If I had been asked to contribute a chapter to Zosia Mamet's collection of essays about feelings and food, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60371069-my-first-popsicle" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>My First Popsicle</em></a>, I would have written about my occasional sick-days as a child.

My Mum and Nan had a florist shop and if I was sick, I had to go to work with Mum. I would lie at the back of the shop on a plastic banana lounge, watching a tiny black and white TV. If I rallied by lunchtime (and let's be honest, I mostly did), I would eat potato cakes from the fish and chip shop next door, and spend the afternoon misting the carnations (it was the seventies!) with my Nan's special water bottle. Truly the best days, and the combined smell of flowers and the fish and chip shop oil is firmly and forever in my memory.<!--more-->

According to Mamet, the editor, the idea for the book came about when she saw a video on social media of a little kid eating a popsicle (icy pole) for the first time -
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>...the range of emotions that played across his face ... was exceptional. It was like watching a brilliant French mime. He hit all the big ones: fear, confusion, dislike, distaste, sadness, joy, jubilation. It was all there. And it was new.</em></p>
And so came the linking of food and emotions. Mamet acknowledges that the feelings associated with food aren't always positive, and can be very complicated. The essays from people who had suffered eating disorders demonstrated this. Jordon Roth reflects on eating a single apple a day (slowly) -
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>These are the secret recipes of the anorexic. Strangely called an eating disorder when its brilliance is that it brings order, rules, control, power to the powerless.</em></p>
Alas, I wasn't asked to contribute to this collection but plenty of writers that I admire were, including Mari Andrew, Sloane Crosley, Stephanie Danler, David Sedaris and Leanne Shapton.

Danler describes how her 'I can't cook' life changed when she discovered the transformative power of a shallot vinaigrette; Shapton's pregnancy craving was Hot Cross Buns; Sedaris discusses what happens when a suburban boy with a narrow palette went on exchange to France; and Crosley describes her experience of pesto during COVID lockdowns.

Mari Andrew's essay on 'solitary pizza' was the standout. I've long been a fan of her insightful drawings and writing, and her essay about what constitutes 'sad' food versus 'solitary' food was an interesting take on what brings us comfort.
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>Airplane food in all its bizarre temperatures (chilled dinner roll, warm granola bar) is good Solitude Food, especially when accompanied by a sitcom binge among the clouds.</em></p>
Collections always run the risk of being uneven, and unfortunately <em>My First Popsicle</em> suffers from this (and it wasn't a case of me being less interested in the author or celebrity that had written the essay, it was the fact that the standard of writing varied markedly). I did enjoy the inclusion of recipes with some of the essays, and the occasional very specific instructions in the method (it's the mark of a family recipe!). I also learned some fun facts (<a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-crown-melon-born-from-innovation-and-tradition-ministry-of-agriculture-forestry-and-fisheries/0QUBKZNUoaZCJw?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crown musk melons</a>!); was comforted to know that I'm not the only person who has Apricot Chicken PTSD; and enjoyed glimpses into what families consider 'normal' and a 'treat'. One author described 'fantasy dinner night' when he was a child -
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>...a sporadic occurrence where, as a family, we would go on an impromptu trek to the grocery store just before dinnertime. Each of us got to choose whatever we wanted to eat. It could be lobster, TV dinners, ice cream...</em></p>
My mum did something similar but she called it 'children's salad' (a fun mix of sweet and savoury on one plate - a slice of ham next to mandarin segments). I realise now that it was served up when there was really only bits and pieces in the fridge but it felt fun to us!

2.5/5

I received my copy of <em>My First Popsicle </em>from the publisher, Icon Books, via <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/261423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NetGalley</a>, in exchange for an honest review.

I will buy this book to finish later, as I did not manage to finish this in time - but it is in line with my interests and I will consider connecting with the author regarding an interview on craft.

For anyone else who has saved a meaningful recipe, struggled with their relationship with food, remembered a break-up by what they were eating (a meatball in one contributor's case), or treasured a food experience, this wonderful, immersive collection of essays and short reminiscences edited by actor Zosia Mamet from "Girls" with contributions by superstars like Stephanie Danler, is absolutely essential. Pair this book with an apron or potholder with a restaurant gift certificate and you've got yourself a perfect gift.

There’s few things I enjoy reading about more than food. Food description in books always makes me feel warm and cosy inside.
I definitely got this feeling with this book, however, as is often the case with essay collections I enjoyed some more than others.

