Reviews

Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by J.B. MacKinnon, Alisa Smith

lorenashleybarrett's review

challenging hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.5

 Great quick read that has led to a whole lot of musing and rethinking of food staples in our household. I’m already heavily inclined to attempting to eat local so really enjoyed reading the logistics and insights from their experiment. 

kate_reads's review

4.0

To say that I admire that this couple did is an understatement. My relationship with food has changed quite a lot in the past year, and with it has brought about many questions when I step into the grocery store: Where is this food from? How was it raised? What impact does my diet have on the Earth? Am I eating in a sustainable manner?

The answer to the last question, sadly, is no. This book came along at a perfect time in my life, but it didn't quite live up to the expectations I had for it. I'd hoped for more details about what they cooked, how they cooked/preserved their foods, and maybe a few more tips for those that would like to eat a local diet. At times I felt it focused too much on the authors and not enough on the food.

ercm's review

3.0

Once you've read one "eat local, back to the land" book you've read them all. But I will give these author's props for doing it in a mostly urban setting. The book was an enjoyable read and if I hadn't read about a million other local eating books I think I would have given it more stars.

alhara's review

4.0

I was a little worried I wouldn't enjoy this book after they were referred to as the couple 'starving themselves' in British Columbia in another book.

Despite that comment, the couple doesn't starve, although they do follow a very strict local diet.

At times I really wished their relationship issues weren't included but really in the end, they were relevant and I see why they were in there.

I sure was glad to live in the Pacific Northwest while reading this. I would have been jealous otherwise! We are truly lucky to live in such a bountiful place.

This book had a lot of good information for anyone considering eating more locally and concerned with the changes in our food system.

jescatling's review

4.0

I really liked this book about a couple who decide not to eat anything unless it comes from within 100 miles from where they live. Granted they live in Vancouver, which makes it sound a lot easier to do than say, Chicago, but they do discover certain staples aren't attainable to them anymore, like wheat. Finding wheat in the Pacific Northwest becomes the ultimate Holy Grail. The experiment itself sounds a little pretentious, but the authors don't shy away from the downsides of local eating...they fight while canning tomatoes, lose too much weight from a lack of carbs, and drink a lot of wine from a local winery. In the end, their descriptions of delicious local produce makes me want to shop at farmer's markets a lot more.

kristadutt's review

3.0

I liked how this book made me think about what I eat...I mean, if I started eating truly local then sugar would be a goner, etc. I had wanted to read this so bad that I actually bought it. I was tired of it by about half way through, but it was a great experiment to eat only what was grown 100 miles and less away from their home.

mgeryk's review

4.0

I don't know if the adjective "raucous" really applies, but I suppose it's all in what you take away. Prior to reading the book I was completely ignorant of the 100-Mile Diet project, so the strictures laid out by the authors suprised me. I did think this book was an excellent companion piece to The Omnivore's Dilemma, and I'd like to say that I could be inspired to do the same, but I'm really not sure that I have it in me, at least right now when I'm 8.75 months pregnant and feeding a toddler to boot. I do know that the more I read, the more aware I am of where my food is coming from, and I think it's very valuable to read the experiences of people who are capable of taking this on full-bore--for every two of them, I'm sure there are another 50 like me who'll read it and think more about what's going in their mouths, shop differently, and manage to effect some gradual change.

kitm's review

3.0

I might have liked it had I not read Animal Vegetable Miracle first. This book reminded me of it, except with poorer writing and more whining.

kimbui's review

4.0

This book is great if you're interested in the locavore movement. I've been doing it for three months and loved and believed everything the authors had to say. My main problem with the book is that it's a bit unrealistic to imagine yourself doing it. These people spent all day sometimes going to get local food. i work and don't near have enough time, it made me feel almost inadequate. Nevertheless, its about doing your best and the book is inspiring.

kathleenitpdx's review

4.0

This book is written by a couple, who live in Vancouver, BC and decided for one year to only eat foods grown within 100 miles of their home. They share with us their challenges and triumphs, such as finally finding a local supply of flour, with humor.

They write alternate chapters. It is fun to see their different perspectives. They both delve into their family food history even going back to grandparents--who cooked, what they ate, if they knew where it came from.

I very much enjoyed their explorations of what the native people of the area ate and the information on what early settlers grew.

I live about 300 miles south of Vancouver BC and it is interesting to see the many similarities and some of the differences. For instance, a lot of wheat is grown in the northern Willamette Valley and it should not be a surprise to anyone here that filberts/hazelnuts grow here. (Oregon is one of the largest suppliers of filberts in the world).

I liked that they touched on local eating in some other locales--Minnesota and the Yucatan area of Mexico.