Let's Make Ramen! A Comic Book Cookbook

I got Let's Make Ramen! for Christmas, and this beautifully drawn book is gorgeous and chock full of umami goodness. The first quarter is a historical introduction to this delicious combination of broth, noodles, and various ingredients. It goes over how ramen originated and how it grew in popularity post-World War II as the focus of top chefs and a restaurant boom. Not to mention also becoming an inexpensive grocery item and dorm room staple. 

The rest of the book is a buffet of many things: insights from accomplished chefs, descriptions of the different sorts of noodles, and a cavalcade of recipes. Reading this book teaches about how to make various broths, noodles, meats, accompaniments, sauces, and vegetables, and also about multiple ways these things can be combined to make specific dishes. I learned so much from reading this book, and I can't wait to try out some of the things I've learned in my kitchen.

Sometimes the images are more whimsical, which livens things up.

Let's Make Ramen! is a collaboration between writer Hugh Amano and artist Sarah Becan. Amano is also a chef and he has written or co-written a number of cookbooks, including Let's Make Dumplings!, which was also drawn by Becan. She has also drawn Let's Make Bread! and soon will publish Let's Make Cocktails!, which she also wrote. Amano and Becan both speak about food and their work on this book in this interview.

I have not been able to locate many reviews online, but the ones I read have been positive. A Library Girl wrote, "The food illustrations and graphic novel portions are gorgeous, with rich colors and thick linework. The various bowls of ramen and other recipe illustrations made my mouth water the same way some delicious-looking Studio Ghibli meal might." In a starred review Publishers Weekly concluded, "This delectable fusion of two increasingly popular genres—ramen and comics—will thrill ramen aficionados."

Let's Make Ramen! was published by Ten Speed Graphic, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. 

Yummy: A History of Desserts

Yummy is the first graphic novel I have ever read where food sprites are the narrators. Our main host is Peri, and she has great enthusiasm for all things sweet. She embarks on a highly engaging, deep dive into the history of desserts that also spans the globe. There are chapters about cake, pie, donuts, ice cream, gummies, brownies, cookies, and macaroons, and I learned a lot about each delicious sweet as well as world history and even some science. What is more, she is accompanied by two other food sprites who give insights into major innovators in the worlds of desserts and baking, like Fannie Farmer, as well as dispelling myths or exploring legends about the origins of specific foods like chocolate chip cookies, waffle cones, and nun farts (for real). There are even recipes for delights such as ice cream, snickerdoodles, and blueberry pie.

Along the way, I also saw lots of insight into how sociocultural matters have influenced dessert. At first, they were only really for special occasions or available to those either lucky enough to live in places where specific ingredients like vanilla or sugar could be cultivated. Also, the time and energy put into making some of these foods also meant that they were likely only for those rich enough to afford bakers to make them. Over time, innovations due to increased trade and travel meant that some foods evolved, such as egg tarts in China coming from goods originally traded from Portugal or the Persian beverage sharbat evolving into Italian sorbetto and eventually American sherbet.

There is so much jam-packed into this book that makes it rewarding to read and re-read. I suggest that it be approached in chunks, as there is a lot to take in, even for enthusiastic readers. Also, some sections are a little text heavy, but the colorful illustrations and characters bring a great sense of joy and energy to the proceedings. This book is a delight to read as well as a treasure trove of information.

This is the debut graphic novel by Victoria Grace Elliott, though she is not a newcomer to comics. She is best known for her webcomic Balderdash, or a tale of two witches. She speaks more about her work on this graphic novel in this interview and is currently working on the sequel, Yummy: A History of Tasty Experiments.

All of the reviews I have read of the book have been positive. Jason Flatt called it "smartly crafted, adorably illustrated, wonderfully rich." Steven Thompson observed, "Although ostensibly about foods we know, we also learn a considerable amount of geography, ancient history, and even more than a smattering of science." Lisa Gullickson wrote that the book is "charming beyond measure, and that is what makes the message so effective."

Yummy: A History of Desserts was published by Random House Graphic, and they offer more information about it here.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

As a fan of shows like Chopped, Top Chef, and No Reservations, this was a graphic novel right up my alley. Lucy Knisley's account of growing up with a mother who is a catering chef and a father who is a foodie is an excellent concoction of memory, food, humor, and reflection. She illustrated vignettes from her various points in life, including participating in an upstate New York farmers market, a trip to Italy with her father, experiments with cooking on a budget in art school, and the trials and tribulations of entering puberty while on vacation in Mexico.

All along the way, her memories are mingled with the smells and tastes of food, the joys of which she communicates well, even though we cannot experience them directly ourselves. From crunching on tomatillos, to savoring particular jam-filled croissants, even enjoying guilty, non-gourmet (gasp!) treats like McDonald's french fries, she takes the reader on a journey that is simultaneously familiar, informative, and adventurous. In what is perhaps the best touch, she also provides recipes in each chapter for such diverse foods as carbonara, chocolate chip cookies, pesto, sangria, huevos rancheros, and sushi rolls.

The art in this book is vibrant, lively, and intelligent. Artist/writer Lucy Knisley is a Renaissance woman who sings and draws. Relish is her second graphic novel, the first being French Milk, a travelogue about a six-week trip to Paris. She speaks more about her life and works in this interview. She also occasionally blogs here.

Because of the atypical (for a graphic novel) subject matter, I have seen reviews for this book from some diverse sources. They have been resoundingly positive. Renee Shelton wrote about it, "This book makes for a quick read as her stories are hard to put down once you start and the comic book style illustrations make it easy to digest." Seth T. Hahne stated that the book fulfilled two goals for him: "1. Make Lucy Knisley seem like an awesome person with an infectious love for food." and "2. Infect the reader with that love for food." Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and concluded, "this is a book that teenagers and parents will savor in equal measure." For me, reading this book was a joyful experience, like a breath of fresh air coming from a bakery.

A preview and more are available here from the book's publisher First Second.

A big thank you to Gina for the review copy!