Eating for a Living: Notes from a Professional Diner

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Anyone who has ever eaten a meal in a restaurant will find something to
relate to in this very readable book.

With an informal style that overflows with delicate wit and an
appreciation for attention-grabbing phrases, Wine takes the reader on an
insider’s tour of all aspects of eating out. Her observations touch on
all elements one experiences during the act of dining in public, whether
at a burger chain or a five-star dining room. She discusses the
lighting, the color of the walls, the cooking, the size and location of
the table—everything from the food to the mood. As Wine is the
restaurant critic/reviewer for The Toronto Star, eating in restaurants
is serious business for her, and she has a wealth of first-hand
experience upon which to draw.

Wine discusses eating in restaurants in the context of cultural changes
in North America, using lots of Canadian examples, such as the present
trend to “recreational eating” and the evolving definition of exotic
food. She takes the reader along as she looks at cooking styles, the
link between serving and acting, the philosophy of tipping, restaurants
as a venue for people watching, washroom decor, menu design, even sex
and feuds at the table.

Eating for a Living provides lots of light, fun reading, packed with
insights and entertaining anecdotes.