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mogreig's review against another edition
4.0
A book to make you rethink about how we feed the world.
wavybunny's review
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
4.5
It was a very informative book, with a lot of hard data (even though most of it it's from a few years ago considering the time of publishing). It presents a very interesting "time line" in the way that food, the food industries, and the way we eat has changed from long ago to the modern times in a simple and down to earth way, focusing not only on the west or European countries, showing also information about Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with some well placed jokes that make the information more enjoyable.
philippakmoore's review against another edition
4.0
An insightful and engrossing read for anyone interested in food, food culture and the sustainability of how it is produced and consumed. Bee Wilson has thoroughly researched this subject and some of the points she makes are quite jaw-dropping. We are now a very time-poor (or lazy) society that prioritises ease instant gratification and choice over sustainability and long-term health and prosperity and this has made us, despite living in an era of great abundance (which is not, as the book also goes into detail about, sustainable), very unhealthy. It makes me more determined than ever to stay away from the drive-thru (though Bee writes very compassionately about why this is such a compelling choice for so many people) and eat seasonally, locally and consciously. I know it's the most obvious pun but this is a book that will give you much food for thought!
harmonica's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.25
it was alright, quite interesting in most parts. I did not fully like the epilogue but other than that it was nice.
alexisrt's review against another edition
3.0
It's interesting enough but too often judgmental. It's a lot better when she lets food tell its story, instead of her giving her opinions about what we should be eating. Some is just slapdash, such as her saying we work fewer hours now. It's technically true, but doesn't account for the huge rise in women's paid labor or the huge variations in available time.
xuaeyaqonavosoi's review against another edition
5.0
Na poczatku to mialo dla mnie taki vibe "mocno ubolewam nad nawykami zywieniowymi dzisiejszych ludzi, kiedys to bylo" ale zaraz potem pojawilo sie zrównoważenie, ze no wlasnie kiedys to bardzo różnie było i finalnie powinnismy sie starac czerpac z roznych doswiadczen. Zjadlam warzywa na obiad dzisiaj, moze to przypadek, a moze nie xD
annmeyer's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably one of the most accessible and engaging books on food in today's world. I would highly recommend The Way We Eat Now to anyone remotely interested in learning about what our eating habits are and how they became this way, whether they're a fan of popular history, sociology, politics, economics, or just food plain and simple. Bee Wilson has done an incredible amount of research and presents all of her findings in a simultaneously humorous and serious light that demands concern but maintains optimism.
Some topics covered in the book include:
- shifts from regular and communal meals to a rise in snacking
- how definitions and habits around cooking have changed in recent generations
- the role of advertising/marketing in the food and beverage industries
- increases in production and consumption of ultra-processed foods
- healthy eating, fad diets and fraudulent foods
- effects high-demand crops like avocados and quinoa have on farmers/countries/the market
- political reform and community programs focused on educating children/families about food
- vegetables! how produce is produced, breeding for quantity (yield/size) vs quality (flavor)
- the importance of being connected and engaged with food (senses, time, value, gratitude, experimentation with new foods)
- a shift from world hunger to world malnutrition (rising obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other food-related illnesses and diseases)
- how the way we talk about food and cooking influences our relationship with food and cooking
Some of my favorite quotes include:
- "At its worst, social media promotes foods that are toxic or unwholesome, simply because they look pretty. ... Only on Instagram could [a rainbow bagel] seem better than normal bread. It is like an idea of joy rather than actual joy."
- "Access to food of a decent quality is something that every human deserves. For millions, there has never been such an exciting or abundant time as today to live and eat, but for all the plenty, we haven't yet figured out how to let everyone join the party. Eating a decent dinner may not be a duty anymore, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be a right."
- "One answer to the conundrum of how to keep cooking alive in the modern age is to become less rigid about what cooking actually is. It's still home cooking if a man does it. It's still cooking if you take yesterday's homemade curry and reheat it in the microwave and there is only one of you at the table to enjoy it. It's still cooking if you use half a dozen "lazy" kitchen tools and shortcuts your great-grandmother never dreamed of."
- "The change that we need is a transformation in culture as much as ingredients. Whatever stage five ends up looking like, the first step is to change the stories we tell ourselves about food."
- "But if history teaches us anything it is that we won't always eat in the particular ways we do now. Here is the consolation of eating in these strange times: the best of it is better than anything that came before and the worst of it won't stay the same forever."
Some topics covered in the book include:
- shifts from regular and communal meals to a rise in snacking
- how definitions and habits around cooking have changed in recent generations
- the role of advertising/marketing in the food and beverage industries
- increases in production and consumption of ultra-processed foods
- healthy eating, fad diets and fraudulent foods
- effects high-demand crops like avocados and quinoa have on farmers/countries/the market
- political reform and community programs focused on educating children/families about food
- vegetables! how produce is produced, breeding for quantity (yield/size) vs quality (flavor)
- the importance of being connected and engaged with food (senses, time, value, gratitude, experimentation with new foods)
- a shift from world hunger to world malnutrition (rising obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other food-related illnesses and diseases)
- how the way we talk about food and cooking influences our relationship with food and cooking
Some of my favorite quotes include:
- "At its worst, social media promotes foods that are toxic or unwholesome, simply because they look pretty. ... Only on Instagram could [a rainbow bagel] seem better than normal bread. It is like an idea of joy rather than actual joy."
- "Access to food of a decent quality is something that every human deserves. For millions, there has never been such an exciting or abundant time as today to live and eat, but for all the plenty, we haven't yet figured out how to let everyone join the party. Eating a decent dinner may not be a duty anymore, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be a right."
- "One answer to the conundrum of how to keep cooking alive in the modern age is to become less rigid about what cooking actually is. It's still home cooking if a man does it. It's still cooking if you take yesterday's homemade curry and reheat it in the microwave and there is only one of you at the table to enjoy it. It's still cooking if you use half a dozen "lazy" kitchen tools and shortcuts your great-grandmother never dreamed of."
- "The change that we need is a transformation in culture as much as ingredients. Whatever stage five ends up looking like, the first step is to change the stories we tell ourselves about food."
- "But if history teaches us anything it is that we won't always eat in the particular ways we do now. Here is the consolation of eating in these strange times: the best of it is better than anything that came before and the worst of it won't stay the same forever."