Impressive spin on a west side story

Damien Enright enjoys a new book on a famed Cork region.

ALANNAH HOPKIN’S new book, Eating Scenery (The Collins Press, €17.99) is, as the title implies, a travelling feast. However, the food and scenery are only elements in the background of its real focus, west Cork, the people and the place, as the sub-title goes. The latter are treated intelligently and engagingly, providing a rich and digestible compendium of ingredients, only one of which is Slow Food and its exponents in west Cork.

The interface between people and place is the theme. Many of those mentioned are from overseas and quite a few are famous beyond Ireland. However, it is not a blow-in guide to west Cork celebs but rather explores changes in the west Cork world by interviewing people who have been instrumental in making them or have contributed to the cultural ratatouille associated with the place.