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Coming to My Senses
Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook | Alice Waters
29 posts | 17 read | 17 to read
The long-awaited memoir from cultural icon and culinary standard bearer Alice Waters recalls the circuitous road and tumultuous times leading to the opening of what is arguably America's most influential restaurant. When Alice Waters opened the doors of her "little French restaurant" in Berkeley, California in 1971 at the age of 27, no one ever anticipated the indelible mark it would leave on the culinary landscape--Alice least of all. Fueled in equal parts by naivet? and a relentless pursuit of beauty and pure flavor, she turned her passion project into an iconic institution that redefined American cuisine for generations of chefs and food lovers. In Coming to My Senses Alice retraces the events that led her to 1517 Shattuck Avenue and the tumultuous times that emboldened her to find her own voice as a cook when the prevailing food culture was embracing convenience and uniformity. Moving from a repressive suburban upbringing to Berkeley in 1964 at the height of the Free Speech Movement and campus unrest, she was drawn into a bohemian circle of charismatic figures whose views on design, politics, film, and food would ultimately inform the unique culture on which Chez Panisse was founded. Dotted with stories, recipes, photographs, and letters, Coming to My Senses is at once deeply personal and modestly understated, a quietly revealing look at one woman's evolution from a rebellious yet impressionable follower to a respected activist who effects social and political change on a global level through the common bond of food.
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tholmz
Pickpick

Listened to it and was entertaining enough! Not extremely memorable for me, but it was a nice listen.

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Kholthou
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Pickpick

Loved this book so much.

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Leftcoastzen
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Pickpick

.If you are looking for a history of Chez Panisse , this isn‘t it , she basically addresses its founding in the last 60 pages .This is more about how she became a person who could open such a place.She is so generous in her acknowledgment that friends, lovers , travel,& experiences all contributed to her learning things about the world to inform her idea of creating a unique type of restaurant.The style of the book , friends chatting over coffee.

vivastory I messaged you on GR. 👍 5y
46 likes1 comment
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Leftcoastzen
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Well, we all do what we can.don‘t think I‘ve even got to 10 hours in a #24b4monday still, hanging out on Litsy ,checking everybody‘s progress & snacks , nothing bad about that! Finished 2 books. #MrBook1inamillion
#litsypartyofone #readathon Huzzah! @MrBook
🥳😴

MrBook Lovin‘ it! Well done! 😎🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 5y
Jas16 🙌🏽 5y
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏🙌 5y
49 likes3 comments
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Leftcoastzen
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My #redcover choice , still on my TBR #fallisbooked
I‘m overdue to read some food related book, maybe I will start this one.

OriginalCyn620 👌🏻📚😊 5y
49 likes1 stack add1 comment
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rkpope

A good book about how one person created a local food movement. Alice Waters had an interesting life.

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BooksAtNight
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Mehso-so

I felt very disconnected with the author and her experiences, which definitely tanked my enjoyment of the book. And I was hoping for more of what inspired her to cook, which really wasn‘t what this book is about. Her voice as an audiobook narrator also wasn‘t my style, which didn‘t help things. Maybe someone who is into counterculture or someone who is more interested in Alice Waters as a person would enjoy this more.

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MEGR
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Mehso-so

This book helped me think about looking each thing you do do in life as a way to connect, find beauty and meaning. It solidified that connection to others can be full of surprises and change your life in ways you never could have imagined. Overall I liked it and many parts influenced me, but I wouldn‘t recommend it unless you are a fan of Alice Waters. 📸My mom teaching my kids one of her new recipes

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MEGR
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“What‘s endlessly fascinating To me about cooking and eating is the biodiversity of the planet. The depth of the abundance of the earth...Everything in this country changed with fast food...We wanted year round availability, we wanted food for cheap. And when you achieve all that, you take away everything—You lose touch with nature, and you exist in the hollow place, Devoid of beauty and nourishment.”

