Food Related Stories by Gaby Melian

I love food, so when I saw this book, I thought, FOOD! and immediately checked it out from the library. However, when I read it, it was so much more than I had imagined. Food Related Stories by Gaby Melian is a little different from the books I usually review. It’s more like a short memoir; a collection of stories about Melian and her experiences with food, and in turn, how it’s helped her develop as a human. I enjoyed being able to read about all the ways food has become a massive influence on her life, from her being the test kitchen manager at Bon Appétit (I’ve always been a big fan of their YouTube channel and cookbooks), to how food has saved her and helped her cope with so many different things in her life, to being a way to remember happy memories forever. 

I have a YouTube channel where I animate some of my book reviews! Be sure to check it out at: www.youtube.com/@theeccentricbookshelf.

Every short chapter relates to a lesson that food has taught Melian. Some of them are about love, some about patience, some about courage, and some about strength, but there’s one thread that ties all the stories together. Food. It’s so fascinating to see how food can affect people in such powerful ways, and that’s what makes this book so unique. I really love food, both making and eating it (who doesn’t love food?). Many other people do, too, so this is a book that can be quite powerful for a large number of people. This fact, along with all the lessons taught in the book, could help a lot of people learn and grow the same way Melian has.

Finally, this point isn’t quite as deep, but it’s equally as important in a book about food: the details are absolutely wonderful. I don’t think I have to explain much more for this, but the smells, textures, and tastes of the food add so much richness to the stories. In the end, this isn’t just a book about food. It’s so much more than that. It’s a book full of stories teaching people how food can help them learn, grow, and love.