The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard

I started this as an ARC and couldn’t get through it then tried again when it was published. This time I was able to put my finger on what bothered me. <br /><br />I understand the impulse to make the subject of a biography seem fresh and real but the author goes too far in imagining what the Beard was literally thinking and experiencing. Who knows if he observed “actresses lacing their tea with brandy” and if men winked at him and gave him candy? Or if didn’t like the scent of his father’s hair oil. Or if he caught the eye of a man along the train tracks and thought he looked like the family cook. It all reads as outright fantasy. There is a way to write biographies and factual information that doesn’t require so much fabrication. So much James felt this, James ate this, James saw this—you just don’t know. There were no home movies of the time, he doesn’t seem to have kept a minute to minute diary. It reads like fan fiction. <br /><br />I did appreciate the shedding of light into Beard’s “borrowing” of other people’s recipes. As a recipe developer myself, it is galling to come across recipes I created in other people’s cookbooks and websites unchanged. <br /><br />Birdsall isn’t a bad writer but I think he would be been better off writing a novelization of Beard’s life rather than what is being sold as a biography. I’m puzzled why he didn’t, he clearly enjoyed fantasizing and making up details about Beard’s thoughts and day to day life and a whole book of that without the expectation it was to be a wholly factual work would be have been much more palatable. Instead I was left wondering what else was made up when he talked about Beard’s life. Did he keep his flourishes just to Beard’s thoughts? Or were other things made up or exaggerated for dramatic effect? We don’t know because as he points out in the foreword, little has been written about Beard the man and even people close to him seem to have vastly different perceptions of him.

This was an excellent biography of an American culinary legend. It focused on his career but also on his personal life as a closeted gay celebrity in 20th century America, and the ways in which his sexual identity shaped his life and choices. Beard almost seemed to fall accidentally in celebrity, after not finding success in the arts. But that is too simplistic a story and the author makes clear the way Beard plagiarized (himself and others) and formed and broke partnerships to become a celebrity. At times, though, it almost felt like a meta-biography, as if the author was having a conversation with previous biographies (as all biographies really do), but at times he forgot to let the reader into the first part of the conversation. And the biggest mystery was how Beard became famous in the first place. The author somewhat makes it seem like he wrote some interesting (plagiarized) cookbooks that mostly didn't sell too well and then at some point he became the face of American cooking? Knowing Beard only from the foundation and their annual awards, I feel like I learned a lot about the man and his psyche from the book. I greatly enjoyed it, but I want to go back and read some of those cookbooks and some of the earlier biographies to understand his fame and impact on American cooking a little better.<br /><br />**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

<i>I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</i><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1602843678i/30244612.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>As a foodie I have heard the name James Beard millions of times. I knew he was a gay man and legendary food writer, but beyond that I knew very little about him. Wanting to know more about his life, I dove into The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard. Well, I waded in. The first two chapters about his childhood in Portland, Oregon were so detailed that I thought "I'm not sure I can take 464 pages of this" but the book did pick up speed after that point. John Birdsall, 2014 James Beard Award winner for "America, Your Food is So Gay,” shares great stories about Beard's education, scandals, recipe "stealing" and collaborations. I learned exactly how Beard influenced American cuisine after World War II all the way up to today (he loved "home cooking" and fresh, farm-to-table type eating). Before there was Julia Child hosting "The French Chef" (1963), there was James Beard hosting the live television series "I Love to Eat" (1946–47). I had no idea! This book is a must for any "foodie" interested in not only the life of James Beard but the history of American food and food writing. <br><br>Come chat with me about books here, too: <br><a href="https://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/writerrhiannon/" rel="nofollow noopener"> Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/IvoryOwlReviews" rel="nofollow noopener"> Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/writerrhiannon/ivory-owl-reviews/" rel="nofollow noopener">Pinterest</a><br>

One of two things went wrong with this biography: either the author, John Birdsall, did a hack job of writing the book, or James Beard simply didn't live a life that interesting. <i>The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard</i> is a bit of a bait-and-switch. Beard's life story doesn't really begin until the end of chapter three. Birdsall spends so much time rhapsodizing about food that he sometimes forgets that the book's primary focus is supposed to be James Beard. Many readers have questioned the veracity of the material contained within this biography and have suggested that instead of a biography Birdsall should have written a novel about James Beard instead. I think that would have been the better way to go.<br /><br />Like many contemporary biographies, this book falls into the trap of not being able to discern which events of the subject's life to include and which to exclude. Birdsall includes pages and pages of digressions in this book, and at the end of them all I could think was <i>So what?</i> In fact, this is a book that strays so often from its subject and purpose that readers will wonder why James Beard is considered a towering figure in the culinary world. All I really came away with is an impression of James Beard as a serial plagiarist, a bitchy fat queen, and a gourmand who wasn't nearly as masterful in the kitchen as those who came after him. Either he deserved a better biography or none at all.

