Taste: My Life Through Food

“MY MOTHER: You can’t know if you don’t like something if you haven’t had it. You have to try it. You have to try everything.”

In this scripted dialogue between young Stanley and his mother, Tucci has her speak the words that inform the contours of his life. It is both a narrow directive about food—try it before you decide you don’t like it—and a symbolic imperative about how to experience life itself.

“The sun is now in your stomach.”

This is how Tucci concludes the instructions for his Negroni recipe in the book's introductory section. Using the sun itself as a metaphor for the Negroni cocktail, this comparison conveys warmth, nourishment—even enlightenment. Tucci sets the tone of the book with this one simple sentence.

“I must confess that sometimes I think the best bread in Italy is in France.”

This quote is found in the footnotes. Characteristic of his good humor, Tucci also makes personal and cultural pronouncements. The title of the book—Taste—is not only a reference to the experience of savoring food but also an allusion to personal discernment. Tucci prides himself on his excellent taste, and he subtly teases the Italy that he clearly adores with this wry statement.