Why Food Matters

Download or read book Why Food Matters written by Paul Freedman and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Ten Restaurants That Changed America, an exploration of food’s cultural importance and its crucial role throughout human history “A rich and fascinating narrative that reaches deep into the historical and cultural larder of societal experience, powerfully illustrating the myriad ways that food matters as an essential condiment for humanity.”—Danny Meyer, founder of Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack Why does food matter? Historically, food has not always been considered a serious subject on par with, for instance, a performance art like opera or a humanities discipline like philosophy. Necessity, ubiquity, and repetition contribute to the apparent banality of food, but these attributes don’t capture food’s emotional and cultural range, from the quotidian to the exquisite. In this short, passionate book, Paul Freedman makes the case for food’s vital importance, stressing its crucial role in the evolution of human identity and human civilizations. Freedman presents a highly readable and illuminating account of food’s unique role in our lives, a way of expressing community and celebration, but also divisive with regard to race, cultural difference, gender, and geography. This wide-ranging book is a must-read for food lovers and all those interested in how cultures and identities are formed and maintained.

Download or read book Food Matters written by Mark Bittman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-12-30 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the award-winning champion of culinary simplicity who gave us the bestselling How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian comes Food Matters, a plan for responsible eating that's as good for the planet as it is for your weight and your health. We are finally starting to acknowledge the threat carbon emissions pose to our ozone layer, but few people have focused on the extent to which our consumption of meat contributes to global warming. Think about it this way: In terms of energy consumption, serving a typical family-of-four steak dinner is the rough equivalent of driving around in an SUV for three hours while leaving all the lights on at home. Bittman offers a no-nonsense rundown on how government policy, big business marketing, and global economics influence what we choose to put on the table each evening. He demystifies buzzwords like "organic," "sustainable," and "local" and offers straightforward, budget-conscious advice that will help you make small changes that will shrink your carbon footprint -- and your waistline. Flexible, simple, and non-doctrinaire, the plan is based on hard science but gives you plenty of leeway to tailor your food choices to your lifestyle, schedule, and level of commitment. Bittman, a food writer who loves to eat and eats out frequently, lost thirty-five pounds and saw marked improvement in his blood levels by simply cutting meat and processed foods out of two of his three daily meals. But the simple truth, as he points out, is that as long as you eat more vegetables and whole grains, the result will be better health for you and for the world in which we live. Unlike most things that are virtuous and healthful, Bittman's plan doesn't involve sacrifice. From Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing to Breakfast Bread Pudding, the recipes in Food Matters are flavorful and sophisticated. A month's worth of meal plans shows you how Bittman chooses to eat and offers proof of how satisfying a mindful and responsible diet can be. Cheaper, healthier, and socially sound, Food Matters represents the future of American eating.

Download or read book Food Matters written by Holly Bauer and published by Macmillan Higher Education. This book was released on 2020-08-13 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Food Matters explores questions about the seemingly simple concept of food: What is the purpose of food: sustenance, pleasure, health? What political, social, and cultural forces affect our food choices? What does it mean to eat ethically? How does our food system contribute to the climate crisis, and how can we make changes in our eating habits and in food production to protect the planet? What problems and possibilities will influence what the future of food? Readings by a range of essayists, scientists, journalists, farmers, activists, and ordinary citizens take up these questions and more. Questions and assignments for each selection provide a range of activities for students. The Bedford Spotlight Reader Series is an exciting line of single-theme readers, each reflecting Bedford’s trademark care and quality. An editorial board of a dozen compositionists at schools with courses focusing on specific themes assists in the development of the series. Each reader collects thoughtfully chosen selections sufficient for an entire writing course—about 35 pieces—to allow instructors to provide carefully developed, high-quality instruction at an affordable price. Bedford Spotlight Readers are designed to help students from all majors make sustained inquiries from multiple perspectives, opening up topics such as gender, happiness, intelligence, language, music, science and technology, subcultures, and sustainability to critical analysis. The readers are flexibly arranged in thematic chapters, with each chapter focusing in depth on a different facet of the central topic. Instructor support at macmillanlearning.com includes sample syllabi and additional teaching resources.

