Foundation of memories at the table

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“Food” – something most everyone loves. 

Food brings people together in one place, often becoming the center of an event. Food makes friends and even mends broken hearts (you know it’s true). Food is the driving force of several careers, shaping people to become talented chefs. It’s also a motivator for homemakers looking to be creative while at the same time nourishing their families. 


For many individuals, food triggers happy memories, which is the case for Atlanta’s bureau chief for The New York Times Kim Severson. In her memoir “Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life,” Severson shares her life experience with several talented women who give her the gift of food and guidance, changing her life in a big way. 

Kim Severson begins her memoir refreshingly honest and straight forward, quickly sharing her past struggles with alcoholism and crippling self-doubt. While fighting this battle, the author refers to a memory that becomes her foundation to life – the dinner table. These were times of happiness, safety, strength, and encouragement. 

As Severson begins to take life into her own hands, she meets several influential women who encourage her to get her life back on the right track. From well-know individuals to women right at home, Severson talks about the award winning American food writer Marion Cunningham; the New Orleans Creole cuisine chef known for her gumbo, fried chicken, and red beans Leah Chase; the American chef and author Alice Waters; the Italian cookery writer Marcella Hazan; and most importantly Severson’s brilliant mother who showed her how to make pasta. 


These women helped Severson focus on something she came to know and love – food. She didn’t exchange food with alcohol but focused on the experience created by it – the taste, the smell, the atmosphere, the service – none of which are limited to the dining room. 

She aimed to become a true food critic, using a good set of benchmarks. After all, you can only know what’s bad, after tasting the best. The author even provides a few fun, appetizing recipes in her book that continue to be used by several of these women. 

Looking closely at the title, I assumed this book would be a more positive tribute to the women in Severson’s life. Her portrayals of them, however, were rigid, flat and slanted toward uninspiring. 


It’s apparent that Severson is better at writing about food than about herself and others, as her food writings are more intriguing and focused. Additionally, Severson’s memoir is unfortunately not lacking in the self-deprecating tangents so often seen in memoirs. 

If readers decide they would like to learn more about the women in this book, there are several cookbooks and supplemental materials that provide more tasteful and accurate accounts of their lives and work. I’d advise anyone to first check out the author’s material online before diving into “Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life” right away. A little background knowledge is always nice to have. 

Severson simply falls into a trap we all experience at some point in our lives – the measuring of our life circumstances against unrealistic standards we set for ourselves. Occasionally, we need let gravity pull us back down to our foundation. For Severson, this foundation was her memories at the dinner table. For others it might be memories of bike rides or visits to the camp. 


Whether it be at the dinner table or elsewhere, this Thanksgiving, reflect and discover the memories that make up your foundation, and thank the people who have contributed to those memories. I’m thanking my grandma every day.

This honest and straight forward memoir explains how food has shaped the author’s life journey.