Sharon Hudgins is an award-winning author whose books include The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East (2003) and T-Bone Whacks and Caviar Snacks: Cooking with Two Texans in Siberia and the Russian Far East (2018). With contributions by Adam Balic, Arjan den Boer, Judy Corser, Sharon Hudgins, Aparajita Mukhopadhyay, Diana Noyce, Merry White and Karl Zimmermann and a forword by James D. Porterfield.
"""Hudgins and seven other writers recount the glory days of train travel, specifically focusing on the cuisine that travelers used to partake of en route. It wasn't just the presence of cloth napkins, fine china, and real silverware that made the trip special; thought and care also went into crafting menus and selecting fine wine. Behind the scenes, chefs contended with the logistics of butchering meat (on board!) and keeping food cold, while the waitstaff made travelers feel like honored guests. Yes, once upon a time, it really was just like in the movies. Hudgins and her crew cover the globe from Japan's bullet train to the famed Orient Express to British Railways' Flying Scotsman. Even the United States, Canada, and Australia all once had train lines that knew how to 'put on a spread.' Readers will appreciate all of the research that shines in each chapter, but included photographs and recipes are sure to whet many a nostalgic appetite for a slower, more gentle, more genteel way of life and travel.""--Booklist ""Food and trains, my twin passions, are brought together brilliantly in this guided tour of the symbiotic relationship between railways and eating. Whether it is a simple aloo dum enjoyed in the hill town of Darjeeling, caviar on the Trans-Siberian or a feast on Orient Express, this book makes you want to go on every journey and eat every meal described in it."" --Christian Wolmar, author of Engines of the Raj: How the Steam Age Transformed India"