These poems immediately strike the reader with the juxtaposition of ingredients and description of flavor, but as you progress through them the rhythm and rhyme begin to pull you into a further experience of the words. The rhythm underlines the sensory experience of the meals that the author experienced, and somehow the cadence of the poems brings the reader into the experience of sitting at the table, enjoying the various dishes. So much enjoyment and gustatory experience is conveyed with sparse language, and sometimes there is a surprising phrasing that makes the reader want to know more. Like any good restaurant review, the poems in this cycle make the reader want to experience these restaurants, and vividly bring to mind the feeling of sitting down to a lavish meal in an unfamiliar restaurant. They don't shy away from the emotional side of the culinary experience- we eat not just for sustenance, but for enjoyment.
-Head of Library Collections and Content at Westfield State College Becca Brody