John Birdsall's "The Man Who Ate Too Much" is the first James Beard biography to highlight - and contend with - Beard's queerness.<br /><br />From a young age James Beard was queer and flamboyant and this aspect of himself led to oppressions - like being expelled from Reed College - but also plenty of love and community, like his relationship with Gino and his many queer friends. Birdsall draws back the curtain on a man who is revered in the culinary community for his home-taught embrace of American food, but he also tells the story of a man who plagiarized often and burned many bridges. And sadly, despite being a very long book, you finish the book feeling like somehow you still don't know James Beard. Birdsall does a great job painting a contextual picture and recounting the tens of thousands of dishes Beard tasted and made, but all this detail is missing something striking: an unraveling of who this queer, culinary giant truly was.<br /><br />"The Man Who Ate Too Much" is important for the contribution in makes in highlighting Beard's queerness for the first time, but the book itself won't get you much closer to "knowing" James Beard.

In the preface to this biography there is a quotation from Gael Greene, food and restaurant critic, and it should whet the curiosity of every foodie:<br />"In the beginning, there was James Beard. Before Julia ..., before a wine closet in the life of every grape nut and the glorious coming of age of American wines, before the new American cooking, chefs as superstars, and our great irrepressible gourmania ... there was James Beard, our Big Daddy."<br />I cannot quite pinpoint my initial awareness of James Beard, but I do remember a week-long-baking experience with his book, Beard on Bread. I was on a staycation, which ended up as an obsessed, compulsive week of working my way through a good chunk of that book. In baking, yeasted breads cannot be rushed, so I read and reread parts of the book, plotting and planning which recipe to do next. My personal copy of that book is still with me, dog-eared and stained, as is an enormous appreciation about what it takes to make a good piece of bread, the staff of life.<br /><br />He was a large man, rotund in fact, with an ebullient, cheery demeanor, which hid an injured soul whose life was fascinating and damaged. He became the American dean of cooking, not by design, but by happenstance, and he came fully armed with experience and knowledge, unlike anyone else. His mother was a phenomenal cook and hotel manager, and the lonely, young boy soon matched her innate fine sense of taste and smell, with his own. The young lad was able to have imprinted on his tastebuds and memory, the very best in fish and shellfish, as well as other food commodities that were fresh and unadulterated in the northwest region where he grew up.<br /><br />Jame Beard's life, and that of his family, was full of secrets, inconsistencies, lies and obfuscations. It is important to note that he was born in 1903 and died in 1985. That span of years made it impossible, and in many instances illegal, to admit that someone was gay. Beard never came out, and he was among a cadre of gay men, in the world of cuisine, who also were closeted. Author John Birdsall's meticulous research about Beard's life and other gay food people, along with their major contributions to American cuisine, brings deserved and overdue credit. This part of his life should be of interest to the LGBTQIA community, whether or not they are foodies. <br /><br />There is a great deal more to the historical background of the times in which James Beard lived, and to his family's life and his own. Apart from documenting gay life, Birdsall writes about the milieu of those long ago times when there were many gender, racial, social, political and economic inequities that were a given, and not to be challenged. James Beard was a captive of those times, as was his mother, an entrepreneurial woman way ahead of her time, who confidently forged ahead, in defiance of her husband and of others. The very kind family Chinese cook, Jue Let, was among many Chinese people whose lives were relegated to a defined type of work. Let followed the recipes of Mrs. Beard, but in addition he brought his own knowledge and expertise in preparation of his own cuisine. Birdsall excels at providing the historical context of those days when there was a burgeoning west coast (shipping, farming, fresh coastal waters with fish and wild life), where most people could shed old lives, create new ones and make a place of comfort and importance for themselves. The other aspect of Birdsall's writing, that drove me to a wonderful distraction, was his vivid description of food, cooking, recipes and meals.<br /><br />In this first fully researched biography of James Beard, we are presented with an acknowledgment of how important and great are his contributions in putting American cuisine on the culinary map of the world. For books owned by LAPL, and written by James Beard click here.<br /><br />The James Beard Foundation is a lasting heritage to the great man, where awards are presented, classes are given, and there is support for those who are interested in the culinary arts.<br /><br />Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature &amp; Fiction,

