Alex Kapranos is hardly a food critic, and he’s the first to admit that. But he is a writer.
Primarily, Kapranos is a songwriter – the lead singer and songwriter behind Scottish indie rock powerhouse Franz Ferdinand. But when approached by an editor at the Guardian newspaper in his hometown to write a foodie column about life on the road, Kapranos became a food writer.
His musings are collected in the new “Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand,” (Penguin Books, $13), a book that brings together Kapranos’ writings from Austin to Lisbon, Portugal, from Buenos Aires to Toronto. And the sharp wit that made hits out of “Take Me Out” and “Tell Her Tonight” comes through more vividly in these random and very personal vignettes about food, places and people.
The Post spoke with Kapranos recently about “Sound Bites” and the sound bites that have filled his life.
Q: You’re in Canada. What’s going on up there?
A: I’m producing The Cribs’ third album in Vancouver. It’s going very well. They’re great guys – extremely strong principles, a great love of pop melodies, but played with dangerous sounds. Perfect.
Q: Canada’s not known for its food, but tell me a little about it.
A: The best food in Vancouver is the seafood. Pacific tuna and oysters are enough to convince you to spend the rest of your life here.
Q: What’s the short story behind this book? How did you start writing the column?
A: It wasn’t my idea. Helen Pidd, an editor at the Guardian, asked me. She had been reading a diary I erratically kept on our website and thought I could write a good column. I initially thought I shouldn’t, as I’m not a food critic, I’m a guy in a pop group. Then that seemed a good reason to do it. I knew I wouldn’t write like a critic, which would mean it might be a little different. I also liked the idea of chronicling a year on the road through what I ate.
Q: Did you find that having a weekly column to write altered the way you ate on the road?
A: Definitely. There’s only so much you can say about the drying sandwiches in the dressing room – I looked around cities for the more unusual flavors. It made it more of an adventure.
Q: In Scotland growing up, what was your favorite dish your mom would make?
A: Roast dinners on a Sunday were my mother’s best cooking when I was a kid.
Q: And what about your favorite restaurant dish as a kid?
A: I only ate out when I’d go to Greece to visit my relatives there. When I did, it was the stuffed peppers and anything from the grill with oregano and olive oil.
Q: What’s the biggest difference you found between eating in America and eating elsewhere?
A: Tipping culture. It’s strong and established in the U.S. and there is a completely different attitude to service. Dodgy ingredients in everyday food are more accepted in the states – trans-fats and GM (genetically modified) ingredients are tolerated when they don’t need to be. I adore diners. There is no breakfast like an American breakfast.
Q: Does America’s overwhelming obesity issue make sense to you after spending so much time here?
A: Yes. The portions are too big and people eat when they aren’t hungry. A similar situation is developing in the U.K. It’s grotesque. I’m amazed by the amount of TV adverts there are for diets and diet pills that “are guaranteed to work.” Less adverts for junk food may work better.
Q: What’s the best dish you’ve eaten on the road that you didn’t write about?
A: Sometimes the best food isn’t the most interesting to write about. I went to a wonderful restaurant at the top of a tower block in Tokyo. It was relatively plain, but tasted fantastic. The best meal I had but didn’t write about was Christmas dinner last year which my brother cooked.
Q: I know the U.K. and Europe have terrible attempts at Mexican food. You ate some while in the U.S., and I’m curious what you thought of it.
A: I adore Mexican food. I like food that makes you feel alive as you eat it, and that’s what you get with good Mexican – so many stimulants hitting your tongue.
Q: Of the countries you’ve traveled in, which is your favorite foodwise?
A: Australia was a great surprise – the restaurants are adventurous, use high-quality ingredients, but are completely unpretentious. France and Italy are always wonderful because even the fast food can be better than the best food in the U.K.
Q: How do you recover after a long spell of being on the road? Is there a ritual, a cleanse, a pilgrimage to a favorite restaurant?
A: I go for a traditional British curry in Mother India’s Cafe in Glasgow. I used to deliver curries for them at a rate of 10 a night and a free meal. It’s good to remember that and not take this wonderful life I have for granted. Oh, and their curries are the best in Scotland.
Q: Do you cook when you’re at home? And your favorite dish to make?
A: I love to cook. It’s very relaxing. My favorite dish is made by pulling whatever vegetables are in season out of the ground, washing them, putting them in a dish in the oven with some herbs and goose fat then letting them cook slowly while drinking a bottle of Malbec.
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
