Generally solid collection of food-related pieces, though after having read several of these I've started borrowing them from the library rather than buying. There is a certain -- not exactly sameness, but familiarity to the mix that is starting to make it hard to distinguish one year from the next. The truly standout pieces, such as Adam Gopnik's explanation of why people own cookbooks they never cook from, I've read already in the New Yorker. And there is one piece (Todd Kliman's about chasing a particular Chinese chef all over the South) that I swear I've read in another book in the series. But books are like meals -- they don't have to be spectacular, one-of-a-kind banquets to be enjoyable, particularly if the price (in this case, free) is right. ( )

I try to read this book every year, cover to cover. Some years I end up skipping an article or two a few paragraphs in, because the author is just too smug about his or her food chocies to be believed.

This year is no different. There are omnivores who seem weirdly hostile to vegetarians, people eating local food wallowing in their privegle, people all but calling traditional family eating noble savagery (there's more than one article about down-south barbecue rituals.)

There's also an awesome article about milk toast, and an adorable article about someone in single combat with their friendship bread starter, and article about mourning Gourmet magazine.

I haven't read every food article published in 2010. I probably haven't even read very many of them, compared to the entire body of work. (I have, say, read very many of them compared to my husband. And probably all the other people on the bus.) So maybe this really was the cream of the crop.

It's a solid read. I kind of hope it doesn't take the pulse of where food writing is right now, because if so, food writing's getting kind of annoying.