Author Spotlight: Ruth Reichl

New York Times bestselling author Ruth Reichl brings her experience as a writer of ten books, restaurant critic, and winner of six James Beard awards into her latest work - The Paris Novel. The story follows the protagonist Stella and her tale of reinvention as she experiences the food, art, literature and fashion of 1980s Paris. Read our interview with Ruth Reichl below.

The Paris Novel is a feast for the reader’s senses as Stella experiences iconic dishes of Paris - oysters, ortolan, and foie gras. Can you talk about your personal experience with one of these dishes? 

I’ve only eaten ortolan once but it is an amazing experience. You put a napkin over your head and put the entire bird into your mouth with the beak sticking out. It’s hot and everytime your teeth come down you get a different flavor because you’re tasting the different parts... It is an extraordinary thing. You keep the napkin over your head for two reasons. They used to say that it was to hide your shame from God. The other reason is to keep everything in, all of the aromas in, and have a private experience.

What is the most memorable dish that you have had?

Well it’s not a dish; it’s an eating experience. In 1970 I was in Crete. A friend who was living there took us to a little hut on a mountain, and we sat on the porch. This old lady came out and she poured out olive oil that she had pressed from her own olives. She cut herbs from the hillside and sprinkled them in, and she gave us a plate of onions that she had grown and bread and wine that her neighbor had made. She said, “Enjoy this. I’m going fishing,” and she came back up, built a fire and grilled us fish. For dessert, there was yogurt from her own sheep, and this whole experience changed my idea about cooking completely. 

What is one thing that scares you?

One of the things I fear is the homogenization of the world. Suddenly, no matter where you travel you can eat the same thing everywhere and I think it behooves all of us to worry about things like the industrialization of agriculture and to support local food producers as much as possible. To say no to the chain restaurants and to look for the little places that are run by local people. We need to see food as something we need to do to preserve culture.

What is one thing that brings you joy? 

I am a believer that the secret to happiness is finding joy in the little things. I try to find one moment of joy - like a cardinal landing on a snowy branch or the smell of onions caramelizing. 

What do you do to keep growing as an author?

Keep doing things that scare the shit out of you.