First, its a memoir. And I love memoir. Don't you? Don't we all? It is the age of memoir.
Second, the author's relationship with food, her evolution as a foodie, and her experiences with food writers and cooks is covered herein.
And third, recipes!
Sounds like the perfect book to me. Those are three good reasons, but so meaty, are they?
So here's the scoop on Cakewalk:
Kate Moses was a fat kid whose admiration for Abraham Lincoln drew the scorn of her classmates. And she was a tall, awkward, and fat teenager. She was possibly a fat adult, or so she thought. She coped with her miserable family life by foundering herself on Twinkies, Baby Ruths, and cookies and brownies she baked for herself and her brothers.
We all do. Or did, didn't we? Her childhood experiences were poignant: she was fed, dressed, and sheltered by her parents, but their personality faults, poor parenting skills, and fights created a tense atmosphere for Kate and her two brothers no matter whether they lived in Virginia, California or Alaska. It's rather a typical and atypical childhood. We all can relate to some parts.
Moses charts her changing relationship with food within the different phases of her life. She describes her role as sweetheart for a fraternity when she attended the University of the Pacific. It mostly entailed "baking sugar cookies in the shape of the fraternity's vintage fire truck," and spending her personal money to keep the boys fed (223). I particularly enjoyed her years at university studying English in her quest to become a writer and learn from her elders. Novel, article, and short story titles recommended to her by her teachers were items I noted for future reading. Moses revels in her introduction to family life and her apprenticeship to an exceptional cook via her boyfriend Peter's mother, Nell.
From adulthood on, Moses seems happy and on the right path. She's surrounded by Peter's family, her English professors, and has enough distance from her parents to thrive. We learn of Moses' triumphs, such as moving into her own place, becoming a mother, and hiring on at North Point Press. And then we follow her trials such as parting from her husband, her unresolved relationship with her mother, and her struggle as a writer.
Each chapter concludes with a recipe for something sweet. Like Coconut Layer Cake, Peanut Butter Cookies, Rhubarb Crisp, Carrot Cupcakes, and Brown Sugar Pound Cake.
Two of the more famous entries include a Persimmon Parfait following a chapter wherein Moses expounds on her friendship with M.F.K. Fisher--and also includes the recipe for chewy walnut brownies that Fisher "deemed 'delicious'". And I'm ever in search of the perfect cheesecake recipe, so her father's favorite cheesecake is on my list now.
Another writer she broke bread with via her position at North Point was Kay Boyle. Boyle turned stale croissants into a bread pudding during one of Moses' visits and Moses re-creates the recipe and includes it on page 307. Must locate source for old croissants to try what appears to be a most-excellent bread pudding recipe. Yum despite my preference against chocolate.
Moses' recall of the 70s and 80s plus the nuggets of popular culture she drops here and there offer great context for a childhood that a small number of we Generation Xers share: the romance of Luke and Laura on General Hospital, a familiarity with The Preppy Handbook (a collectible @ $91), Lip Smacker, REO Speedwagon, Tiger Beat, Peanuts/Charlie Brown, Tab, Ayds, Archie comic books, Captain & Tennille, America's Bicentennial, Pong, Water Pik shower heads, hand-embroidered jeans, watching Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, and watching MASH on television because there were only three stations and no options.
Besides all this, Cakewalk is a masterpiece of writing. Her writing= perfection. The narrative is enjoyable and her voice is fresh; she turns phrases with aplomb better than a short order cook managing hotcakes on a griddle. And commiseration is easy when there's cake involved.
