Many thanks to my friends at @gallerybooks and @simon.audio for the free #gifted copies of this book.  

 

“Sharing food is one of the purest human acts.”

 

OH, for the love of pasta!!!  Was I hungry the ENTIRE time I followed Tucci’s musings about food?  Yes, indeed.  But more than that, I was fully charmed and reminded of some of the most basic of joys.  

 

There’s little in life more satisfying that sharing a table with those you love, particularly when the food is good.  And here—less memoir and more diary—Tucci’s passion for savoring food and family and life is endearingly tender.

 

Obviously, there is a lot of talk about food:  catering on set, dinner trays on planes, dining abroad, pantry staples, restaurants worth visiting and not, recipes for family favorites, et cetera.  (Seriously, don’t read this while hungry.)

 

And as delectable as the meals sounded overall—particularly the ones he prepared—the food was not the star for me.  

 

Rather, it was beauty in all the quiet moments.  Sitting in the kitchen with his wife after the kids had gone to bed.  Savoring time with his aging parents.  Watching his mom roll meatballs with his children.  Preparing a meal for a famous friend far from their home.  Vacations.  Business meetings.  Flight delays.  Making use of wilted veggies in the fridge.  

 

Much of the read felt endearingly normal.  From his musings on the depths of love to his compulsion to want to stop time—and the aging process—his day to day was oh so relatable.  

 

What I Ate in a Year was a beautiful reminder that, at its core, life is indeed to be cherished.  

 

🎧With this book being so personal in nature, it was only fitting that Tucci narrate the audiobook.  There’s an ease and charm to his storytelling that had me dedicated to the most basic of notions—what Stanley would eat next.  It’s also worth noting that he shares several recipes, and for that, the print version reigns supreme.