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It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: My Adventures in Life and Food
The daughter of a British Foreign Service officer, Moira Hodgson spent her childhood in many a strange and exotic land. She discovered American food in Saigon, ate wild boar in Berlin, and learned how to prepare potatoes from her eccentric Irish grandmother. Today, Hodgson has a well-deserved reputation as a discerning critic whose columns in the New York Observer were devoured by dedicated food lovers for two decades.ÌýA delightful memoir of meals from around the world—complete with recipes—It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time reflects Hodgson’s talent for connecting her love of food and travel with the people and places in her life. Whether she’s dining on Moroccan mechoui, a whole lamb baked for a day over coals, or struggling to entertain in a tiny Greenwich Village apartment, her reminiscences are always a treat.
395 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 4, 2009
The author has experienced a fascinating, globetrotting childhood, thanks to her father's job in MI6/the British Foreign Office. In this book, Hodgson recounts the various foods she has eaten throughout her life's adventures and misadventures. Unfortunately, despite her scintillating subject matter, Hodgson has no sense of suspense or narrative. She gives the same weight to taking a ballet class as she does to being a player in Cold War geopolitics, describing both in cursory, leaden prose.
This may be due to the fact that Hodgson fell into the plum job of being a restaurant critic after trying her hand at various jobs and various men, and finding none to her liking. The third part of the book, which offers a backstage look on the restaurant scene in NYC and London in the late 20th century, is the strongest part of an otherwise plodding memoir.
This may be due to the fact that Hodgson fell into the plum job of being a restaurant critic after trying her hand at various jobs and various men, and finding none to her liking. The third part of the book, which offers a backstage look on the restaurant scene in NYC and London in the late 20th century, is the strongest part of an otherwise plodding memoir.
March 10, 2009
After thoroughly enjoying Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl, I was eagerly anticipating this book, with the added bonus of a travelogue included. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Although Ms. Hodgson has had an eventful life, her somewhat soulless descriptions of her travels left me feeling as if I were reading an itinerary rather than a memoir. The recipes included seemed old fashioned and for lack of a better word, yucky. I'm not sure who would find the several varieties of British pudding appealing.
August 20, 2014
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Moira Hodgson has traveled the world, living for many years abroad, even as a child, as she was taken along with her family as her father, in the service of the British Foreign Service is stationed in Saigon or other exotic locales. She becomes a food journalist and meets and befriends many writers and artists.
I enjoyed the early parts of the book, much more than the walk of fame that became the second half. I found her childhood recollections of life in Egypt and long ocean voyages interesting and fun. I found her descriptions of dinners with famous guests and her long laborious descriptions of all the names she knew rather dull.
I also found that she skipped over bits which I would have loved to hear more about. Such as living with only one eye. I know from reading Sacks that people with only one working eye, or lacking some component of 'normal' sight do actually have a very different view of the world and I would have been very interested in hearing her perspective on that. She also glosses over the various deaths of her family members, most notably her mother who gets the briefest mention, one would think it barely affected her compared with her fathers death which shows so much emotion in her writing.
It was a strange memoir to me. Moira spends so much of it talking about the famous people and less talking about her own family members, I hadn't really found a memoir such as this before and don't know if I'd be likely to read Hodgson again.
I enjoyed the early parts of the book, much more than the walk of fame that became the second half. I found her childhood recollections of life in Egypt and long ocean voyages interesting and fun. I found her descriptions of dinners with famous guests and her long laborious descriptions of all the names she knew rather dull.
I also found that she skipped over bits which I would have loved to hear more about. Such as living with only one eye. I know from reading Sacks that people with only one working eye, or lacking some component of 'normal' sight do actually have a very different view of the world and I would have been very interested in hearing her perspective on that. She also glosses over the various deaths of her family members, most notably her mother who gets the briefest mention, one would think it barely affected her compared with her fathers death which shows so much emotion in her writing.
It was a strange memoir to me. Moira spends so much of it talking about the famous people and less talking about her own family members, I hadn't really found a memoir such as this before and don't know if I'd be likely to read Hodgson again.
