He's sexy, sensitive, and he can cook, well! He has a tiny bit of machismo, I'll explain later, but it doesn't really surface often. Most remember him from, 'The Devil wears Prada,' and 'Julie and Julia' both with Meryl Streep. My favorite is, 'Big Night' which is a great segue to Taste. I listen to 4-5 audiobooks a month on Audible. If you sign up here, you can get 30 days free trial on Audible which gives you 1 credit to get any Audiobook you want and access to hundreds of free material including audiobooks and podcasts. In adult years, we travel with Tucci in his career and learn about the on-set food and hear wonderful tales of Italian food and history.

con Zucchine alla Nerano — SERVES 4 — About 16fl oz sunflower oil or vegetable oil, or, if you choose, olive oil 8 to 10 small zucchine (courgettes) 75g chopped fresh basil Sea salt to taste Extra virgin olive oil 500g spaghetti 200g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano • Put the sunflower oil in a large pot and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. • Slice the zucchine into thin rounds and fry in the oil until they are golden brown. Remove and set aside on paper towels. • Sprinkle with basil and salt. • Transfer to a bowl and drizzle liberally with olive oil. • Boil the pasta until al dente and strain, reserving about two cupfuls of the pasta water. • Place the cooked pasta in a large pan or pot over low heat along with the zucchine mixture and combine gently. Add the pasta water, a little at a time, to create a creamy texture. You may not use all of the pasta water. Now add some of the Parmigiano to the mixture and continue to combine by stirring gently and tossing. When the mixture has a slight creaminess, remove from the stove and serve immediately. Note: The zucchine mixture can be refrigerated for about 5 days for use at a later date. Best to bring it to room temperature before using.” I’m not sure what to say about this book. It’s definitely not what I was expecting because I was expecting so much more.There are recipes! Many recipes. For pasta of various types. For ragout. For meat. For fish. Two very different styles of roast potatoes. He talks about the history of the Martini (yes, it must have a capital M). There is a lot of talk about cheese. I looooove cheese. My stomach rumbled. He has travelled through many countries, and it was interesting to hear about his encounters with numerous famous and not so famous chefs and restauranteurs, as well as his descriptions of the locales. He also provides an insiders view of the behind the scenes workings of movie sets and the actors, actresses, producers and directors he has worked with over his long career.

Through the wit and authenticity of Tucci’s writing, you know for sure that the book is a genuine memoir and you devour the words almost as fast as you rush to make Stanley Tucci recipes for yourself! Stanley Tucci Taste My Life Through Food – Travel Perspective If you're wondering, other than the Tucc, it's Jeff Goldblum, Julia Child, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Javier Bardem. Because if you're coming to my dinner party, imaginary or not, you are bringing either a smashing dish or great conversation and a very expensive bottle of wine (come on, these particular guests have money). Anyway, I digress. Filming in the UK, and later moving to (and currently living in) London, Tucci describes a some food in the UK as such: Ankle deep into the first chapter, you may feel tempted to stop reading. Tucci is fastidious by nature, which can come off as snobbish, rather than discerning. I encourage you to press on. In chapter two, he shares childhood stories of his large Italian family - gardens and gift exchange battles and homemade sauce and wine making - that will be your rich reward for keeping the faith.

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And yes, I’d have sex with him. But I’d be just as happy to bring him home, only to marvel at the way he fills a room with style and grace and good smells. He describes himself as a “food nerd”, and his memoir literally portrays his “life through food”. In the book, Mr. Tucci shares his considerable knowledge of food, cooking, and also of drinks by including many of his favorite recipes. I’ve copied several of them, and am planning to try making them!

If the title doesn't give it away, the book takes us through Stan's life with a big emphasis on food. We get to learn about how he explores different cities through cuisine when on location for a movie, how his Italian family cooked all the time, what he ate while living in New York as a struggling actor. Here's what I learned. It was ‘mostly’ enjoyable listening to Tucci share family stories, his mother’s amazing cooking, “memory meals”, recipes, his Italian culture and heritage, his growing up in New York, celebrity anecdotes, and his stark funny-bone personality. We hear about the New York of old and places that are no longer there like “independantly-owned cinemas” but makes you want to visit New York and experience the current places. As “Taste” progresses, it begins to lose some steam and the boiling pot settles (another pun!). Tucci’s tales become quite repetitive and read exactly the same: “I ate here. I liked this dish. Then I ate here with this person. I liked or hated that.” Boring! There isn’t much excitement to be shared or a thesis to these experiences. It is also at this point that Tucci begins to name drop chefs, other foodies, and his celebrity friends which are consequentially tedious and too typical Hollywood. This type of behavior is seemingly ‘below’ Tucci and has little place in “Taste” therefore weakening the essence of the memoir. I had obviously seen this book around…..so when the library had it available, I thought I would chime in.

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Travelling to Maine in New England, USA for a taste of the states, we learn about the Maine landscape, accent, humour and rules of being ‘from Maine’. And most importantly, that this is where you can get the best, fresh lobster. Oh, the bit about machismo, in Stanley's last chapter he talks about his grueling bout with cancer. He had a cancerous tumor at the base of his tongue, in his throat, which started as a pain masquerading as a toothache. Or so he thought. He did go to the dentist, in the US and London. The London doctor said it might be cancer and gave him specific instructions on what to do next. Taste” does end in a memorable and ‘cute’ way rounding out the text and going full-circle to the beginning of the piece. This is done well on a writing level and with its attempt to connect with readers concluding “Taste” on a positive note.