It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: My Adventures in Life and Food

The daughter of a British Foreign Service officer, Moira Hodgson spent her childhood in many a strange and exotic land. She discovered American food in Saigon, ate wild boar in Berlin, and learned how to prepare potatoes from her eccentric Irish grandmother. Today, Hodgson has a well-deserved reputation as a discerning critic whose columns in the New York Observer were devoured by dedicated food lovers for two decades.
 
A delightful memoir of meals from around the world—complete with recipes—It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time reflects Hodgson’s talent for connecting her love of food and travel with the people and places in her life. Whether she’s dining on Moroccan mechoui, a whole lamb baked for a day over coals, or struggling to entertain in a tiny Greenwich Village apartment, her reminiscences are always a treat.

Moira Hodgson was the restaurant critic for the New York Observer for two decades. She has worked on the staff of the New York Times and Vanity Fair, and is the author of several cookbooks. She lives in New York City and Connecticut.