The Tummy Trilogy is actually three books in one, all long out of print, but occasionally available used. Trillin is witty, urbane, observant, and ironic, and he has written intelligently on everything from politics to barbecue. These three books, American Fried (1974), Alice, Let’s Eat (1978), and Third Helpings (1983), are insightful recountings of meals, eateries, and eaters. Although so much has changed on the culinary scene since then, Trillin is a great storyteller, and his wisdom paved the way for people like us to openly admire “common” food like ribs, hotdogs, and burgers.
The American Fried, the first in the trilogy, speaks directly to rib eaters with its first sentence: “The best restaurants in the world are, of course, in Kansas City. Not all of them; only the top four or five. Anyone who has visited Kansas City and still doubts that statement has my sympathy: He never made it to the right places.” A few pages later he drives home his point: “It has long been acknowledged that the single best restaurant in the world is Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue at Eighteenth and Brooklyn in Kansas City.” There are a lot of folks I know who agree with this statement to this day.
Buy Alice, Let’s Eat from the Apple iBook Store
Buy The Tummy Trilogy from Amazon
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