Scan barcode
stevenyenzer's review against another edition
3.0
Ruhlman provides a solid history of grocery stores in the United States, peppered with some nice personal anecdotes that I think fit in quite well. From a personal perspective, I found the chapters about "food as medicine" and meat-eating extremely irritating.
Firstly, Ruhlman moves drastically away from his otherwise science-based approached in the "food as medicine" section, which includes a fawning profile of a hippie doctor who works for the grocery chain Ruhlman is following. I thought it was irresponsible for him as a layperson to dive so deeply into nutrition with only Dr. Hippie as his guide.
Secondly, the meat-eating section of course bothered me as a vegan -- but I think it would offend anyone with a healthy sense of logic. Ruhlman spends too long trying to justify his own meat consumption, using tired old arguments like "we have incisors for a reason" (I believe this one came from his editor) and "if we didn't raise them, they wouldn't exist/would die horrible deaths in the wild." He acknowledges that Peter Singer would tear his arguments apart, but doesn't seem to actually think about why that might be. Ruhlman also continually brings up the "using every part of the animal" argument for eating meat, as though a cow would care that you ate its tongue after you killed it. Finally, in a book so often concerned with the environmental impact of our modern food system, Ruhlman doesn't even acknowledge that industrialized animal agriculture is one of the most significant drivers of climate change.
Overall I did enjoy the book, and my problems with it were more personal than objective. I would recommend it to anyone interested in how modern (and historic) grocery stores do business, and maybe not so much for Ruhlman's second-hand fervor about the problems of modern American food.
Firstly, Ruhlman moves drastically away from his otherwise science-based approached in the "food as medicine" section, which includes a fawning profile of a hippie doctor who works for the grocery chain Ruhlman is following. I thought it was irresponsible for him as a layperson to dive so deeply into nutrition with only Dr. Hippie as his guide.
Secondly, the meat-eating section of course bothered me as a vegan -- but I think it would offend anyone with a healthy sense of logic. Ruhlman spends too long trying to justify his own meat consumption, using tired old arguments like "we have incisors for a reason" (I believe this one came from his editor) and "if we didn't raise them, they wouldn't exist/would die horrible deaths in the wild." He acknowledges that Peter Singer would tear his arguments apart, but doesn't seem to actually think about why that might be. Ruhlman also continually brings up the "using every part of the animal" argument for eating meat, as though a cow would care that you ate its tongue after you killed it. Finally, in a book so often concerned with the environmental impact of our modern food system, Ruhlman doesn't even acknowledge that industrialized animal agriculture is one of the most significant drivers of climate change.
Overall I did enjoy the book, and my problems with it were more personal than objective. I would recommend it to anyone interested in how modern (and historic) grocery stores do business, and maybe not so much for Ruhlman's second-hand fervor about the problems of modern American food.
mbenshirreffs's review against another edition
3.0
4 stars for breaking down the complexities of the grocery business in a detailed, yet engaging, way. Be warned this is also a 200+ page love letter to Heinen's Grocery chain in/around Cleveland. Heinen's is not the kind of grocery store where most people shop.
2 stars for repeating weak science to support his own biases (trendy ones) on specific macronutrients.
2 stars for repeating weak science to support his own biases (trendy ones) on specific macronutrients.
liketheday's review against another edition
4.0
I'm probably biased as a former employee of Heinen's, but this book and its treatment of the grocery industry in general and the life of a small chain grocery store are absolutely fascinating.
hopecaldwell's review against another edition
3.0
Informational, interesting and readable. All what I look for in a non-fiction book. There are some books that I’m passionate about, some whose subjects are close to heart and some that just stick with you. This one is the latter. And with every trip to the grocery store I’ll think about it again!
carabee's review against another edition
5.0
This felt four stars but the last chapter of this book broke me, I am crying a little on the subway. As someone who comes from a family where food is central, where, in recent generations, it has become a conflicted source of love but also confusion with each new health article and doctor's visit, I was grateful that this book takes the pulse of America's grocery stores. And I'm of the mind, especially after reading, that where our food goes so we go too. My father has worked at a grocery store for my entire life, so I entered this book with a lot of information and understanding of the contemporary grocery store, but it still had a lot to offer. I can't wait to give it to my dad.
brb_reads's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. This was fascinating for those who love a sneak peek into grocery stores. The same reason I love listening to the Trader Joe’s podcast is why this one worked. Especially liked that Heinen’s was the main focus out of Cleveland, OH. I was very familiar with a lot of areas mentioned even if I haven’t been to the actual store itself. Will have to change that next time I am home!
jeffmauch's review against another edition
4.0
As a person who always wants to know how places actually work and enjoys learning the history of things from their early beginnings to modern day, this was a very interesting read. This book is really told in roughly four parts. First, the history of the grocery store from it's earliest beginnings (Crackers were in a barrel and weighed out, hence Cracker Barrel) to what it is today. Second, how modern grocery stores function including world wide distribution chains and how each item comes to be on the shelf. Third, how each section of a grocery store works and is maintained and how it has changed in the last hundred years or so. And fourth, the health and nutrition of the foods we eat and how these choices have changed grocery stores in recent years. Overall, this book was fascinating, especially when it comes to how these stores have evolved and changed based on consumer wants the past twenty years or so. It's really interesting how we've gone from stores with very seasonal produce in limited quantities to having hundred of items year round thanks to global distribution (just look at apples!).
realityczar's review against another edition
3.0
Grocery does a fair job of describing the ins and outs of the grocery business in the US, at least from the perspective of the small, regional supermarket chain. It provides limited insight into the corner store, except as a historical notion, or into the operation of the national chains, which largely loom as soulless money machines that the plucky regionals stand in counterpoint against.
A significant part of the book is preaching on American eating habits, but covers little new ground, repeatedly referring to Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, and echoing their sentiments. Ruhlman likes his facts and figures, except when science might illuminate his arguments about food, lifestyle, and cooking, where he lets anecdote and "common sense" do the persuading.
Most troubling, he talks only briefly about food deserts and similar aspects of the economics of food. He glorifies his local childhood grocery chain, as they heroically plan to lose money by selling $500 wines in a redeveloped downtown landmark building, but doesn't point out that most of the food he wants us to eat and much of the traditional cooking he would like us to do is just not available economically or geographically to large portions of the population. And his local grocers, though they seem to put a strong focus on treating their employees well, aren't doing anything to help those folks who can't get fresh produce, organic or not, by offering lamb raised in a national park to the wealthy.
A significant part of the book is preaching on American eating habits, but covers little new ground, repeatedly referring to Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, and echoing their sentiments. Ruhlman likes his facts and figures, except when science might illuminate his arguments about food, lifestyle, and cooking, where he lets anecdote and "common sense" do the persuading.
Most troubling, he talks only briefly about food deserts and similar aspects of the economics of food. He glorifies his local childhood grocery chain, as they heroically plan to lose money by selling $500 wines in a redeveloped downtown landmark building, but doesn't point out that most of the food he wants us to eat and much of the traditional cooking he would like us to do is just not available economically or geographically to large portions of the population. And his local grocers, though they seem to put a strong focus on treating their employees well, aren't doing anything to help those folks who can't get fresh produce, organic or not, by offering lamb raised in a national park to the wealthy.