Eat Up! by Ruby Tandoh

The opening chapter of Ruby Tandoh's new book, Eat Up! takes us back to her grandparents' house where a manicured lawn edged by tidy herbaceous borders gives way to the kind of liminal space much beloved by children. There's a tangle of blackberry bushes and desire lines. These are paths worn by feet and no didactic maps exist to tell you what your destination ought to be. These paths have been lived.

The unfettered picking and eating of berries, arms and legs scratched and fingers stained purple, teeth filled with seeds and a stomach made loose by its cargo of fruity excess might serve as a metaphor for Ruby Tandoh's book which roams the messy, liminal spaces and desire lines of eating. Reading this book feels synaesthesic because of its intricate sensory melding of food, books, film, anthropology, biology, and memoir. If you do struggle with eating and food, taking your good and sweet time to read Eat Up! is extra- important. Ruby's book will help you, but pace yourself.

More information on Eat Up!
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