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MEGR
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“It‘s great when someone you admire draws your attention to something, and suddenly you see it for the first time. Sometimes you need a friend who has great taste to help you see that something has beauty and value.”

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MEGR
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I am extremely cozy in bed reading about Alice Water‘s adventures in France 🇫🇷. The BIG dilemma is do I brave walking across the cold floor to get a second cup of coffee ☕️???Decisions,decisions😬

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MEGR
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”I was lucky to be out in nature so much as a child thanks to aunt Ina and my mother. They showed me the beauty of the spring bulbs coming up, the fall leaves, and trees all covered with ice and winter, sparkling in the lamp light. I really believe that nature is everybody‘s mother and I think our disconnection from it is the is in for so many of the problems we have now.”🌲🌳🌵🌾🍃🍁🍂

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MEGR
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Tea, popcorn and a memoir= perfect bed picnic 🤓

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Autumnscribe
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Pickpick

I enjoyed Water‘s tone more than anything else. I have never before read anyone‘s prose that we‘re capable of being resoundingly frank (bordering on blunt) and yet at the same time flowery and romantic. I love that she is/was so fearless and was able to tap into a time and place populated with people both counter and cultured. It makes me want to dust off some of my own vestige dreams and daring ideas....

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Autumnscribe
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Enjoying this immensely. I LOVE her voice. She makes even some of the less than brilliant (and bordering on totally stupid) things she has done seem like good ideas and definitely worth it. I am not that fearless and look on as much confused as I am in awe of such free spirits.

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Autumnscribe
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Starting this today. Recommend by the same friend who put the Signature of all Things in my hands.

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BookishMarginalia
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Mehso-so

Meh. I was just bored.

Pamwurtzler Good to know! 7y
DivineDiana That‘s too bad. 🙁 7y
Booksnchill I agree- I dnf‘d it! 7y
118 likes1 stack add3 comments
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RealLifeReading
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#seasonsreadings2017 day 2: #view
My view at the moment. The kids are busy drawing and crafting something. And I'm trying to do a bit of reading. What are you up to today?

RebL Sweet view. I‘m hoping to read BUT first my daughter put in an order of bread from our local baker. 7y
LauraBrook I‘m working on my Christmas present list and doing what I hope is the last of online ordering. (I keep thinking I‘m done and then I remember someone else and their 2 kids.) Maybe some holiday decorating and hopefully some reading too! 7y
RealLifeReading @RebL hope you did get to do some reading! 7y
RealLifeReading @LauraBrook well at least it's online ordering and not having to run out to the stores every time you remember someone else! 😀 7y
Jeg Getting over jet lag so doing lots of reading when I can‘t sleep. 😍📚 7y
136 likes5 comments
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RealLifeReading
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A low temp-baked salmon, oven-roasted broccoli and mini peppers with potato wedges and a book I downloaded a few days ago but haven't gotten to yet

ephemeralwaltz Salmon is my favorite! Yum! 7y
118 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Jen2
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Pickpick

Great audiobook!!!

Crystallinegirl I got an ARC of this through Goodreads but just haven't gotten around to it yet! 7y
77 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Lindy
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Pickpick

A pick, with reservations. Alice Waters reads her own memoir #audiobook and her voice is weak and tremulous throughout. I usually listen at 1.25 speed, but had to increase to 1.5 to make it more pleasant. Content rambles back and forth in time and some bits are more interesting than others. If you are keen on travel & food writing, and especially women chefs, then I recommend this.

cariashley Good to know, I was interested in this but hate when authors reading their own books goes wrong. Maybe I'll try it in print. 7y
Lindy @cariashley Good idea. That's what @BethFishReads did. 7y
48 likes2 comments
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Lindy
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I brought the slow food culture of France home. That's why I got the Legion of Honour, I think, because I was preserving and expressing something of the culture that the French thought was valuable. That doesn't mean there weren't times in the late 70s and early 80s when French patrons would come to Chez Panisse and say, "Euuh, that's not cooking, that's shopping."

