The cartoonists from The New Yorker offer a humorous exploration of the city’s most dismal kitchens. Roz Chast and Jason Adam Katzenstein have teamed up to create a graphic book titled The Two Saddest Kitchens. Through their ‘comics conversation’, they depict the fear and embarrassment associated with their own apartment kitchens and their lack of enthusiasm for cooking.
Chast, who also lives in Connecticut, showcases a similar sense of despair in her kitchen there. Although the topic might seem unappealing to avid home cooks, the noted food writer and chef Ruth Reichl endorses this book, stating, “I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard.” This sentiment is echoed by many readers who find humor in the mundane aspects of kitchen life.
Both Chast and Katzenstein observe the ‘uncanny mundane’, revealing the oddities in everyday objects. A cartoon by Katzenstein depicts a refrigerator shelf with tiny take-out containers. One container imagines that someone will return for it, titled: “The Very Delusional Takeout Sauce.”
Fans of Chast’s award-winning graphic memoir, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, will notice familiar themes and cameo appearances from her parents. Her mother, known for giving little Roz a soft-boiled egg daily, believed eggs boosted brainpower. This left Chast with a lifelong distaste for ‘goopy’ or ‘viscous’ foods.
Outside the kitchen, Chast and Katzenstein reflect on their experiences in New York City. They express concerns about feeling infantilized by the city, described by Katzenstein as “the greatest takeout city on Earth.” If takeout dining allows them to create more of these original works, their readers are happy to see them continue.
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