April 8, 2009
I really tried to like this book but was never able to find any real substance in this woman's story. She had all of the elements for an intriguing memoir, having traveled all over the world, a couple of traumatic events, and stories of being a food writer. Even one particular life-altering event in her life, which I won't spoil by giving away, felt glossed over. Also, the constant namedropping of, for the most part, commonly unknown people I found off-putting and boring. Bottom line, Hodgson never opened her heart to the reader, which I think is the number one rule for delivering an engaging memoir.
The only redeeming portion of the book was the recipes. Not that I want to try any of the archaic collection. But they got me closer to the last page of the book. Ruth Reichl does a much better job with this genre.
The only redeeming portion of the book was the recipes. Not that I want to try any of the archaic collection. But they got me closer to the last page of the book. Ruth Reichl does a much better job with this genre.
June 18, 2017
A nice counterpoint to Madhur Jaffrey's foodie memoir that I just read. Moira Hodgson is English but spent her childhood moving around the world to her father's various diplomatic posts. These included Egypt, Lebanon, Sweden, Berlin and Vietnam. Later she moves to New York and becomes a writer, bouncing around publications and authoring cookbooks as well. The memoir takes us right up to the present day (2009) when she takes her son to Alinea in Chicago for the next wave in fine dining and modern cuisine. I liked her little details throughout--how her grandfather made everyone chew each mouthful 32 times, how her sister hid cigarette butts in a small antique chest of drawers, how she laid pots and pans in the hall when cooking because her NYC apartment kitchen was too small. Recipes included.
February 21, 2020
Memoir of Daughter of British diplomat, and granddaughter of Irish Scientist, her Granny, who traveled and lived the world over with her family, and then as a single woman, always interested in the food and culture, collecting recipes and friends. At age 17 her Father is transferred to UN in NYC and she becomes a UN tour guide, model, waitress and parties with Greenwich Village crowd.
She stays in NYC when her parents return to England, but continues to travel, and always returning to writing in NYC for New York Times, Vanity Fair, etc.
She shares her many adventures as a single woman of the world, marriage, son and death of her parents. I will be on lookout for some of her cookbooks.
She stays in NYC when her parents return to England, but continues to travel, and always returning to writing in NYC for New York Times, Vanity Fair, etc.
She shares her many adventures as a single woman of the world, marriage, son and death of her parents. I will be on lookout for some of her cookbooks.
April 24, 2009
I hadn't heard of her before reading the book. But what a life she lived.....
July 16, 2022
2022 bk 195. Did not finish. This is usually the type of book I enjoy - but I bogged down and never got going again.
March 3, 2015
Moira Hodgson had an amazingly adventure-filled life growing up, living in different countries, traveling with her family, and meeting numerous types of people. It made me envious of such an interesting childhood. With her family connections, she grew up in the midst of and was introduced to many well known people, whether they be writers, musicians, composers, designers, politicians, artists, or chefs. I enjoyed reading about the local food and cooking methods, as well as daily life in the places she lived, including her native England. I found that, more than the descriptions of unimaginable, (to me) expensive haute cuisine in exotic locations, I liked hearing about her grandmother's recipes. I did find my mind wandering a bit over the sometimes lengthy lists and personal details of people of whom I have never heard and who were not going to be part of the continuing story. The author has had a great many jobs that would be the "dream job" for so many: working in the UN, food critic and reviewer for major newspapers and magazines, freelance writer, or not working, but traveling the world. The author described several poignant time-capsule snapshots of life in out-of-the-way places of the world that most likely no longer exist. Her recounting of her experiences living in a small village in Mexico, the desert in Morocco, going to school in Vietnam prior to the Vietnam War, and her home in pre-War Berlin immediately before the Berlin Wall was erected was thoughtful while being both sad and comforting at times. I still found the most pleasure in reading about her family as they grew up and older and eventually began to pass on. Overall I really did like the book; my only reservation is the few seemingly topicless sections that don't really do anywhere. I do plan to copy out a few of the recipes that are included in the book (several but not so many they become annoying) and look forward to trying some of the more mundane ones.
