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John T. Edge — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:35:35 +0000

May 16

Two-fer Publishing Event

The nice folks at Workman, and their sister publisher Algonquin, linked the third edition of Southern Belly -- with a snazzy new cover -- and the first printing of the Truck Food Cookbook.

Both are out now.

Square Books has signed copies.

Soon, bookstores across the land will too.

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John T. Edge — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:54:08 +0000

March 20

Great Kirkus review!

Yesterday, Kirkus let fly a very kind review of my new book. Here it is, in all its greasy, generous glory:

New York Times food columnist Edge (Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover’s Companion to the South, 2007, etc.) explores “outsider food, immigrant food, [and] the food of the underclass” in an intelligently organized cookbook featuring a smorgasbord of American street foods.

In cities such as Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Houston and New York, the author gathered recipes that range from the familiar with an ethnic twist (sumac on tater tots) to regional fare (Portland poutine) to fast food (burgers and tacos) to healthier concoctions (Ethiopian lentils and tuna onigiri). Many employ simple ingredients, as well as flavorful sauces and marinades. Whether served in hearty or bite-sized portions, they are often characterized by their portable, comforting nature.

Readers who may have initially equated “truck food” with greasy spoons will be pleasantly surprised to discover that quick methods such as deep-frying are limited, as are the more excessive creations, including a grilled cheese cheeseburger. Adventurous palates will also find fusions such as Kimchi quesadillas and crepes with chicken, veggies and coconut. Edge contextualizes his topic with well-considered introductions to each section—“Fries and Pies,” “Waffles and Their Kin,” “Brunch on Wheels,” “Unexpected Pleasures,” ”Sandwich Up!, “Rolling in Sweets,” etc.—and to the recipes.

He also provides background on topics of interest to food-trivia enthusiasts, from the popularity of sriracha to tidbits given by the cooks he encountered. The book is especially noteworthy for its vibrant portrayal of cities as hotbeds for innovation.

Despite their fleeting nature, these creations endure in a winning combination of graphic design, cross-cultural flair and writing on one of the staples of the urban food landscape.

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John T. Edge — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:12:58 +0000

February 15

My latest "United Tastes" column in the Times explores the spread of Chipotle-style Indian fast food. Reported in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Denver, Colorado, the piece gives voice to one restaurateur who slings around some Derrida-heavy theories about deconstruction.

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John T. Edge — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:21:06 +0000

January 30

Fork in the Road, my column in Garden & Gun, just came out. Rocky and Carlo's in Chalmete, a working class enclave east of New Orleans, is the focus of this dispatch. The restaurant serves crazy-good baked macaroni, paved with cheddar, crowned with brown gravy. It's a hangout for refinery workers and dock hands. It should be your hangout too.

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John T. Edge — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:09:22 +0000

November 29

Pig Wings: In my latest "United Tastes" column, published in the New York Times, I write about how an enterprising Michigan farmer conceived a new market for pig shanks, cut into two inch bits, and marketed as Pig Wings. Speaking of the need for a clever name, my protagonist Bob File said, “Let’s face it. Shank is not a pretty word.”

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John T. Edge — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:50:44 +0000

October 20

Here's that Garden and Gun article on Animal, a Los Angeles restaurant that succeeds in cooking Southern, because the chefs don't really try to cook Southern.

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John T. Edge — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:39:07 +0000

October 10

The new food issue of Garden & Gun is an embaressment of riches. There's a Vanessa Gregory profile of SFA filmmaker Joe York. And a Wright Thompson dispatch from the Memphis in May BBQ contest, wherein my son Jess talks of Jello shots.

I have four pieces in the issue. One on the LA restuarant Animal, which I'll post soon. The other three are about Charlotte, NC. Can this banking metropolis lay claim to being a food city? Here I answer maybe. Here I isolate the good stuff. Here I profile three key Charlotteans.

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John T. Edge — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 20:27:04 +0000

September 28

There are more Bosnians in St Louis than anywhere outside Bosnia. Of the 60k-pus who now live in St. Louis, a good number are great bakers. In this United Tastes dispatch for the NYT, I explore bread baking, assimimialtion, and a sausage called cevapi. BONUS: The bread recipe was developed by Blair.

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John T. Edge — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 20:24:04 +0000

August/ September

Bern's Steakhouse, that Tamapa, Florida-based rococo palace of aged meat and marble statuary, is the subject of my latest Garden & Gun column. Get your Fork in the Road here.

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John T. Edge — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 20:18:42 +0000

July 13

Big Green Eggs and their kin in the NYT. In this edition of United Tastes, I exmplore the culture of kamado smokers, ovoid ceramic beasts, born in Japan as rice cookers and remade in the U.S. as backyard bbq pits.