Scan barcode
A review by bookwormmichelle
Eating for Beginners: An Education in the Pleasures of Food from Chefs, Farmers, and One Picky Kid by Melanie Rehak
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.