BethFishReads Are you liking the audio? I heard a sample and went running for print (edited) 7y
Lindy @BethFishReads I understand why you went running for print. Her voice is quite weak and tremulous. I've been listening at 1.5 speed (instead of my usual 1.25), and I've become accustomed to the sound of her voice. I don't mind it. 7y
BethFishReads Maybe she‘d be better faster. I always listen at regular speed, so I didn‘t think of that option 7y
Lindy @BethFishReads This audiobook sounds dreadful at regular speed. 7y
BethFishReads Yes! Which is why I turned it off after 5 minutes. I may try it speeded up 7y
30 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Christine
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Pickpick

I love slow food, Chez Panisse, Alice Waters cookbooks and recipes, etc., but I've always been a little uncertain about how I feel about Alice Waters the person, I guess based on my perception that she has a bit of a privileged/pretentious vibe. Not sure yet if that has changed after reading this memoir, but I did really enjoy the stories she told about her formative years and have huge respect for her contributions to American food culture.

Christine I also want to know more about other sides of the Chez Panisse story (including the Anthony Bourdain documentary about Jeremiah Tower which I keep hearing about but have not yet seen)... 7y
Lola I'm listening to this now and really enjoying learning about her/the restaurant's back story. Re the privilege bit, I had to laugh and shake my head a little when she talked about the "tragedy" of no longer eating or serving mussles ? 7y
Lola @Christine I've read elsewhere that there were some crazy happenings in that kitchen 😲 7y
Christine @Lola 😜 yes re the mussels!! Glad you are enjoying the book too. I should read some more about Chez Panisse; have only been there once but am endlessly intrigued by it. 7y
31 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Booksnchill
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This is my favorite lunchtime reading spot on the 3rd floor of our library, on a comfy seat (with plugs for your computer) overlooking the interior courtyard where there are often readings, free lunch concerts from the Symphony musicians and just generally green space in the center of the city. #2017LibraryOfTheYear #NPL

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Booksnchill
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Just checked out this audiobook- looking forward to the drive home! #TbrList #AliceWaters #BooksandFood

tammysue I've been looking forward to reading this 😀 7y
Booksnchill @whatshesreadingnow me too and she reads the audio so should be great! 7y
tammysue @Booksnchill Ooh definitely! 7y
33 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Lola
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I've long been a fan of Alice Waters and have several of her books. The most recent ones offer a little bit of insight into her life but I haven't found much out there about her backstory. This memoir changes that. I love that Alice does the audio. I'll definitely have to check out a print copy for the recipes and photos.

BooksForYears She is one of my food heroes 7y
Crystalblu Got to see her speak last week and I was quite impressed. 7y
Lola @Crystalblu I went to a lunch where she spoke and signed my copy of The Art of Simple Food a few years ago and was charmed by her. There's a cocktail reception and dinner with her at one of my favorite restaurants tomorrow night but sadly I have a conflict and can't attend 😐 7y
Lola @BooksForYears Ditto. 😍 7y
27 likes4 comments
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anniegr
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While baby sleeps I am diving into this. And all I want to do is eat at Chez Panisse, garden and cook.

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bookshopsc
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Pickpick

Alice Waters opened the legendary Chez Panisse in 1971 & neither the cuisine of California, nor the Western world, have been the same. Here Waters puts together the pieces – female friendships & male lovers, childhood memories & adult journeys, music and art and France and the 60‘s – that brought her to her legacy on Shattuck Avenue. Lovely and nostalgic with the hope of the last century, it will whet an appetite for beauty and change. - Jocelyn

Cinfhen Great review 7y
Leftcoastzen you all rock ! Wonderful post! 7y
40 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Christine
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Not sure how I'm just now learning that there is a soon-to-be-released Alice Waters memoir...but 💃💃💃!!!

AWahle I have a copy on the way from a Goodreads giveaway - so excited!! 📚😀 7y
Christine @AWahle Ooh yay, good for you - hope you enjoy it!! 7y
44 likes1 stack add2 comments