If I were given only two words to describe New York magazine’s former food critic Gael Greene’s memoir Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess, it would be ‘Food’ and ‘Sex’ – plenty of both.
The first chapter pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the memoir – we’re brought back to 1956 where Greene is a fresh out of college 21-year-old who’s just gotten a gig with the wire service UPI to cover a story on Elvis Presley who was America’s pin-up boy at that time and every woman’s dreamboat. Somehow, one of Elvis’ bouncers spots her and decides she would be a good offering to the King. After Elvis’ performance, Greene is whisked off in a car only to be brought into a hotel room where Elvis drops his pants and has a romp with her (of course she was only all too willing) before he goes to sleep and asks her to order a fried egg sandwich from room service before she leaves. Of this, Greene writes:
‘The fried egg sandwich – that part I remember. I can’t remember how big It was, how long the sex lasted, or even who was on top (probably me). But I have never forgotten the fried egg sandwich. Yes, the totemic fried egg sandwich. At that moment, it might have been clear I was born to be a restaurant critic. I just didn’t know it yet.’
Subsequent chapters tell us about how she stumbles into being a food critic and we learn about the rise and fall of restaurants in New York like Elaine’s, Le Cirque and Odeon among others. She also paints intimate portraits of culinary icons like James Beard, Jean Troisgos (whom she had occasional romps in bed with), Michel Guerard and several others. Greene even gives us a glimpse of the famous food writer M.F.K. Fisher in her old and greying years, portraying her to be a rather miserable woman in a body that’s slowly wasting away.
Like a sultry feline perpetually in heat, Greene is a woman with an insatiable desire for sex. She’s blatantly frank about the fact and writes about her trysts in her younger days with a young Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood, both of whom she had interviewed for a profile piece she was writing for a women’s magazine as one of her freelance gigs. The late celebrity chefs like Jean Troisgos and Gilbert LeCoze had also been one of her lovers. That said, she did actually stay in a marriage for nine years with award-winning journalist Don Forst until they both decided they were bored with each other.
Insatiable is an interesting book for someone interested to learn how America’s culinary trends have shifted since the 1960s. Arguably, Greene wielded much influence over how well restaurants did with her reviews before the Internet age. She enjoyed being wined and dined by restaurant owners and was like a B-list celebrity who got invited to the coolest parties in town. For the most part, I enjoyed the book but there were times where I got bored reading about her sexual trysts with so-and-so chef or celebrity. Other times, it got rather annoying with her whiny talk about not being able to live without Forst but yet still carrying on with her sexual dalliances with other men when she was travelling on the job.
In November 2008, Greene was fired from New York magazine where she had helmed her ‘Insatiable Critic’ column for 40 years. Now she writes her on her own blog which is named after her moniker, Insatiable Critic. Over here, she continues to write reviews about restaurants she’s visited as well as give readers snippets about what’s happening in her daily life such as her vegetarian niece coming over for a visit (horrors for the omnivorous Greene).
Greene comes across as a woman who embraces life even if she’s one who really lives it to excess. But therein lies her charm I guess, and I can see why men fell at her feet – a woman so in touch with her carnal desires can be, or is, very irresistible. Also included in the memoir are some of Greene’s favourite recipes like Blueberry Pie with Orange-Nut Crust, Danish Meat Loaf, Mushroom Strudel and Plum Rum Conserve. Overall, Insatiable is an entertaining read for a relaxing day spent at home.