The 200-page length is deceptive - that includes recipes, and it doesn’t take into account the fact that there are fewer than 30 lines of text on each page. It’s a quick read - trust me.

2 - what are some other sound effects in your 1-5 scale?

I’ve visited Roberts’ site a few times, but never really gotten sucked in like I have at other food-writing sites that shall remain nameless.

Even so, I was excited to receive a copy of his “The Amateur Gourmet” book for the holidays. At just over 200 pages, it wasn’t exactly a huge commitment, so I found myself reading through it in less than a day.

The writing was good, but I was hoping for something with a bit more depth. It definitely felt like he was trying to make the book accessible to as many people as possible, instead of catering toward the foodies who are likely to make up the largest part of his audience. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’d give it a “meh.”

and if you don’t feel like guessing about the curses…