I was slightly concerned going into this that being British I wouldn’t be familiar with some of the writers, and although this was the case it didn’t hinder my reading experience and when I enjoyed a chapter I would then go and look up the author to find out a little more about them.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and I enjoyed the concept, it was a book that I would pick up and read an essay or 2 at a time rather than all in one sitting which I enjoy with an essay collection. It also made me think about my own food memories which was lovely and nostalgic.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an arc in exchange of review.

A good premise for a book, and I really liked the way many of the tales are linked to a favourite recipe - quite the personal touch. Throughout, different writes, many of them unknown, write about first experiences with food, or eating experiences. The strongest pieces are the ones that have a philosophy behind them - and a good story. Some of the pieces are too brief and have a flimsy recipe attached, whereas others are much more meaningful - for me, these are the stories that resonate.
I particularly liked the stories that had a history - the David Sedaris one, for example, works really well. Although a number of the contributions are successful, there are some which seem sandwiched (pun intended!) between more successful pieces and these detract, and seem a little amateurish. Regardless - an interesting concept for a book.

Writing about food - eating it, craving it, avoiding it, savouring it - is an art. On one hand, the act of eating is a universal human experience. On the other, one's relationship with food is always something very unique.

The premise of "My First Popsicle" is very simple - a bunch of recognised people writes about their memories and experiences associated with food. There's sharing recipes, there are food puns, there are happy memories, as well as sad ones.

What's admirable, is the fact that each of the contributor was given absolute freedom regarding the format and length of their essay, which makes them feel very natural. Of course, some essays are more captivating than others, considering not all the contributors are writers, but there are enough memorable ones that make up for the lacklustre submissions. What makes some essay stand out are genuine emotions, courage to be vulnerable with the readers, as well as humour and life lessons that come with them.

What I found missing, were trigger warnings and additional resources that should accompany essays about disordered eating. Especially one essay about restricting calories to be able to enjoy hot dogs later lacked this context, and I wish the subject of disordered eating was approached with more responsibility.

This was such an interesting idea and one that I was very excited to read. Unfortunately, the final result didn't quite live up to my expectations. It's not that it wasn't enjoyable but it could have been executed better. It feels as though big names were given more emphasis than overall quality.

I like the idea of food-based memories and there was plenty of good stuff here. It's just that it didn't have the substance that I had wanted. There were maybe a few too many contributors. Had this had a little less scope and more detail then I would happily have given it a higher rating.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This was an interesting and enjoyable read. A collection of essays from some very notable people, about their most poignant memories around certain foods/meals and the people they share these experiences/memories with. A mix of heart touchingly poignant memories and some other lighter hearted laugh out loud ones, it had me thinking about my own meal memories. ⭐⭐⭐ #zosiamamet #myfirstpopsicle #netgalley #goodreads #thestorygraph #tea_sipping_bookworm #memoir #litsy #bookqueen #bookstgram

This is such a gorgeous idea, and is definitely a book I would give a nostalgic, reflective, sentimental, food lover in my life. Zosia says in her introduction that she wanted the essence of each contribution to be food and feelings, and that was definitely the consistent thread throughout. It was a beautiful book to dip in and out of - I find that my favourite bit of any recipe book is the reflections from the author about how the dish came about and why it means so much to them. It feels like a passing of the baton; like a gift from the author to the reader of a beautiful recipe and story that will evolve and become newly important. I can see my experience of this book being enhanced by having a physical copy so I can flick through it and pick out my favourite parts again. Thank you so much to Netgalley for gifting me a proof of this!

Great idea, but the actual execution is a bit hit and miss. As it is now, I would class this as a coffee table book and that's a shame, as it could be so much more.

My First Popsicle could be an unusual cook book or it could be a lovely collection of essay with the added bonus of a collection of recipes. In order to achieve this, it needs a good dose of editing. Instead of including 1000 stories, some just a few lines long, it should be reduce to does few who really deliver on the aim of collection. In the process elevating the book to another level, and it does deserve that as some of the stories are so touching, while others are so funny it made me want to read more by those authors.