February 3, 2021
I came to this book because Moira Hodgson had written a review of the book Patch Work by Claire Wilcox. After my disappointment in this book I returned to that review to see what attracted my attention and find it was actual quotes from the Wilcox book, not insight on the part of Hodgson.
1.I too was bored with the repeated name-dropping dinner parties but also welcomed them as a note to self: can easily skip this section. 2. The lengthy devotion to her father's passing was moving and yet mystifying--what caused his dying as he was so lucid? and how could her mother die a year later with no mention at all? 3. I understood the section in Berlin because I speak German and thus realized that later I must be missing out on the inside scoop for the multitudinous French references. 4.I had previously read a memoir of an American spy responsible for the tunnel under the Berlin wall and thus was aware of the immense damage wreaked by George Blake. How Ms. Hodgson could display such lack of empathy for those betrayed spies who did in fact lose their lives or had their lives endangered by saying of George Blake "but he'd made sure nothing bad would happen to them" is appalling and reinforces my belief that Ms. Hodgson has been delivered feasts and exposures throughout her life that most of us could only dream about and she thus finds herself in the role of reviewer or critic only to show so little understanding. As concern over technology costing people's jobs grows, I'd say that one area we don't need to lament is the loss of food critics because Yelp could offer truth and insight instead.
1.I too was bored with the repeated name-dropping dinner parties but also welcomed them as a note to self: can easily skip this section. 2. The lengthy devotion to her father's passing was moving and yet mystifying--what caused his dying as he was so lucid? and how could her mother die a year later with no mention at all? 3. I understood the section in Berlin because I speak German and thus realized that later I must be missing out on the inside scoop for the multitudinous French references. 4.I had previously read a memoir of an American spy responsible for the tunnel under the Berlin wall and thus was aware of the immense damage wreaked by George Blake. How Ms. Hodgson could display such lack of empathy for those betrayed spies who did in fact lose their lives or had their lives endangered by saying of George Blake "but he'd made sure nothing bad would happen to them" is appalling and reinforces my belief that Ms. Hodgson has been delivered feasts and exposures throughout her life that most of us could only dream about and she thus finds herself in the role of reviewer or critic only to show so little understanding. As concern over technology costing people's jobs grows, I'd say that one area we don't need to lament is the loss of food critics because Yelp could offer truth and insight instead.
September 26, 2012
If you know anything about me, you know that I adore food/travel memoirs. This afternoon, in the company of my naughty, pine needle eating cats, I finished Moira Hodgson’s It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, in which she recounts her childhood in exotic places thanks to her British diplomat father up to her adult life. Currently Hodgson is a restaurant critic for the New York Observer, and this book gives you a great look into how she got to where she is now.
Her upbringing seemed quite glamorous, from Saigon to Berlin, to a strict boarding English boarding school. At one point she works as a tour guide at the UN and Che Guevara shows up to sit on her desk and flirt a bit. She’s just one of those people who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to meet someone incredibly famous, or at least someone who would become famous later on. When this happens, she is typically oblivious, in a charming way, of course. I found myself feeling jealous of Hodgson’s jaunts around the world, like living in Mexico and Morocco just because she could and she knew people. I’d love to go wherever my heart took me on a whim! This is not to say there was no hardship in her life, because there certainly was. But basically, this book outlines the exotic, glamorous, and thrilling times in her life and they’re certainly a good read!
Her upbringing seemed quite glamorous, from Saigon to Berlin, to a strict boarding English boarding school. At one point she works as a tour guide at the UN and Che Guevara shows up to sit on her desk and flirt a bit. She’s just one of those people who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to meet someone incredibly famous, or at least someone who would become famous later on. When this happens, she is typically oblivious, in a charming way, of course. I found myself feeling jealous of Hodgson’s jaunts around the world, like living in Mexico and Morocco just because she could and she knew people. I’d love to go wherever my heart took me on a whim! This is not to say there was no hardship in her life, because there certainly was. But basically, this book outlines the exotic, glamorous, and thrilling times in her life and they’re certainly a good read!
