"Never Trust a Thin Cook is a funny little intimate travel tale, it's like getting a series of letters from a good friend off on a great adventure."-Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, Minnesota Monthly"An enjoyable waltz through Eric’s, oft food inspired, exploits in Modena. . . . Never Trust a Thin Cook is well worth reading. Even those with no intention of coming to live in the Living Museum, will find Dregni’s book provides an interesting and amusing insight into contemporary Italian culture and life. Great fun!"-Blog from Italy "This book is a truthful account of life in Italy and seeing and reading it through the eyes of an American as he adjusts to Italian life is enlightening."-Italian American Girl"Never Trust a Thin Cook opens with [Dregni and Katy] already in Modena. Dregni paints a picture of the alley off their apartment so thoroughly that, within three pages, I felt I was smelling herbs and hearing tires rolling on cobbled streets. The author so completely transported me into his space that I realized it is perfect recession reading: I feel like I’ve visited remote places in a European country without shelling out for the airfare."-Metro Lutheran"M.F.K. Fisher once wrote that the mark of a true gourmet is a complete lack of caution. Dregni seems to apply that philosophy to all of life, at least in Modena, putting himself at the mercy of come what may, whether it’s accepting a bite of something dubious or an impromptu speaking engagement on a foreign subject. The resulting essays provide a rich, if sometimes absurd, look at many aspects of Italian life: sex, politics, taxes, postal service, bikes, opera, soccer, superstition-and of course, food."-The Heavy Table"It’s a journey of gastronomical proportion, but it is also an exploration of cultural differences, awkward ‘lost in translation’ moments, and charming, homeless drunks who direct traffic and can speak eloquently on local history."-City Pages"A pleasant read."-Star Tribune"Dregni’s essays easily and deftly draw the reader into the rhythm of his Italian community-a trait he shares with Frances Mayes (Under the Tuscan Sun), although readers will find him rather more attuned to the quiet humor of the everyday. This witty and evocative culinary memoir will appeal to food lovers, those interested in Italy and Italian culture, and anyone who enjoys a good travel narrative."-Library Journal"This is a splendid book for anyone who appreciates Italy and its people and to reminisce about their own experiences. It is funny, educational and enduring. Eric Dregni, the raconteur, uses his skillful writing to embrace each and every tale. I highly recommend this fabulous book, read it, you will not be sorry."-The Boston Post-Gazette"Never Trust a Thin Cook is a refreshing non-ethnocentric dip into Italian culture, with essays on everything from the importance of hats in the Italian wardrobe to the exhaustive list of celebrated saints’ days."-Minnesota Daily"Dregni’s new book is comprised of individual stories layered together into a rich and satisfying whole. . . It is a tasty comparison of American and Italian cultures with a side of humor."-Anne Thillen, Woodbury-South Maplewood Review"A delightful chronicle of three years of eating in Italy."-Star Tribune"Readers of Dregni’s In Cod We Trust will delight in his gastronomic two-year adventure in Modena, Italy."-Lavender "Never Trust a Thin Cook by Eric Dregni can be devoured in less time than is required to sit down and eat an authentic Italian meal cooked by la momma, and it’s every bit as satisfying."-Minnesota Magazine"What begins as a journey through Italy’s rich culinary traditions soon becomes a revealing portrait of how Italians live and how their culture differs from America’s. A professor of English at Concordia University in Minnesota, author Dregni spent two years in Modena, the ‘culinary capital’ in the title. There he delved into the lore of Modena’s famous balsamic vinegar, rich polenta, and even chocolate salami. He learns never to mix basil and oregano or cut up his spaghetti. . .it spoils the taste, he’s told. Anecdotes about his adventures and mishaps abound in this book about life in unpredictable Italy."-Italian American Magazine"Never Trust a Thin Cook is one of those travelouges where the country being visited seems to remain strange to the writer even as he celebrates his experiences there - or at least the writer continues to present the culture as strange, even as he becomes accustomed to it. But each dispatch is just a brief taste of life in Italy; the full meal remains tempting."-Isthmus"Never Trust a Thin Cook will hit you with culture shock the moment you start reading. It is much more than a cookbook; anyone with ah love of travel or who is thinking about teaching English overseas should pick up a copy. This lesson on life will most certainly leave you wondering, ‘what’s for dinner?’"-MinnesotaReads.com"The tales or stories are light and frothy like the foam atop a cup of cappuccino."-PopMatters.com"He cracks the social code of drinking espresso correctly and understands the place of spaghetti and meatballs in Italy, and for this we can give thanks."-PopMatters.com"Enjoyable and easy to pick up and read."-Maria and Co."Perhaps the most liberating aspect of this book lies in Dregni’s voice, which carries a consistently friendly and oft-times humorous tone toward life in Italy. Each of the book’s brief, energetic chapters will make you feel as if you’re taking a moment out of the day to have a shot of espresso with a dear friend."-Italian American Magazine"Highly readable and remarkably funny about Italian life and an American making the transition to Italian living. "-Bemidji Pioneer
