I liked the casual way the author went about examining food in the city, but I feel like her choices were somewhat informed by her socioeconomic status, especially since those whom she chose to focus on were based on her pre-existing networks. I wish she had also talked to those in fast food restaurants, those in ethnic restaurants (beyond just Halal Guys), and focused more on the diversity of food & food choices. For example, why not interview those who work at McDonalds? Why not interview a Chinese fast-food restuaranteer? Why not comment on the way certain foreign foods are elevated to be exotic & expensive, like Japanese sushi, while others are thought to be cheap such as Indian or Chinese? Most of the restaurants in this book were upscale & created European/American food. In other words, it's the same as watching the Food Network & complicit in the system that constantly perpetuates the exoticism of "foreign" food even though it's the food of millions in America. Overall this book was enjoyable to read, there could have been more critical thinking into the representation & dialogue about food in the book.

I loved this book because it told two very powerful stories. First, of course, there is the story of the Warner women. Then there's the deeper story of the white man's filtering of the Warner women, of what gets told or left out in the histories that we read. Its deft storytelling compels the reader to consider power structures and motives behind stories and the way they're presented. The ending was a bit rushed.

It's one of those books where nothing really happens and that's the story. I liked the way the author experimented with different forms and the way Vince struggles with being of the Filipino diaspora.