December 4, 2013
I think I have very high standards for memoirs, so they rarely meet my expectations. And this is one of those. It started out so well, with the author describing the many places she'd lived growing up as the child of a diplomat and the foods she'd eaten there.
But like so many memoirs, once she became an adult, she seemed to become both bored by her life, and reticent to share the details and the emotions behind it. This makes sense-- it's a sensitive topic to explain (for example) how you felt when your lover of 8 years ended your relationship. But if you don't feel like really talking about that, then you probably shouldn't write a memoir. At least, that's my opinion. So as the book went on, the emotions were less and less present and it turned into a series of anecdotes with very little humanity behind them and less the extraordinary story of one woman's life (with food). Which was a shame.
Also, I'm not nearly cultured enough for this book. Hodgson does a TON of name dropping, but I simply don't know anything about the premier set designers in New York City or the 1970s artists or anything like that... Pretty much the only name in the food industry that I recognized was Gordon Ramsay. This is really a put-down of myself, not the author, but it still made the book less enjoyable.
A quick and light read, but I wanted so much more.
But like so many memoirs, once she became an adult, she seemed to become both bored by her life, and reticent to share the details and the emotions behind it. This makes sense-- it's a sensitive topic to explain (for example) how you felt when your lover of 8 years ended your relationship. But if you don't feel like really talking about that, then you probably shouldn't write a memoir. At least, that's my opinion. So as the book went on, the emotions were less and less present and it turned into a series of anecdotes with very little humanity behind them and less the extraordinary story of one woman's life (with food). Which was a shame.
Also, I'm not nearly cultured enough for this book. Hodgson does a TON of name dropping, but I simply don't know anything about the premier set designers in New York City or the 1970s artists or anything like that... Pretty much the only name in the food industry that I recognized was Gordon Ramsay. This is really a put-down of myself, not the author, but it still made the book less enjoyable.
A quick and light read, but I wanted so much more.
August 30, 2009
Surprisingly, the text is staccato for three-quarters of the book, and only smooths out when the author, who is a food writer, begins to explain her modern life. Although the prose evens out, the content becomes rushed and less thoughtful, as if she had missed the publisher's deadline. Although she spends pages on her father's death, she only mentions that both her parents are dead now. There is nothing to indicate in the book that she disliked her mother so that her death didn't affect her as much as her father's. Also, we are somewhat involved with her during her various loves, but her husband and father of her child is barely mentioned. The recipes and mentions of food are often contrived to fit the theme of the book, and aren't really useful. The most interesting part for me was her seven years with poet Merwin, whose work I've highly respected (especially his translations) for years. This could have been a much better book. Hodgson led an interesting life, thanks to her father's position as British Diplomat (actually a spy), and she held a very influential position as a NYT food critic. I'm sorry that I wasn't enchanted by her writing or her characters, because her writing ability is not made for warmth, but for facts.
April 29, 2012
More interesting than I expected but left me feeling like I wanted more. Very interesting childhood living in quite a few countries (Egypt, Switzerland, Vietnam, Germany), quite a bohemian after moving to NY in her early 20s, adventurous travel to Mexico and Morocco. Unfortunately her writing style is lackluster and a bit flat. Shame, because I think her life has the makings of a much better memoir. She spends quite a bit of time telling us about growing up with her grandparents (her grandmother could have written her own fascinating memoir), but then they disappear with very little mention. I'm not sure I would have wanted a longer book but I would have enjoyed more focus on her relationships and travels and less on the famous people she knew. Probably the only food memoir I've ever read that didn't make me hungry. I wish my own kids were willing to eat the stuff Hodgson ate when she was growing up, but most of her meal descriptions and recipes can best be described as "yucky".
