Fried Butter A Food Memoir Author:Abe Opincar You Eat What You Are — Abe Opincar’s memories are joined to food. The rest of us measure our lives in days, hours, minutes, in milestones, achievements, and losses sustained. He remembers leaving his wife the night he baked chicken, being roundly criticized by French hosts for not properly eating ripe peaches with a knife and fork. A... more »lso eggs sunny-side up and first sex, cornmeal mush and his dotty aunt, garlic and his father’s love. We refer to clocks, calendars, address books, photographs, and objects we’ve invested with sentiment. Opincar’s references are to beer, saffron, aguardiente, limes, Ibarra chocolate, foie gras, and yams.
His life in California, Kyoto, Jerusalem, Paris, Istanbul, and Tijuana is called up by flavors that bring back the moments and places and people he broke bread with and loved. Even the experiences of others are marked by dishes and drinks, fruits and vegetables. What’s recalled and savored is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, or insightful and poignant, but it is always witty and penetrating and wholly beguiling. We eat what we are. Food is life, and Opincar relishes it.« less