Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
This book is part of what I like to call the cozy feminism genre. It's not a bracing call to the barricades that asks you to completely reconsider the world we live in but it's a validation of (some of) our experiences and an honest look at the absurdity of diet culture (and how it morphed into the more pervasive wellness culture) and how we fall for it.
DeRuiter shares her experience of being a woman with an online presence in a way that I found quite refreshing and very validating.
My reading experience was akin to sitting with a friend, it's not necessarily going to change your life but it's going to make you feel seen and somewhat sane for a moment.
There are a lot of eminently quotable lines in there and great quips about Florida (who doesn't love dunking on Florida these days?).
There's a bit about how in Quebec people eat the sacred host wafers that didn't quite meet the standard as a snack and I would like to add that we don't just eat retailles d'hosties we also eat the wafers that would have made it, it's like a whole thing here, we like our guilt that much (I can say that I'm technically still a Catholic with all the guilt that comes with it).
No rating because I do not rate memoirs but I really enjoyed my time with this book.
I didn't know Geraldine DeRuiter by name but I was inspired to pick up this book after I saw an excerpt about how the only fictional childless adult women she could think of were Cruella DeVille and Edna Mode and I was like, sold. Very effective marketing to me specifically.
Anyway I'm soo glad I happened to see that because I ADORED this book. So funny, insightful, and relatable. Also I realized that although I didn't know Geraldine by name (and I had heard of her “Everywhereist” blog but had never really read it), I did read her viral review of the restaurant Bros' and I enjoyed re-reading that plus also more about the backlash that followed it and a really lovely interview with a woman who had once worked at Bros', left because of the toxic environment, and now makes cheese in a different country. Good for her!!