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Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen
Books: CookBooks: Chef Training: Item 2
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Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchenby Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: SUPER? yes Ficial? NO, May 5, 2006 Reviewer:M. Rockamann (St. Louis, MO) - I have to say I was extremely surprised to see this book deemed "superficial" by reviewer "the librarian" below. Grub is anything but. Specifically, "the abundantly documented health and environmental ills of the the meat and dairy industry and the massive disinformation campaigns of those industries" are indeed highlighted in Grub, in which Lappe outlines six illusions of our modern day food supply. A whole chapter on health delves into many of the health ramifications of industrial food. I'm guessing the reviewer "librarian" hasn't read the book? One of the things I really appreciate about Grub, is the non-dogmatic way it goes about informing the reader about good food. Yes, there are clear lines at times between good and bad food. For example, it is very easy to make the distinction between a generic label milk product bought from Wal-Mart produced by a cow pumped with hormones and antibiotics, and fed GM soy and corn in a closed feedlot & a small organic dairy farm 30 miles from your home that you buy milk from on a weekly basis at the farmer's market. Easy distinction. But when it comes to many of our food choices, there are grey areas, that need to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. For example, would you choose certified organic broccoli (grown in California) OR whatever locally-grown green vegetable you can find, that may not be organic? Support a far-away farmer that upholds the organic standards and practices sound ecological methods, or support a close-to-home farmer that has not yet phased out all chemicals from production? It's a tough call from an environmental and health standpoint, and I don't pretend to have the answer. Perhaps this is what the author means about it not being so clear and easy to write off some foods as good and others as bad. With her well-informed analysis in Grub and previous excellence in Hope's Edge, I'm certainly inclined to think so. Librarian in Asheville, I encourage you to give this book a closer look.
From Publishers Weekly
This smart, engaging work deftly blends polemic, lifestyle guidance and cooking expertise. The daughter of writer Francis Moore Lappé (Diet for a Small Planet) and medical ethicist Marc Lappé, coauthor Lappé wears her pedigree well, arguing passionately and articulately for the organic lifestyle (Terry is a chef and food justice activist). Early chapters explore how the advent of commercial agriculture and mass-manufactured food has led American eaters down a path to obesity and disease while undermining the local economies of farming communities and, in many cases, encouraging the exploitation of both labor and natural resources. The answer: to adopt a "grub" lifestyle that is both healthy and ethical. The "Seven Steps to a Grub Kitchen" chapter suggests readers commit more time to cooking and eating, and use local resources like co-ops and farmers markets, while describing how to best prep a kitchen with tools and pantry supplies. The recipes portion offers seasonal, international, health-conscious menus aimed at young, hip readers, with themes like "Afrodiasporic Cookout" (Grilled Corn and Heirloom Tomato Salad, Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs, Fresh Green Beans, Good Grilled Okra, Ginger Beer) and "Straight-Edge Punk Brunch Buffet (DIY)" (Spicy Tempeh Sausage Patties, French Toast with Blueberry Coulis). (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
From making healthy food choices and preparing mouth-watering meals, to unmasking corporate flimflam and supporting sustainable farming, here is the complete guide for the young, the hip, the socially tuned-in - and for all who want to eat real food.
In the past few decades, organic food has moved out of the patchouli-scented aisles of food co-ops and into over three-quarters of conventional grocery stores. Hand-in-glove, more and more of us are becoming aware of the social, environmental, and health benefits of organic eating, independent farming, and promoting "fair food."
Combining a straight-to-the-point exposé about the fake food filling our supermarkets and the compelling reasons for choosing organic, local, "fair" food, Grub helps all of us become a part of one of the most hopeful movements of the new century: a revolution in food and farming that is best for our bodies and the earth.
With spirited and practical how-to's for creating an affordable, easy-to-use organic kitchen and dozens of delectable recipes, Grub also offers the millions of people who buy organics fresh ideas and easy ways to cook with them. From the Valentine's Day Decadence Dinner to the Straight-Edge Punk Brunch Buffet, Grub includes over a dozen menus paired with soundtracks to cook (and party) by and artwork and poetry evoking the spirit of Grub.
If organic food has a user's guide, this is it.
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