Download or read book Black Food Matters written by Hanna Garth and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2020-10-27 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at Black food and the challenges it faces today For Black Americans, the food system is broken. When it comes to nutrition, Black consumers experience an unjust and inequitable distribution of resources. Black Food Matters examines these issues through in-depth essays that analyze how Blackness is contested through food, differing ideas of what makes our sustenance “healthy,” and Black individuals’ own beliefs about what their cuisine should be. Primarily written by nonwhite scholars, and framed through a focus on Black agency instead of deprivation, the essays here showcase Black communities fighting for the survival of their food culture. The book takes readers into the real world of Black sustenance, examining animal husbandry practices in South Carolina, the work done by the Black Panthers to ensure food equality, and Black women who are pioneering urban agriculture. These essays also explore individual and community values, the influence of history, and the ongoing struggle to meet needs and affirm Black life. A comprehensive look at Black food culture and the various forms of violence that threaten the future of this cuisine, Black Food Matters centers Blackness in a field that has too often framed Black issues through a white-centric lens, offering new ways to think about access, privilege, equity, and justice. Contributors: Adam Bledsoe, U of Minnesota; Billy Hall; Analena Hope Hassberg, California State Polytechnic U, Pomona; Yuson Jung, Wayne State U; Kimberly Kasper, Rhodes College; Tyler McCreary, Florida State U; Andrew Newman, Wayne State U; Gillian Richards-Greaves, Coastal Carolina U; Monica M. White, U of Wisconsin–Madison; Brian Williams, Mississippi State U; Judith Williams, Florida International U; Psyche Williams-Forson, U of Maryland, College Park; Willie J. Wright, Rutgers U.

Download or read book Food Matters written by Carolyn A. Nadeau and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through an inventive and original engagement with Don Quixote and other Golden Age literature, Carolyn A. Nadeau explores the shifts in Spain's cultural and gastronomic history.

Download or read book FOOD MATTERS written by Dr Shubham Pant and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2020-12-21 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cancer is now the fourth leading cause of death in India. So the most pressing question today is-what are you doing to lower your risk? In Food Matters: The Role Your Diet Plays in the Fight Against Cancer, Dr Shubham Pant asks you to 'focus on the mundane solutions'. Oncologist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, he recommends eating a good diet, staying a healthy weight and other lifestyle interventions to keep cancer at bay. Citing case studies, Dr Pant also suggests how patients diagnosed with and recovering from cancer can best manage their nutritional needs. Intensively researched and featuring simple and delicious recipes, Food Matters tells you everything that you need to know about cancer and diet.

Download or read book Taste Matters written by John Prescott and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2013-02-15 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The human tongue has somewhere up to eight thousand taste buds to inform us when something is sweet, salty, sour, or bitter—or as we usually think of it—delicious or revolting. Tastes differ from one region to the next, and no two people’s seem to be the same. But why is it that some people think maple syrup is too sweet, while others can’t get enough? What makes certain people love Roquefort cheese and others think it smells like feet? Why do some people think cilantro tastes like soap? John Prescott tackles this conundrum in Taste Matters, an absorbing exploration of why we eat and seek out the foods that we do. Prescott surveys the many factors that affect taste, including genetic inheritance, maternal diet, cultural traditions, and physiological influences. He also delves into what happens when we eat for pleasure instead of nutrition, paying particularly attention to affluent Western societies, where, he argues, people increasingly view food selection as a sensory or intellectual pleasure rather than a means of survival. As obesity and high blood pressure are on the rise along with a number of other health issues, changes in the modern diet are very much to blame, and Prescott seeks to answer the question of why and how our tastes often lead us to eat foods that are not the best for our health. Compelling and accessible, this timely book paves the way for a healthier and more sustainable understanding of taste.