July 17, 2009
The author's father was in the British diplomatic corps before switching to be an agent for M16 (British secret service). Her memoir tells of foreign lands where they lived, moving every 2 years to a new post. Egypt, Singapore, Beirut,Vietnam (pre American war), Sweden, divided Berlin before the wall. They met and entertained many celebrities of the day. Throughout the book there are recipes for exotic foods from all her travels. As an adult, she lived in NYC when Dean and Delucca was "a small neighborhood cheese shop." As an editor for various trendy or arty publications, she met most of the New York art crowd and cooked for famous people in her tiny apartment kitchen.
As a restaurant reviewer, she dined in all the tony establishments of the 70's and 80's.
An interesting view of the high life led by the upper class Brits in the 50's and 60's, then the New York scene from the 70's to present, this book is written in a breezy and off-hand manner that makes it quite charming.
As a restaurant reviewer, she dined in all the tony establishments of the 70's and 80's.
An interesting view of the high life led by the upper class Brits in the 50's and 60's, then the New York scene from the 70's to present, this book is written in a breezy and off-hand manner that makes it quite charming.
August 5, 2012
This lady has had an eventful life, and at first I thought..how romantic..foreign travel, boarding school (my childhood fantasy, thanks to Enid Blyton), writing, good food, and famous people..she met Paul Bowles ,for pete's sake..! And then I felt deflated at how easily she got various jobs with newspapers and magazines. I felt slightly aggrieved at how some people seem to be born into the right places, move in the right circles etc,so that they have all these wonderful experiences. I guess the truth of the matter is somewhere in between. While accidents of birth can influence a person's path, there must also be a lot of other less romantic stuff in a life that doesn't make it into a memoir..for every blase 'I got a job ..' there must be a fair bit of blood ,sweat and tears...at least I hope so, just to make it fair..!!
July 6, 2009
This book has taken me a minute to get into and to appreciate the way it's written. The perspective is from Moira, as a child, retelling the adventures she had as a child while she lived all around the world. She's the daughter of a diplomat and had to move every 2 months.
I'm enjoying her antics as a frisky and precocious child and I'm enjoying the colorful characters she meets as she travels. As she gets older, she jumps from job to job, from city to city.
She ends up becoming a writer and a chef and combining her talents by reviewing restaurants. As the book went on, I found myself revisiting the book as if it were a restaurant that I used to enjoy, and hoping that I'll still be satisfied with the experience.
I didn't finish the book...
I'm enjoying her antics as a frisky and precocious child and I'm enjoying the colorful characters she meets as she travels. As she gets older, she jumps from job to job, from city to city.
She ends up becoming a writer and a chef and combining her talents by reviewing restaurants. As the book went on, I found myself revisiting the book as if it were a restaurant that I used to enjoy, and hoping that I'll still be satisfied with the experience.
I didn't finish the book...
April 23, 2012
Moira Hodgson is the daughter of a British Foreign Service officer and, because of that, her life has been a peripatetic one. She’s lived in 12 countries and meals provided a sense of continuity because food, as much as any other cultural icon, was an invariable link to a place or nation. Life has been a series of adventures and meals, the one not necessarily excluding the other. Without going overboard on details, she manages to bring to life her memories of engaging, humorous and fun-filled moments that center on comestibles. Recipes and reminiscences abound. Who hasn’t taken a mouthful of a delightful, favorite dish and been catapulted back in memory to a happier time and place? Such is the power of a well-prepared meal and Ms. Hodgson has captured that trick of sense-memory.
May 2, 2012
I liked it. It's not a "foodie" book and it's not a travel book and it's not really a memoir in the traditional sense. She just tells about her life and the traveling she's done and the food she's eaten.
She's been to places that don't really exist anymore and I found that fascinating. She lived in Berlin after the war but before the Wall went up. She lived in Lebanon when it was a posh posting for the Foreign Service.
I think it would be difficult to cook from any of her recipes - they call for ingredients that existed only in London in the 1940's. But they were fun to read.
I liked it. It passed the time and it entertained me. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. And I'm not sorry I spent the time reading it.
