking and writing about food professionally, her mother expressed great disappointment – she wanted great things for her daughter and was worried that she would get stuck in a domestic role that wouldn’t make her happy.  After years of reflection, Reichl expresses gratitude for her mother loving her enough to to overtly express to her that she didn’t want Reichl to be like her – she said she didn’t know if she would be able to make the same sacrifice for her own son now despite her love for him.  Reichl clearly appreciates having a career that she loves, despite the irony that it involves something her mother failed at and wanted to save her daughter  from – cooking.

After speaking, Reichl answered questions from the audience which had been jotted down on file cards and were sorted through and read by a local public radio personality.  My husband and I were disappointed, because despite arriving early to the event, we hadn’t received cards.  The questions seemed to focus mainly on the economy, although there were a few questions about eating food with locally grown ingredients, and one person dying to know where Reichl would dine after the event (she tactfully replied that she didn’t know where she would be taken out).  Reichl also spoke briefly of her role at Gourmet and how when she accepted the position, she was eager to take on the politics of food - she felt readers were ready to learn about where food comes from – is it sustainable?  What harm, if any, is done to obtain certain foods?  Gourmet was nervous about this new direction, but as always, Reichl had her finger on the pulse of the food movement.

I enjoyed hearing Reichl speak, but was sorely disappointed when the book signing didn’t end with a book signing.  Perhaps I’m naive, but I fully expected to get in line and have Reichl sign my copy of Not Becoming My Mother – I had bought a voucher for just this experience.  (It was clear to me that at least a few other audience members had the same expectation).  Instead, we lined up in the lobby and handed in our vouchers to receive pre-signed copies of the book.  Reichl was likely backstage, and nowhere to be seen.  While I haven’t read the book yet, it is disappointingly small with exceptionally large print – it was hardly worth the money to buy a voucher for a signed hardcover edition, although if it is as good as Reichl’s other memoirs, I’m sure it will be funny, touching, revealing, honest, and a wonderful read.  So, ups and downs – but it was a good night in all – and a good break from moving!

Tags: book review, book tour, feminism, foodie, Gourmet magazine, memoir, not becoming my mother, ruth reichl