If know me, or if you’ve read my About page, you probably know that my love of food goes beyond just cooking it. My undergraduate research was all about food security, food communities, and the importance of food traditions in a modern American society. Food is SO INTERESTING. And I love talking about it, writing about it, and reading every food-related book or study I can get my hands on. Result? I geek out HARD. CORE. whenever an awesome food publication comes across my desk. This is a list of my absolute favorites – books that, even if you aren’t interested in food as an academic discipline, will blow.your.mind. Seriously. I left out the dry stuff (a twenty page study on adolescent BMI as it relates to after-school snacking from Pediatrics probably isn’t as interesting to everyone else as it is to me, even though I think it’s SUPER INTERESTING) but these books (by some AMAZING writers…seriously) and videos are super accessible and worth the time it takes to check them out.
Videos and Documentaries:
Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize-winning talk. AMAZING.
Books:
American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat
Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health, Revised and Expanded Edition
Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
Nature’s Perfect Food: How Milk Became America’s Drink
Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater
The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir
The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food
The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy
Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger
Do you know of a great resource I don’t have listed here? Let me know! I am always on the hunt for new books/studies/articles about food as it relates to community building, health, and the environment.
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