Looking beyond a nuts-and-bolts biography, Birdsall goes beyond Beard's public persona and behind closed doors to reveal to readers a more human subject, one who (perhaps inadvertently) created the concept of a true American cuisine. Before Beard became the "dean of American cookery" he was an actor, caterer, and author, but by the 1940s, he was hosting his own cooking show. His supporting cast includes long-time companion Gino, friends and supporters from the publishing world, and fellow chefs like Alice Waters and Craig Claiborne, and his story spans Europe and the United States. One surprise from the book—in the early 1970s, there was a artisan bread boom, much like now, with NYC department store Bloomingdale's unveiling The Bread Basket, a boutique for craft bread bakers! Readers will feel like a fly on the pineapple-wallpapered wall in Beard's kitchen while taking in this look at Beard's professional life in the culinary world and his personal life here and abroad.

I was originally really excited to read this book given that my only hobby is eating. I think the book is strongly researched and has an interesting narrative style which took me a bit of time to get into. However, I think the good parts get heavily overshadowed by the length of the book, general gaps in explanation of Beard’s success, and most importantly how repetitive it tends to be especially around him pointing out how gay all the characters are. The book is tough to get through (admittedly I have gotten distracted by the new Pokémon game because it slaps) not only because it’s just a long book in general, but because so much of it is just the author being like “BY THE WAY JAMES BEARD WAS GAY.” So much of the book is centered around how gay James Beard was but had to hide it which is tragic, yes, but he keeps repeating it over and over. Some parts of it are interesting, like how he interpret’s Beard’s voice and the queer nature of it throughout all the cookbooks he’s written, but a lot of it is just random dudes who are James’ friends or dudes he wants to have sex with, that have little impact on James’ life, that the author is like “THEY’RE GAY TOO!”. There’s so much focus on that and the lives of James’ random friends that it feels like there are large parts of his story missing. For example, it seemed like most of Beard’s cookbooks were commercial failures, but somehow he becomes known as the dean of American cooking, which is kind of just glossed over, as are a lot of other interesting parts (Beard’s insane tendency to plagiarize without credit, his cooking style and famous recipes, his culinary legacy). By the time you reach page 50 you will be like, “Ok we get it he was pretty gay”, and there will still be 400 pages left to go.

If you watch Top Chef, read food magazines or websites, or buy cookbooks you've probably heard of the James Beard Award. But just who is this James Beard guy?<br /><br />In this new biography, writer John Birdsall has assembled a look into the life of James Beard from the time he was a child up through his death. James Beard was born and raised in Oregon where he learned an appreciation of cooking from his mother. He was precocious from a young age and loved eating raw oysters while on trips to the beach. Born in the early 20th century, James came of age in a time when it was not easy to be a gay man. He found his way into working in the cookbook industry and published several books himself that met with varied success. He was publishing books that touted cooking with real/fresh ingredients in a time where America was infatuated with the arrival of convenience foods like frozen foods and boxed mixes. James Beard became a premier name in American cookery though his books were never very successful. <br /><br />Birdsall discusses a lot of what it meant for Beard to be gay and how he had to hide this aspect of himself from the public eye. In Beard's older years he saw more freedom for gay men through gay rights events like the Stonewall riots. <br /><br />I listened to the audiobook which was well-paced and the narrator did a great job. <br /><br />I highly recommend this book to people interested in food, biographies or about the life of a gay man living in America in the early-mid 1900's. <br /><br /><i>Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

This biography of the famous American epicure, James Beard, may be the first that deals in a straightforward way with Beard's homosexuality. And, as John Birdsall points out, this put him in good company, with Chuck Williams (of Williams-Sonoma fame), Craig Claiborne (New York Times food writer), and many others. Beard's early life was deeply unhappy, and he seemed to spend the rest of his days seeking to be happy, though it's not certain he ever achieved that state. Seeming to fall into his role as one of the best-known 20th century food authorities, he pursued it with relish, and made the most of this lucky happenstance. Birdsall sprinkles the book with interesting information about Beard's major books, wrung with great effort from the always-busy, often-depressed cook.