The Pedant in the Kitchen

No surprise that, given Barnes' long-standing talents as an author of fiction, this non-fiction collection of vignettes is also a superbly engaging read. The Pedant in the Kitchen was originally a series of newspaper columns, but works well in this short (less than 150-page) compilation. As the title hints at, the work relates to Barnes' travails as an armchair cook, as well as his observations about the food industry's broader (self-imposed) halo. Barnes exhibits mordant wit and humility across the pieces. At times I laughed out loud. He describes accurately and achingly just how misleading recipes and their related window-dressed pictures can be: how large is a medium onion? Or why does my pudding never look like that? You get the idea. If there is a point—and perhaps Barnes should have made this more forcefully—then cooking is akin to a sport. Only with dedicated practice will you get better. Further, the reason restaurant food always tastes better than attempts to replicate it at home is simply because chefs are the true professionals, at the top of their game.

By Julian Barnes