Midnight Chicken

As a vegan reviewing a cookbook where the first recipe and the title are a chicken dish, I feel confident in saying, this book is for more people than it might first appear. My relationship status with food these days is ‘it's complicated', but there's something about the simple joy in cooking and eating - no dietary recommendations, no shame about indulgence, this book hit the right tone for me. I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as a food memoir primarily, because it is mostly recipes. But the interstitials are talking about the author's life, their struggles, their loves, and above all the comfort that food can bring. Sprinkled in a few book recommendations as well. However you choose to describe it, I recommend reading food memoirs and cookbooks only while snacking (on something book friendly) or having just finished a meal, because inevitably something will make you hungry. I love the decision to illustrate the book rather than provide photos of the dishes, it just adds some thing to the warm, handcrafted mood. 
As with so many things, it'a also a matter of personal taste: the author clearly favours umami tang and mentions fennel on multiple occasions. Neither are really my bag. I can go for salty and creamy as tastes and there's a lot of room for that here, though the salt and cream is regularly Parmesan. Butter and eggs are large proponents as well. So yeah, vegans will have a better time if they go in for the pleasure of sharing joy over food, than necessarily looking for recipes to convert. 

⚠️attempted suicide, mental health concerns