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sandyd's review
4.0
This is an enjoyable memoir by a writer who read Michael Pollan and some other books, had a baby, then decided to write about her experiences volunteering to work in a restaurant in her neighborhood in Brooklyn. She also went to the restaurant's suppliers and learned about the how the produce, cheese, fish, and meat was produced (so there's a bit about rural life in there).
It's funny, because at the beginning of the book, her 1 y.o. is existing mainly on bananas and yogurt. He won't eat *any* of the typical toddler foods.
The chapters are mix of parenting stories, food and cooking descriptions (with some recipes), and political and literary stuff about food - local foods, organic foods, food miles, and M.F.K. Fisher are all included. There's no index, though, which annoyed me when I wanted to find something to read to my dh (Rehak's quote from Fisher about little kids' food preferences, from "Serve It Forth", 1937):
"When a man is small, he loves and hates food with a ferocity which soon dims...His throat will close, and spots of nausea and rage swim in his vision. It is hard, later, to remember why, but at the time there is no pose in his disgust. He cannot eat; he says, 'To hell with it!'" (p. 37-38).
It's funny, because at the beginning of the book, her 1 y.o. is existing mainly on bananas and yogurt. He won't eat *any* of the typical toddler foods.
The chapters are mix of parenting stories, food and cooking descriptions (with some recipes), and political and literary stuff about food - local foods, organic foods, food miles, and M.F.K. Fisher are all included. There's no index, though, which annoyed me when I wanted to find something to read to my dh (Rehak's quote from Fisher about little kids' food preferences, from "Serve It Forth", 1937):
"When a man is small, he loves and hates food with a ferocity which soon dims...His throat will close, and spots of nausea and rage swim in his vision. It is hard, later, to remember why, but at the time there is no pose in his disgust. He cannot eat; he says, 'To hell with it!'" (p. 37-38).
bookwormmichelle's review
4.0
This book was fun, less preachy than some other similar books. The author, confronted with her extremely picky toddler, ends up going on a year-long foray into food--what makes it good, how to prepare, grow, distribute it ethically. She works in a restaurant, and also spends days with farmers, fishermen, and produce distributors to learn more about how we get our food and why. She is chatty and comfortable to spend time with. There are even recipes.
The only things I did not like about the book were the several times the author told us she left her home to work in a restaurant every night, partly because she wanted to escape from her child. She never did say who took care of her child while she was working ten-hour restaurant shifts for free. Also at one point she sort of does get "lecturey" when she tells us we all ought to be happy to spend more money on organic locally-grown gourmet food, since we spend such a small proportion of our incomes on food. I know the author lives in New York, but for heaven's sake, does she really think everyone in America lives within walking distance of many organic shops and only spends 5% of their income on food? I'd like to see her feed my family on gourmet all-organic all-local food for a small percent of my income. But other than that, I enjoyed this one.
The only things I did not like about the book were the several times the author told us she left her home to work in a restaurant every night, partly because she wanted to escape from her child. She never did say who took care of her child while she was working ten-hour restaurant shifts for free. Also at one point she sort of does get "lecturey" when she tells us we all ought to be happy to spend more money on organic locally-grown gourmet food, since we spend such a small proportion of our incomes on food. I know the author lives in New York, but for heaven's sake, does she really think everyone in America lives within walking distance of many organic shops and only spends 5% of their income on food? I'd like to see her feed my family on gourmet all-organic all-local food for a small percent of my income. But other than that, I enjoyed this one.
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