So you see, every book, every author, has the gift of conjuring up something, and for one person these can be sweet memories, for another bitter memories, and for another nothing at all, and it is just a nice book.
For me it was a book that brought back memories of my visit to Kyoto, and I recognized many of the buildings mentioned. From the Imperial Palace to the modern Kyoto tower and the station, a real trip down memory lane.
The many ingredients mentioned in the chapters that are used for the dishes may seem a bit much, but it gives a nice insight into traditional Japanese cuisine.
It reminded me that I am definitely not a "seafood" guy, and in both Taiwan and Japan I pushed aside the squid and oysters....
Fortunately, this book is not about cooking, but mainly about cherishing memories of certain people who cooked for us or ate with us.
Just as the smell of fresh hay reminds you of a sleepover with grandpa on the farm, the smells and flavors of certain dishes bring us back to the people we already miss.
The father and daughter in this story do everything they can - in apparently a very short time - to find out what the customer is looking for. The stew that was served to him as a small child, the Japanese spaghetti eaten with grandpa, and the two always manage to do exactly that. And recreate the meals, resulting in many tears.
Because each chapter has 1 guest and 1 dish as its subject, it is easy to put the book down without losing the thread of the story.
So simply enjoy this book, not high literature, but I am already looking forward to the next part, which is announced at the back of the book. ( )

A sweet little novel of stories. Each chapter is a story of a different patron and their desired dish, which reveals the patron's memories. A love letter to Japanese cuisine and the role of food in people's lives. ( )

2024 read. I was very excited to read this after coming across some extremely favorable reviews for it. I'm a big fan of this style of Japanese novel. However, I found myself disappointed with the start of the book, feeling that maybe it suffered in translation a bit, or something. I did put the book aside for a few days, but picked it up again and finished it that day. It grew on me-- not enough to become a favorite, but enough to keep me reading. Besides, it has a terrific cover! Rounded up in star ratings. ( )

I've been enjoying all the new books in the library and found a charmer, but it depends on whether you have some knowledge of Japanese food and the very particular way a dedicated chef would cook a meal. 'The Kamogawa Food Detectives' is a current best seller in Japan and no wonder. A father and daughter team will try to recreate a special recipe for people who are desperate to taste again the food that is so special because of the memories attached to it. Brought back memories for me of the wonderful traditional meals I enjoyed in Japan and the respect Japanese people have for food and they way it should be eaten.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives is, in translation, a nice, clean, pleasurable novel linking food to memory, nostalgia, and family. The meals described in loving detail are genuinely, literally mouthwatering. A pleasant, comforting book. ( )