Recipe for Disaster starts so well. The first recipe is Samantha Irby’s Rejection Chicken.
First things first, you gotta get dumped.”
The whole recipe is the story of heartbreak, self soothing, and chopping and cooking.
I like to slice them on a severe angle because it looks cool and chef-y, but honestly? It doesn’t matter! Does anything??????
Same, Samantha Irby, same. I don’t just eat my feelings, I cook my feelings too. Sometimes I need to fiercely chop a lot of things, and sometimes I need to languidly stir.
The next entry is Sarah Silverman’s remembrances about her first depression and the pinwheel cookies that were the only thing that brought her any joy.
As with the above recipe, sometimes the most comforting thing is that thing you bought at the store.
That’s what Recipe for Disaster is – 41 people sharing a bite from their life and the food that got them through it or is the memory they carry. A little memoir, a little cookbook, a little connection with human beings.
I did not intend to start this book and finish it today. When I initially looked at it, I thought I’d read a couple of entries a day and then try some recipes and get a review out in 2023 (it’s publication date is March 14, 2023). Instead I started with Samantha Irby and every time I tried to put it down, I picked it back up until I gave in and read through. Some bites contain a recipe written out in recipe form, some are a description of a meal or food, sometimes there is a memory and then a recipe and you have to assume they are related, because the memory wasn’t specifically about the recipe, but the moment. One bite isn’t about food at all. There is quite a bit of pandemic cooking, both people who took up cooking to pass the time, and those cooking to nurture their families. Not all the food shared was good, but good isn’t always the point of sharing food.
Alison Riley says in her introduction:
Recipe for Disaster aims to remember, without hierarchy or judgement, that our lowest moments offer something worth sharing: stories, food, and the welcome reminder that we’ve all been there.
Mission accomplished.
CW: depression, death, illness, pet death, war, 9/11, loss of parent, reference to childhood sexual assault.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Chronicle Books and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.