"You should never judge a book by its cover"

It’s one of those phrases you hear time and time again, yet humans are still (subconsciously) incredibly quick to judge.

When I first saw a food TV show with Stanley Tucci, I thought he was somewhat of an a**e.

This *might* be something to do with the fact that my girlfriend thinks he’s incredibly handsome.

Throw in a sharp dress sense, oozing nonchalance, and the fact he was on a gastronomic tour around Italy exclaiming “OH MY GOD, that is good!” - and I’m green all over with envy.

However, as I sat and watched, I heard more about Stanley and his story.

For those that don’t know, he’s from very rough and humble beginnings of suburbia New York, from a hard-working immigrant Italian family.

His first wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and died aged only 47.

He’s also suffered later in his life with cancer, saying himself that he’s incredibly lucky to still be alive.

This might go some way to explaining his determination to enjoy the world, and it’s perhaps this air of total joy that I didn’t like initially on screen.

My Mum, who loves Stanley’s TV series, recently read his book and insisted on lending it to me.

It’s quite brilliant.

He’s not only an excellent writer but a gripping storyteller.

Providing a walkthrough of his life shaped by his connections, family history, and fascination with food.

It leaves you itching to keep reading and drooling over the snippets of recipes slipped in between anecdotes.

He also really makes you stop and think about the bigger picture. A favourite paragraph of mine reads as below (the one in the picture);

“Who would any of us be if our grandparents and parents had not cherished their familial history and passed it on with reverence in the form of articles of clothing, furniture, china, cutlery, books, photos,  artwork, diaries and so on? These mementoes don't have to be of great monetary value, only of emotional. I have pots and pans that were my mother's that I will never part with, not only because ‘nobody makes them like that any more’ but also because they remind me of her and extraordinary meals she made for our family. Losing a beloved family heirloom is a very real personal loss; they’re things that cannot ever be replaced or recreated. But perhaps the most precious heirlooms are family recipes. Like a physical heirloom, they remind us from whom and where we came and give others, in a bite, the story of another people from another place and another time. Yet unlike a lost physical heirloom recipes are a part of our history that can be recreated over and over again.”

It made me think about how leaving a gift to charity is a way of carrying on your values and helping others after you're gone.

Legacies aren’t just about money - they’re about connection and passing things down to those that will live on after us.

Be sure to grab a copy if you see one for sale. 

Maybe pass it onto someone else who might enjoy it afterwards.