Starbucks vs. Ramen

I read two books over the last three months for pleasure; believe me, I'm reading a bunch of dry textbooks, too. Both of the fun books were food/restaurant based.

How Starbucks Saved My Life is not a bad little book, but it reads too much like a plea to opt film rights, which is what I believe Tom Hanks has done. Michael Gates Gill came from affluence, rubbed elbows with Hemingway and bumped elbows with Queen Elizabeth II, but lost his job at the most prestigious NYC ad agency. Next stop, Starbucks as a 63 year-old barista.

He learns a lot about serving good coffee and the perspectives of the less fortunate, but no-less hard-working. He even makes some headway in improving the relationships with his children. Not a bad tome, but not the greatest read either. You'll come away from it thinking it's kind of a conversation piece to tell your friends you've read... over coffee.

A better read is The Ramen King and I, by Andy Raskin. Now this guy is a mess. An MBA fluent in Japanese, he is commitment-phobic and likely a sex addict, too. He leaves a trail of broken hearts through Tokyo, New York City, and San Francisco. Along the way, he becomes obsessed with ramen noodles. His counselor encourages him to pray to the inventor of ramen, Momofuku Ando. Raskin does this.

Are his prayers answered? I think not, but he does travel to Japan to attend Momofuku's funeral. Life lessons ensue. Raskin gets much credit for baring his soul and his weaknesses and obsessions. This book was one of the best DRM-protected works I've checked out of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Definitely worth a look.