Simon MajumdarCritiques

Simon Majumdar's exploration of America through food is a lot of fun. His vivid descriptions of the food he ate along the way also made me hungry.

Witty and interesting travel writing with an emphasis on foodie delights. Absolutely enjoyable with occasional moments of cringing as to what the author was ingesting. I enjoyed reading about the different cultures around the world where I will probably never set foot.

This could have been a really fun and interesting look at American culture and American food culture from an outsider's perspective, but all Majumdar gives us are trite stories about people welcoming him to their tables and their celebrations. He doesn't even write about food all that well - just piles on adjectives to such a degree that they become meaningless and tired. I didn't get anything out of this book except a determination to not read anything else by him. Also, here's a pet peeve - Majumdar is Anglo-Indian and throughout the book he makes mention of that, or of his accent, or of customs he's more familiar with. But the audio is read by an American, so it strikes the listener as distinctly odd. Why would they not have gotten a British reader for this?!? Or at least someone who could fake the accent? Anyway, I was going to give this 3 stars because I'm still filled with the holiday spirit, but writing this has reminded me of how annoying I found the whole thing, so no.½

When Simon turns forty he is working at a job that he doesn't love any more. While cooking his favorite comfort food Bengali dahl, he finds a notebook with a list of life goals inside. One of the goals Go everywhere, eat everything got him to thinking. Another list with places to go and food to eat was made. Eat my globe was born. Connecting with friends in the blogosphere, he maps out a plan that takes him to 28 countries in 15 months. Simon has very strong opinions about food and he is not afraid to share them. I am not sure that I would like to be his friend but I did enjoy reading this book.

December 2012

Very funny, engrossing travel memoir ... Majumdar is definitely opinionated, and I don't agree (for instance) that pizza is just "snot on toast", but he cares passionately about food and writes well about the dishes he tries, the people he meets, and the family who gave him his love of eating and life. He also has a healthy sense of humor about himself, which is an essential ingredient in any good memoir!

This book seeks out the best of British food, and the best examples of type across chapters headed : Breakfast, Elevenses, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Snacks, Starter, Main Course, Pudding, Drinks. It is a great resource for suppliers, places to visit and all but forgotten regional treats.

funny look at a good fanatic as he travels around the world to eat everything. kind of runs out of energy near the end, but lots of very interesting info on different cultures and foods!

Eating one's way around the world--what a job! Simon Majumdar doesn't go everywhere or eat everything, but he gets a lot further and so much more adventuresome than most people. Dog? Rat? Why not. A highly-opinionated, fun, & sometimes eyebrow-raising read. Majumdar might not be the best writer in the world, and not the best edited, but it's difficult not to envy his journey.

Just what I've been craving. An adventurous food book! A British blogger from a family where food is the primary, or it seems only, past time, finds himself turning forty. It is not surprise that his great mid-life crisis causes him to act on his life goal to "go everywhere and eat everything." The resulting book is as eclectic as the world's food cultures.

His schedule for the "year" (p.13):

March and April: UK and Ireland
May: Australia
June: more UK
July: Japan
August: Hong Kong and China
September: Mongolia, Russia and Finland
October: United States
November: Mexico, Argentina, Brazil (and Thanksgiving in California)
January: Germany and Iceland
February: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia
March: The Philippines, India
April: South Africa, Mozambique, Senegal, Morocco
May: Turkey, Italy, France, Spain
Part travelogue, part global food profile, part wacky adventure story, the book is full of unexpected bits about food culture (Icelanders are obsessed with hot dogs?) And the book proves the best part of enjoying food is sharing it with others. The people he meets as he travels around the globe are as interesting as the foods he describes. In fact, I wish there were more descriptions of both people and food. Not that the book lacks either, but Majumdar's style is so familiar, I just want more courses.

Eat My Globe: One Year to go Everywhere and Eat Everything says it all in a nutshell. This is Simon Majumdar's book of the year he spent traveling the world and trying to sample or gorge on every foodstuff he could conceivably find. What the title doesn' t tell is that his quest ended up being as much about the people behind the food as it was about the food itself. We quickly find that if Simon is rhapsodizing about a meal he is likely to be in someone's home and the food is likely to be handmade and eaten with the host or hostess and their family.
So this is a foodie's book cataloging amazing and amazingly terrible meals, but it is also a memoir filled with stories of Simon's family, his brother (aka the Great Salami) and his fiery and passionate mother. At points the book naturally evolves into travelogue as Simon moves between Australia and Japan, Iceland, Mexico, and the US. Finally, mercifully, the book is funny. Simon never stops being amazed at his good fortune and seems to feel he has to repay it by eating the most horrendous things including stir fried rat and fermented mare's milk. Along the way he has a few laughs at his own expense and a few more at his brother's expense. What sticks with you in the end is Simon's sincere delight at the generosity of the people he meets on his travels and the delicious food they share with him.

This is more than just a food book. It is funny, charming,moving and informative. A rare combination. Prompted by the tragic death of his Mother and his 40th birthday Simon experienced what was, i suppose, a small breakdown. Going through some of his personal notes he noticed something he'd written years before, something he wanted to do "Go everywhere, eat everything" and so Simon's journey began. In his own words "I do it so you don't have too"