She's been to places that don't really exist anymore and I found that fascinating. She lived in Berlin after the war but before the Wall went up. She lived in Lebanon when it was a posh posting for the Foreign Service.
I think it would be difficult to cook from any of her recipes - they call for ingredients that existed only in London in the 1940's. But they were fun to read.
I liked it. It passed the time and it entertained me. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. And I'm not sorry I spent the time reading it.
February 13, 2009
Moira Hodgson combines several of my favorite topics in this book. She tells great stories about her family, her travels and food. Hodgson is the daughter of a British Foreign Service officer who was fortunate enough to live in Egypt, Vietnam and Germany among other places.
As a free spirit she made her own fortune - finding ways to support herself and continue to travel.
There were parts of this book that reminded me of Penelope Lively because of their interesting childhood and other parts (the food) that reminded me of Ruth Reihl.
All in all a wonderful read.
As a free spirit she made her own fortune - finding ways to support herself and continue to travel.
There were parts of this book that reminded me of Penelope Lively because of their interesting childhood and other parts (the food) that reminded me of Ruth Reihl.
All in all a wonderful read.
February 2, 2015
"The daughter of a British Foreign Service officer, Moira Hodgson spent her childhood in many a strange and exotic land."
This memoir started as a delightful read of a young girl's life and her memories of exotic locations and food, and peppered with recipes. By the time Moira reaches adulthood, however, this becomes a boring tale of name dropping.
I recommend the first half of the book.
UPDATE: After reading one of the posted reviews, I think I will go back and read the last third, as she stated that was the most interesting part. I gave up in the middle.
This memoir started as a delightful read of a young girl's life and her memories of exotic locations and food, and peppered with recipes. By the time Moira reaches adulthood, however, this becomes a boring tale of name dropping.
I recommend the first half of the book.
UPDATE: After reading one of the posted reviews, I think I will go back and read the last third, as she stated that was the most interesting part. I gave up in the middle.
March 6, 2009
I was hoping for something closer to Jeffrey Steingarten or even Ruth Reichl's books, but this half-memoir/half-food writing book was (no joke intended) neither fish nor fowl. There were a few amusing anecdotes, especially about Hodgson's childhood jumping from country to country as her father worked for in the British diplomatic corps, but in general I found this book quite dull.
August 14, 2010
This is Hodgson's memoirs "in life and food". She's British, now living in US and columnist for the NY Observer (at least when she wrote book). I recommend it for those who like memoirs, travel and food writing. Her father was in the British Foreign Service so interesting accounts of living abroad and taking ships for travel, starting in the 1950s. A good read.
September 1, 2010
Another book for foodies. Hodgson has been a journalist for years, often writing about food. A sort of less sexy and earlier version of . Ok if you like reading about food - which I do. Otherwise you'll probably be bored.
April 8, 2009
I am happy to give this 3.75 stars. It was highly enjoyable and has the distinct fame of being able to be picked up mid-stream and you are right back in it. I don't know why others gave this such low marks. I was entertained throughout.
July 29, 2009
Moira is a restaurant critic for New York Observer. She traveled around the world as a child because her dad was a British foreign service officer. Her life is so different from mine. I found the book interesting but it did not touch me.
October 18, 2009
The author is a food writer and restaurant critic in New York though she was born in England and lived in many parts of the world as the daughter of an English diplomat. The book starts off well, but it does tend to get bogged down in the minutiae of her life - TMI.
March 9, 2010
This was a fun little daydream of a book. A memoir of a life well lived, well traveled, and well savored. Nothing heavy or serious, or even terribly insightful, but it was a sweet little escape perfect for the train.
April 27, 2017
A fairly interesting account of the author's life as daughter of a British diplomat/spy, and her interest and career in food. Sometimes annoying for name-dropping, careless introduction of characters and disjointedness. But interesting, for the most part.
January 25, 2016
Entertaining view of the world from the daughter of a British diplomat, exploring the world from Egypt to Vietnam through food and literary experiences. Thank goodness I didn't go to a British public school!!
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