--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the first requisite for writing well…" description: "\"If the first requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite, the second is to put in your apprenticeship as a feeder when you have enough mon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/a-j-liebling-15045_appetite_if-the-first-requisite-for-writing-well_1137154.png" --- # If the first requisite for writing well about food is a… ![“If the first requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite, the second is to put in your apprenticeship as a feeder when you have enough money to pay the check but not enough to produce indifference of the total.” quote by A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/a-j-liebling-15045_appetite_if-the-first-requisite-for-writing-well_1137154.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/a-j-liebling-15045_appetite_if-the-first-requisite-for-writing-well_1137154.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/a-j-liebling-15045_appetite_if-the-first-requisite-for-writing-well_1137154.png) > “If the first requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite, the second is to put in your apprenticeship as a feeder when you have enough money to pay the check but not enough to produce indifference of the total.” [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good food writing requires appetite and practical experience, not just money, to avoid indifference and convey genuine appreciation. **In simple terms:** Write about food with hunger and hands‑on experience. Key Takeaway Cultivate both appetite and practical skill to write authentically. Themes food writing authenticity experience appetite skill Mood reflective instructive analytical Type literary culinary professional When to use this quote - restaurant reviews - cookbook authoring - culinary journalism - personal essays - food criticism Key Concepts sensory immersion economic reality craftsmanship Questions to Reflect On - What does “appetite” mean beyond hunger? - How does hands‑on work shape perception? A Different Perspective Without real experience, writing can become detached and uninspired. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appetite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) [Apprenticeship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprenticeship/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-well/) ## Related quotes > [The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite. Without this, it is impossible to accumulate, within the allotted span, enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/the-primary-requisite-for-writing-well-about-food-is-a-good-appetite-2/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-primary-requisite-for-writing-well-about-food-is-a-good-appetite/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Regina Schrambling is both hero and villain. My favorite villain, actually. The former New York Times and LA Times food writer and blogger is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/regina-schrambling-is-both-hero-and-villain-my-favorite-villain/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [A lot of artists are good cooks as I'm too, but coming from a culture that was very concerned with food, I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-sonnier/a-lot-of-artists-are-good-cooks-as-i-m-too-but-coming-from-a-culture/) [Keith Sonnier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-sonnier/) > [The thing I liked about writing about food when I started it was that I felt I was writing about food in a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/the-thing-i-liked-about-writing-about-food-when-i-started-it-was-that/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [“Writing is the food for my soul; not a medium to earn name & fame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallika-tripathi/writing-is-the-food-for-my-soul-not-a-medium-to-earn-name-fame/) [Mallika Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallika-tripathi/) > [I'm very good at ordering off the menu and eating food that other people cook for me. My husband's a fantastic cook. I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rutherford/i-m-very-good-at-ordering-off-the-menu-and-eating-food-that-other/) [Kelly Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rutherford/) > [I've got a pretty good appetite right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-ve-got-a-pretty-good-appetite-right-now/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a fairy in possesion of a good appetite must be in want of pie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mantchev/it-is-a-truth-universally-acknowledged-that-a-fairy-in-possesion-of-a/) [Lisa Mantchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mantchev/) > [Fasting deprives us of things that are not good so we can have enough appetite for the good things of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fasting-deprives-us-of-things-that-are-not-good-so-we-can-have-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I adore good food as I adore all the other pleasant things of life, and because I have that gift I am able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-adore-good-food-as-i-adore-all-the-other-pleasant-things-of-life/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [In order that knowledge be properly digested it must have been swallowed with a good appetite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/in-order-that-knowledge-be-properly-digested-it-must-have-been/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [I was not a fussy kid and had a good appetite. Only, I was not happy to eat keerai and vegetables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/i-was-not-a-fussy-kid-and-had-a-good-appetite-only-i-was-not-happy-to/) [Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/) > [You must love the crust of the earth on which you dwell more than the sweet crust of any bread or cake. You must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/you-must-love-the-crust-of-the-earth-on-which-you-dwell-more-than-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As to the differences between game work and novel writing, well, obviously the former is a lot less lonely - you're in and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-k-morgan/as-to-the-differences-between-game-work-and-novel-writing-well/) [Richard K. