I’ve been a fan of Larissa Dubecki’s writing for a long time. I really like that she is not a poser. I enjoy her restaurant reviews; she is astute and droll. Prick with a Fork is a lot like her restaurant appraisals, but funnier, faster, and certainly more furious. In this hilarious book, Dubecki makes her way through her years as a waitress, a reviewer, and an owner at the best and worst restaurants in town. Does she name them? Well, yes and no. Does she point fingers at individuals in the restaurant world? She sure does. Does she relate stories of how disgusting the general public is? Here, she does not hold back. Is she shaming anyone by name? Well, she is too canny to do that, but goodness she is close to the edge and it is fun to read.

Dubecki’s understanding of attitudes toward food is on glorious display and a tribute to her years of involvement in the restaurant world. I was particularly partial to the artful way she has of combining food descriptions with author influences, from Shakespeare to Orwell. With her ability to chart social phenomena feeding from and into the restaurant scene over many years, this book is, in a sense, also a cultural history of Melbourne. It is the type of book that we, as consumers, can all read, nod along with and quietly learn from. I laughed so many times. I read passages out loud countless times. Prick with a Fork is the ultimate kiss-and-tell tale from one side of the food chain to the other, and a vivid portrait of life in Melbourne.

Chris Gordon