Sunday, November 11, 2007

Books on Food. Ethics. Perspective. And Food.

Yes I put the word 'food' in the title twice. The use of the periods like that I'm not so sure about, but I like the look of it so I'll leave it.

I just got a 'beermail' (BeerAdvocate.com's messaging system for members) from an East Coast (Maine) brewer friend telling me that he had finished reading the book that I had suggested...

> on Mon Nov 12, 2007 02:44 UTC, xxxx wrote:
> i (finally) finished omnivore's dilemma. good read. i am
> buying more organic now and we bought a lot of produce
> this summer from a local (the end of my street), organic
> farmer. it cost me a small fortune ($4 for a pint of sun
> gold cherry tomatoes) but was totally worth it.
>
> i have passed my copy on to a friend's husband who has
> "dropped out" and started his own farm, if only to grow as
> much of his won food as possible (he's all about 'peak
> oil').
>
> thanks again.

To which I replied:

Word to that! Spread the word and share the book as much as possible (I'm sure you're going to do so beyond your farm-starting friend...it's a hard book to keep to oneself). If you're interested in going down the rabbit hole further, there's three different directions I could suggest...

Same author, different yet similar subject matter: The Botany of Desire. Personally, the title made me think about dozing off, but that's the only part of the book that had that effect. I found the rest utterly fascinating.

Same subject, but WAY deeper: The Way We Eat - Why Our Food Choices Matter, by Peter Singer. The author's a philosopher and ethicist. I find his words compelling. A very good, if not riveting read. I've been reading my copy for the last four months bit by bit. It was loaned to me by David Bronner (of Dr. Bronner's fame). I'm going to thank him with a case of beer when I return the book. In my mind, it should be required reading in school.

Same subject, but from the perspective of a family actually growing most of their own food and living entirely within their "foodshed." More touchy-feely than the other books, and a bit on the charming and heartwarming side (almost too much for me, but just within my tolerance and I have to confess that I enjoy picking it up and reading a chapter from time to time): Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Even though it's a little on the cute and homey side for me, Kingsolver can turn a great phrase and she makes her words flow with great descriptions.

Cheers! Greg

It's cool that he enjoyed the Omnivore's Dilemma. It's one of the most interesting books I've read. Ever. It was the first book I selected for the Book & A Beer Club, which Logan Jenkins wrote about in an insightful column for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I cannot agree with you more about Omnivore's Dilemma. Such a well written, clear headed view about a subject matter that more of American population should understand. It is the one book that has honestly changed me. I definitely plan on checking out Botany of Desire.

Keep up the good work.