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-k-morgan/) ## More by A. J. Liebling > [It is an anomaly that information, the one thing most necessary to our survival as choosers of our own way, should be a commodity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/it-is-an-anomaly-that-information-the-one-thing-most-necessary-to-our/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [I used to be shy about ordering a steak after I had eaten a steak sandwich, but I got used to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/i-used-to-be-shy-about-ordering-a-steak-after-i-had-eaten-a-steak/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [The pattern of a newspaperman's life is like the plot of 'Black Beauty.' Sometimes he finds a kind master who gives him a dry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/the-pattern-of-a-newspaperman-s-life-is-like-the-plot-of-black-beauty/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [The science of booby-trapping has taken a good deal of the fun out of following hot on the enemy's heels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/the-science-of-booby-trapping-has-taken-a-good-deal-of-the-fun-out-of/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [People everywhere confuse what they read in newspapers with news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/people-everywhere-confuse-what-they-read-in-newspapers-with-news/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite. Without this, it is impossible to accumulate, within the allotted span, enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/the-primary-requisite-for-writing-well-about-food-is-a-good-appetite-2/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [Chicago seems a big city instead of merely a large place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/chicago-seems-a-big-city-instead-of-merely-a-large-place/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [A Louisiana politician can't afford to let his animosities carry him away, and still less his principles, although there is seldom difficulty in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/a-louisiana-politician-can-t-afford-to-let-his-animosities-carry-him/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [A city with one newspaper, or with a morning and an evening paper under one ownership, is like a man with one eye, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/a-city-with-one-newspaper-or-with-a-morning-and-an-evening-paper/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [There is a healthy American newspaper tradition of not taking yourself seriously It is the story you must take that way... And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/there-is-a-healthy-american-newspaper-tradition-of-not-taking/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [If a boxer ever went as crazy as Nijinsky all the wowsers in the world would be screaming 'punch-drunk.' Well, who hit Nijinsky? And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/if-a-boxer-ever-went-as-crazy-as-nijinsky-all-the-wowsers-in-the/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [An Englishman teaching an American about food is like the blind leading the one-eyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/an-englishman-teaching-an-american-about-food-is-like-the-blind/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [I had an attack of the gout two days before pulling out, and I went limping off to the war instead of coming limping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/i-had-an-attack-of-the-gout-two-days-before-pulling-out-and-i-went/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [Inconsiderate to the last, Josef Stalin, a man who never had to meet a deadline, had the bad taste to die in installments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/inconsiderate-to-the-last-josef-stalin-a-man-who-never-had-to-meet-a/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/freedom-of-the-press-is-guaranteed-only-to-those-who-own-one/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) [Explore all 44 A. J. Liebling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) ## More Appetite quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [the appetite for thinking must be regulated, as all sensible people know, for it may stifle one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-appetite-for-thinking-must-be-regulated-as-all-sensible-people/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [My curiosity and my appetite for evolving as an actor is one of the main components of me still working today in the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/my-curiosity-and-my-appetite-for-evolving-as-an-actor-is-one-of-the/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [I have a strong appetite and its not for food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-a-strong-appetite-and-its-not-for-food/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The plain fact is that education is itself a form of propaganda - a deliberate scheme to outfit the pupil, not with the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-plain-fact-is-that-education-is-itself-a-form-of-propaganda-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You should also eat eggs. Not “one egg per week” or some such non-physiologic restriction. Eat what your body tells you to eat, since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/you-should-also-eat-eggs-not-one-egg-per-week-or-some-such-non/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [If your desires are not great, a little will seem much to you; for small appetite makes poverty equivalent to wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/if-your-desires-are-not-great-a-little-will-seem-much-to-you-for/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [When passions and appetites are stronger than the intellect, men are savages; when the intellect governs the passions, when the passions are servants, men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/when-passions-and-appetites-are-stronger-than-the-intellect-men-are/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [A pivotal spiritual attribute is that of self-mastery-th e strength to place reason over appetite. Self-mastery builds a strong conscience. And your conscience determines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/a-pivotal-spiritual-attribute-is-that-of-self-mastery-th-e-strength/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [The commonest and cheapest sounds, as the barking of a dog, produce the same effect on fresh and healthy ears that the rarest music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-commonest-and-cheapest-sounds-as-the-barking-of-a-dog-produce-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 994 Appetite quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the first requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite, the second is to put in your apprenticeship as a feeder when you have enough money to pay the check but not enough to produce indifference of the total.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. J. 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