I really enjoyed my experience with the book. I'd heard of it, and when browsing a thrift shop, I saw the hardcopy for a few bucks. I probably wouldn't have paid $20+ outright for it. Having the copy though, Hubs started to leaf through it and the introduction by Pollen sold him on giving it a go (Hubs is pretty much the chef of the family). For me, the hand drawn illustrations really caught my eye and added a lot. Both Hubs and ended up going with the audiobook. Hubs bought it in Audible, and I borrowed it from the library. Haven't checked out what it looks like in e-book format as that had too many holds to get access to. While I really enjoyed the audio (narrated by the author) and that was great for a first run through, it's hard to catch everything, and having the print copy for reference (as well as those cute illustrations) is something required for me. I'm fairly certain I might remember "wasn't that talked about it that book, I'll have to look it up ..." when it comes to cooking and preparing food in the future.

I'm not a gourmet cook by any means, and so while many things were over my head and out of my realm of experience, I could still appreciate learning about them. There was plenty of information for the novice or basic cook too. In addition to not being a chef myself, my palette is extremely limited and inexperienced ... I'm super picky, like ... one of the pickest people I know in real life. So the "just taste it" can't really apply to me (I've never eaten anything tomato, no sauces or dressings) ... in truth, there were some points during the book where I felt a little "I don't think I even belong in this world" (that's a me problem, and it's not only this book).

This is a book I'm glad I grabbed, glad I listened to, one I'll continue to reference, and one that I'm happy to have sitting on my shelf in the meantime.