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A review by pattydsf
The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table by Tracie McMillan
3.0
I started this book because I like to suggest some non-fiction when my book group picks books. As I read this I decided it was not what the group would usually be looking for. It is different from other food books we have read, but not that different. We have read Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and The Dirty Life by Kristen Kimball. Both of those books were from more of a producer's viewpoint.
McMillan is looking at America's food from a eater's point of view, in my opinion. She is looking to see why a nation that produces so much good food, does not manage to get that food to all of our citizens. The movement for better food; ideas like Comunity Sustained Agriculture (CSA) and farmer's markets have not made a big difference for inner-city families.
Although I found McMillan's experiences fascinating, I am not sure I see any solutions to the problem she is concerned about. I am not sure she felt she found any solutions either. We have the food, we have amazing processing and transportation systems in place, but I don't see any way to make the systems work differently. If we want all people to have the ability to eat healthy meals all the time, we will have to make changes to much more that our food systems.
One of McMillan's concerns is food deserts - places in this country where getting fresh food is almost impossible. While I was reading this book, I mentioned food deserts to my hairdresser. This was an entirely new idea to her. I believe this is the kind of person who should be reading this book. Tracie McMillan, I think, is writing for people who have not thought about food very much. For those readers, she is telling a new tale and I think they would see their grocery stores in a whole new light.
McMillan is looking at America's food from a eater's point of view, in my opinion. She is looking to see why a nation that produces so much good food, does not manage to get that food to all of our citizens. The movement for better food; ideas like Comunity Sustained Agriculture (CSA) and farmer's markets have not made a big difference for inner-city families.
Although I found McMillan's experiences fascinating, I am not sure I see any solutions to the problem she is concerned about. I am not sure she felt she found any solutions either. We have the food, we have amazing processing and transportation systems in place, but I don't see any way to make the systems work differently. If we want all people to have the ability to eat healthy meals all the time, we will have to make changes to much more that our food systems.
One of McMillan's concerns is food deserts - places in this country where getting fresh food is almost impossible. While I was reading this book, I mentioned food deserts to my hairdresser. This was an entirely new idea to her. I believe this is the kind of person who should be reading this book. Tracie McMillan, I think, is writing for people who have not thought about food very much. For those readers, she is telling a new tale and I think they would see their grocery stores in a whole new light.