Reading Response 3

              In the latter half of this book, “Secret Ingredients”, there are three works in a row, written by the same writer, M.F.K Fisher. Her works are not necessarily funny, humorous, or descriptive, but I got interested in something of her works. We can say they sound like a story, novel, or essay. Some parts are written in different styles from other parts, but each transition is so natural that readers can immerse in her world, without feeling any awkwardness. Also, all of three parts seem are written in the most suitable styles. The first one, “THE SECRET INGREDIENT” is written like a novel, so we can be absorbed in her a little mysterious atmosphere of the passionate cook, Bertie Bastalizzo. The second one, “THE TROUBLE WITH TRIPE” does not have so clear style, but it sounds like a memoir, which succeeds in describing her vivid emotion about “Tripe”. The third one, “NOR CENSURE NOR DISDAIN” can be categorized as a certain essay and it effectively explains what casseroles stand for as one of the most popular American cuisines. Thus, three different styles let me enjoy her world from each different point of view, without getting bored. Thereafter, despite she used three ways of writing, I felt there are one important theme in her works. That is a respect for foods.

              In the first work, an outstanding sentence for me was “I still like her and regret that since she succumbed to a second love we no longer taste her beautiful dishes. (104)” In this section, we can see the author’s striking curiosity on the “secret ingredients”, and because of it also can see her cling on Bertie. Then thanks to a novel-like expression “succumbed to a second love”, we can read how the author loves Bertie’s cuisines and her spirit to inquire the secret recipe. Hence, in the first work the author makes novel-like atmosphere so that readers can follow her curious feeling about secret ingredients.

              The second section is about a tripe. Undoubtedly, one of the most impressive parts of it is the sentences when she states about her favorite restaurant. “If I had not come, a potted plant would have been set neatly in my place, I know.” This states the author’s very personal thought. In this page, she describes her feelings narrating in the first person, so that we can follow what she thought when she visited the restautant. The memoir style succeeds in telling her actual vivid emotion in these sentences.

              The third section explains what is casserole. The sentence which shows the feature of the section is this; “ Increasingly, there are such compromises between one’s knowledge of good cooking and one’s harried way of life, and a friend of mine with a large family has evolved her own formula for casserole cooking. (117)” After this sentence the author explain casserole is a preeminently American style food and good for mass feeding. She chooses descriptive style so that we easily understand characters of casserole.

              Accordingly, she use different styles which goes with each theme. Further, this represents her respect for writing about foods, or foods themselves. Though choosing the most suitable ways, she tries to tell us how attractive foods are. The reason why I like her works may be that indeed she has splendid particularities about food writings. (557 words)