My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes) Rating :
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #50069 in Books
- Published on: 2012-09-13
- Released on: 2012-09-13
- Original language:
English - Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.10" h x
6.20" w x
9.10" l,
1.25 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 320 pages
Product Description
It takes courage to turn your life upside down, especially when everyone is telling you how lucky you are. But sometimes what seems right can feel deeply wrong. My Berlin Kitchen tells the story of how one thoroughly confused, kitchen-mad perfectionist broke off her engagement to a handsome New Yorker, quit her dream job, and found her way to a new life, a new man, and a new home in Berlin—one recipe at a time.
Luisa Weiss grew up with a divided heart, shuttling back and forth between her father in Boston and her Italian mother in Berlin. She was always yearning for home—until she found a new home in the kitchen. Luisa started clipping recipes in college and was a cookbook editor in New York when she decided to bake, roast, and stew her way through her by then unwieldy collection over the course of one tumultuous year. The blog she wrote to document her adventures in (and out) of the kitchen, The Wednesday Chef, soon became a sensation. But she never stopped hankering for Berlin.
Luisa will seduce you with her stories of foraging for plums in abandoned orchards, battling with white asparagus at the tail end of the season, orchestrating a three-family Thanksgiving in Berlin, and mending her broken heart with batches (and batches) of impossible German Christmas cookies. Fans of her award-winning blog will know the happy ending, but anyone who enjoyed Julie and Julia will laugh and cheer and cook alongside Luisa as she takes us into her heart and tells us how she gave up everything only to find love waiting where she least expected it.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful.
Lovely memoir w/ recipes, fast read
By Natalie No-CHAN
I bought this on preorder thinking this was a cookbook, alas it isn't, however it was still very enjoyable.If you are a follower of the blog, as I am, you are already a fan of her cooking, but I think even for those who aren't cooks will find lots to enjoy in this memoir.Luisa has lived quite a lot in her years, and takes you on a journey from Berlin, to Boston, New York and Paris and back again, with some extended stays in Italy along the way. Many can relate to her story of being homesick, being unsure of yourself, falling in love and ultimately finding who you are. Along the way she has a nice selection of recipes, which correspond to each time in her life. Her reflections and the enclosed recipes are a vacation in itself, especially with her takes on authentic Italian and German fare.Interestingly, she does not go very in-depth on her "Love Story", as mentioned in the subtitle. Even though it is a memoir, you only get small glimpses of her personal life and relationship. You learn the object of her affections has an angular face and kind eyes, but that is about it. The true object of affections referenced in the "love story" of the title is Berlin itself, as this is much more a story about finding yourself, less of finding someone. I would have loved more development of the characters, but you get the feel that Luisa is a very private person.I have not tried the recipes yet, but as she is a cookery writer, I would have liked the recipes to have taken center stage, not tacked on at the end of each chapter as an afterthought. Maybe they should have come at the beginning so that they felt more integral.A minor point-- I also would have liked some substitutes for Quark in the recipe for Kasekuchen. As someone who has lived in Germany and is familiar with the dish, I know it is difficult to find quark here (as she alludes to and helpfully provides some stockists). What would have really set this apart is to have found an appropriate/passable substitute with ingredients that are readily available for her American readers. Maybe she can try that in the next version.All in all it is an enjoyable way to pass a Saturday, and the recipes will give you a reason to pick it up again.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
great writing, recipes
By Hannah
Luisa writes beautifully about her life, her family, and her thinking. The writing at moments feels rough - not in an unprofessional way, but in a sort of gritty and true way - she is not stylizing anything or putting a happy sheen on things. My favorite moment in the book comes when she and her dad are struggling a bit in their relationship after she has moved to Berlin and he feels abandoned. We hear Luisa working through it for herself, and we know that eventually she and her dad are okay again - but there is no shiny, happy, immediate "making up" that happens. And it feels so real and uncontrived. I love that she included those sorts of stories, and not just positive forward-moving moments (though there are plenty of those too).The recipes all look great, and I was startled how much I learned about German cuisine (who knew they were such seasonal eaters in Berlin!). Thanks Luisa for such a thoughtful and clear-voiced look at young adulthood and its challenges, adventures, joys and sorrows. (Also, for what it's worth - I read this in one night!)
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Disappointed
By SFreader
I was looking forward to this book because I find the author's blog charming and engaging. Alas, the book is very superficial. There is no character development and few compelling stories to sustain the reader. The writing often falls into cliches. And there is more than a bit of "poor me." I wanted to love this book and just didn't.
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