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I know South Philadelphia: Lorraine Ranalli captures in painfully funny detail the foibles, idiosyncrasies, and eccentricities of what it is to be Italian in South Philly. The recipes are a bonus-great, but still nothing to compare with my Mother's cooking: she knows pasta and gravy. But, this is a good book that will add to the lore of South Philadelphia.
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This is my kind of book because I love gravy. I could eat pasta every night, and once I did for a solid year. It was 1987 and I was working for Frank Rizzo [Sr.]but that's another story. Reading this one by Lorraine Ranalli makes me hungry!
We already know that you can pick your friends and you can't pick your family. Now we finally know who picked the gravy. Thanks, Lorraine, for lovingly explaining to this Baltimore Italian girl (who thought gravy was the brown stuff) what the heck has been going on all these years in those South Philly kitchens.
I did not have the good fortune of growing up Italian in South Philly, but Lorraine Ranalli makes me wish I did. Not only would I have improved my skills at yelling at relatives, but I'd eat better, as well.
It's about time someone pulled back the green-white-and-red curtain to reveal one of America's most colorful-sometimes comical, sometimes cantankerous-sub-cultures, the South Philly Italians.
"Gravy Wars" captures the essence of Philadelphia. We have the ability to debate, argue, and dissect the most mundane topics but always we keep our hearts open to our greatest strengths: family and friendships.
Although I didn't grow up in a large Italian family, working in South Philly the last 15 years has enabled me to spill lots of "gravy" on my clothes. Congrats to Lorraine for writing such a charming, funny, and insightful book regarding the culinary wonderland of South Philadelphia!
The title alone conjures memories. I was standing at a high-top table twirling probably my fifth pasta and gravy sample at a Taste of South Philly event during a particularly charged mayoral election year. When I looked up from my plate, I realized that the two opposing candidates were standing at arms-length on either side of me. They must have been desperately seeking gravy, too. I only wish this book was available then. It would have been an excellent icebreaker.
Where I come from, we don't call it gravy, but ya know what? It tastes the same. And over pasta, it's to die for-whether you're talking marinara or Bolognese. Great book!
Lorraine Ranalli has done it! Finally! Gravy Wars is an affectionate, humorous, and historical look at the closely guarded secrets of Italian-American kitchens AND dining room tables! Lorraine brings you into a world where food is love and the rest is... well, gravy.
This book is so good that I read it after eating and I'm hungry all over again!
Entertaining and educational! I always thought gravy was a topping for mashed potatoes and sauce came out of a jar. Lorraine's humorous stories and witty translations have encouraged me to wrestle up some fresh vegetables and get back into the kitchen. You don't have to be Italian or from South Philly to appreciate this book.
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