Zosia Mamet curates a series of shorts, written independently, for My First Popsicle in order to document significant relationships with food. This is a lovely book, well thought out and well written, and as each chapter is stand alone very easy to pick up in small chunks for those of us who are right in the middle of little people enjoying their very first popsicles. My favourite chapter was on the cultural responsibility of dumplings, but each is enjoyable. Both light and entertaining, but also thought provoking and emotive, I thoroughly recommend this book.

I admit I requested this ARC, from NetGalley, because of the Author and I’m not a ‘foodie’ but I really loved some of these stories. From Sushi with the legendary Jiro to simple cookies, it even reminded me of food that brought me back to happy times. To this day my paternal Granny made the best scrambled eggs and no-one has ever come close. I even got the coveted, fancy, ‘scrambled egg’ plate after she died. An excellent collection of stories, of which at least one or two, you can relate to.

crammed with different celebs from all walks of life, this was a nostalgic, heartwarming, and lovely read about the different foods that have an impact on their lives, sometimes good, sometimes bad. i really liked the inclusion of some of the recipes as well

This was a very easy and enjoyable summer read. Some of the contributions are extremely brief but there are some really moving contributions as well and some recipes I really wanted to try! A great summer read, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A good premise for a book, and I really liked the way many of the tales are linked to a favourite recipe - quite the personal touch. Throughout, different writes, many of them unknown, write about first experiences with food, or eating experiences. The strongest pieces are the ones that have a philosophy behind them - and a good story. Some of the pieces are too brief and have a flimsy recipe attached, whereas others are much more meaningful - for me, these are the stories that resonate.
I particularly liked the stories that had a history - the David Sedaris one, for example, works really well. Although a number of the contributions are successful, there are some which seem sandwiched (pun intended!) between more successful pieces and these detract, and seem a little amateurish. Regardless - an interesting concept for a book.

A collection of essays, recipes and musings by a variety of writers and famous faces, 'My First Popsicle' gives its authors a simple thesis - talk about food and feelings. Some take it very literally, writing short comments about the food that brings them the most joy, food that brings nostalgia for childhoods both happy and sad, food that summons the seasons. Others ruminate on life, on wellness, on friendship and relationships and how food integrates itself into these experiences.

I really enjoyed this book. Like all essay collections, there are a few I didn't get on with, but more that I loved. It felt very comforting to read. It made me think about food and feelings in my own life, of things cooked by my grandmothers, of food experiences I've shared. Certainly, the essay that spoke to me was about 'solitude food' vs 'sad food' - something I feel as though my university years were littered with. Zosia Mamet's closing essay was also a particular highlight because of how delightfully Christmas-y it was. Yes, it's October, but it's still a wonderful part of the season.

There's no rhyme or reason to the contributors and that gave this collection a real charm. The seasoned essayist and writers rub shoulders with actors and TV personalities that made everything seem just a bit more personal. If you're a food lover, run don't walk to pick up this collection and sink into it like a grilled cheese in a bowl of tomato soup.

I was excited to read My First Popsicle edited by Zosia Mamet because I believe that food and memory are inextricably linked. There are certain food dishes and drinks that when I smell or eat and drink them transplant me to very specific points in my life and to memories of family occasions and holidays.

I loved this book and how some of the essays also included recipes of the featured dish. For me, I found Roșie Perez’s story very moving of how the dish Pollo Guisado epitomises what home means to her. I also enjoyed Haley Cuoco’s essay, The Karl-Fashioned, and how sometimes food/drinks can remind you of happy times but situations change and your connection to the food/drink changes.

Huge thanks to the publishers, Icon Books, and NetGalley for making this ARC copy available to me for a fair and honest review.

My First Popsicle is a collection of various people's memories and connections and relationships with food, cooking and eating. An easy one to dip in and out of. Perhaps more relatable to an American audience.

My First Popsicle is such a wonderful essay collection with pieces written by so many notable people including Gabourey Sidebe, Busy Philipps, Patti Smith, David Sedaris, Jia Tolentino, and several more. Edited by Zosia Mamet of Girls fame, this collection was wonderful and the pieces all related to food. In several essays, I found myself nodding along. This is an excellent read for the beach especially if you have a cooler full of food next to you. Highly recommended!!

I absolutely adored this expertly curated collection of essays. A number of high profile figures meditate on their relationship with food and how this relates more widely to their life and the world around them. I particularly loved pieces by Gabourey Sidebe and Stephanie Danler. I'd highly recommend this book and will definitely be purchasing a copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and Icon Books for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.