If you're looking for a book to engage your whole family, What the World Eats is just the ticket. I took out this book from the library last week and, without exaggeration, every member of the family has read it at least once. We've even read it together!
This unique book, which is really more of a coffee-table book than a book to read in bed, features portraits of twenty-five families from twenty-one countries -- surrounded by a week's worth of food. Each portrait is accompanied by a breakdown of their food expenditure (i.e. beverages, condiments, restaurants) and a short description of how the family lives. It's very difficult not to feel embarrassed by the riches our kitchen cabinets offer when reading about a family in Chad, who spend $2.20 a week on several bags of assorted grains, and also have to lug their water in large plastic jugs. Also interesting are the separate sections on street food (grubs on a stick, anyone?), kitchens, and other food-related customs from all around the world. This book is the sort-of juvenile version of Hungry Planet, which was written for adults.
While I'm on the topic, another fascinating book about food is Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser. He also published a juvenile version, called Chew On This, and both books focus on the influence of the fast food industry on American culture, as well as its impact on health and culture. Read in tandem with The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, as well as The End of Food, by Paul Roberts, this practically constitutes a seminar!
These books all have one thing in common -- they all exist to inform Americans in some way about food. Where it comes from, how much we're eating, how much we're getting out of it, who's going without it -- all this information is not usually sought out by the average American supermarket shopper. Maybe it should be? What do your think?
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Brave Mom Writes "Brave Girl Eating"
This is, emphatically, not the type of book I typically select. In fact, I've been seeing it on the library new book shelf for the last couple of weeks, and passing it by. However, this week I took it out, and read it, and now I'm writing about it. In part, this is my way of marking Mother's Day on my blog (why not?), but the impetus to actually read this book came from the fact that I was recently touched, quite indirectly, by the death of a friend's friend who was rumored to have suffered from anorexia most of her short life.
What I know about anorexia is fairly limited -- it's taught in the Abnormal Psychology class that was a requirement; nowadays most schools try to educate their female students about eating disorders, but this was not something that was talked about -- not out loud -- when I was a teenager. It is also poorly understood; not just by the layman, but by experts as well. The theories I learned in college are no longer in vogue and have been replaced by a new set, perhaps more valid, perhaps not.
Harriet Brown pens this memoir of her experiences with her daughter, Kitty, with remarkable aplomb. What must have been a gut-wrenching experience for her comes through so remarkably and believably, the reader wants to reach through the pages and hug her. Once Brown comes to the realization that her daughter has this terrible illness, she casts around for ways to help her. Her choices at the time boil down to sending her away to a specialized residential clinic, or keeping her hospitalized on an outpatient basis. Brown, helped by her sympathetic and ultra-competent pediatrician, decides on another path -- Family-Based Treatment, or the Maudsley approach. This entails the support of the entire family, and their goal is to get Kitty to eat, whatever it takes. This is much, much harder than it sounds. At times, Brown writes of anorexia as a demon that has inhabited her daughter; she tries desperately to take her daughter's aggressive anxiety and separate it from the daughter she loves so much and whose life she actually saves. Yes, saves -- this painful and wretched ordeal, calorie by calorie, saves Kitty's life, and gradually she begins to emerge whole again.
As a mother, I cried for Harriet Brown as I read her book, because (although I pray that I will never be tested) any mother should hope to do the right thing, as she did, even though it was so desperately hard. The FBT was hard on Brown, it was terrible for her husband, it was traumatic to Kitty's younger sister, and it almost completely shattered any semblance of normal family life. However, as a mother, she knew that this was her job, and that Kitty's mother, father, and sister were the ones to bring her back and rid her of the demon anorexia. Anorexia has cruel statistics -- close to 20 percent of anorexics die, according to Brown, half of those from suicide. Harriet Brown and her family continue to battle these statistics, as anorexia can be a lifetime disease, and they refuse to allow their child to become one of the 20 percent.
Gosh, what a downer. I'll get a bit more cheerful now, and introduce another new book that I read over the weekend. A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter is pure fun for the Austen lover. One of the only negative things about Austen is that she wrote only six books, and Janeites who finish all six are left with a craving for more. This has led to a small industry in Austen copycats, mysteries featuring Austen characters (cringe), Austen sequels (gag), and Austen spoofs (actually, some of these aren't bad). This isn't one of the above list. This is the nonfictional account of William Deresiewicz, who started off his adult life as an immature, obnoxious pseudo-intellectual. Forced to read Austen in college, he slowly comes to the realization that it is not chick-lit, it is quite relevant, and it helps him gradually reorient himself and become, in a word, a mentsh. This is an entertaining and light read, and it has a lovely happy ending. What more could you ask?
What I know about anorexia is fairly limited -- it's taught in the Abnormal Psychology class that was a requirement; nowadays most schools try to educate their female students about eating disorders, but this was not something that was talked about -- not out loud -- when I was a teenager. It is also poorly understood; not just by the layman, but by experts as well. The theories I learned in college are no longer in vogue and have been replaced by a new set, perhaps more valid, perhaps not.
Harriet Brown pens this memoir of her experiences with her daughter, Kitty, with remarkable aplomb. What must have been a gut-wrenching experience for her comes through so remarkably and believably, the reader wants to reach through the pages and hug her. Once Brown comes to the realization that her daughter has this terrible illness, she casts around for ways to help her. Her choices at the time boil down to sending her away to a specialized residential clinic, or keeping her hospitalized on an outpatient basis. Brown, helped by her sympathetic and ultra-competent pediatrician, decides on another path -- Family-Based Treatment, or the Maudsley approach. This entails the support of the entire family, and their goal is to get Kitty to eat, whatever it takes. This is much, much harder than it sounds. At times, Brown writes of anorexia as a demon that has inhabited her daughter; she tries desperately to take her daughter's aggressive anxiety and separate it from the daughter she loves so much and whose life she actually saves. Yes, saves -- this painful and wretched ordeal, calorie by calorie, saves Kitty's life, and gradually she begins to emerge whole again.
As a mother, I cried for Harriet Brown as I read her book, because (although I pray that I will never be tested) any mother should hope to do the right thing, as she did, even though it was so desperately hard. The FBT was hard on Brown, it was terrible for her husband, it was traumatic to Kitty's younger sister, and it almost completely shattered any semblance of normal family life. However, as a mother, she knew that this was her job, and that Kitty's mother, father, and sister were the ones to bring her back and rid her of the demon anorexia. Anorexia has cruel statistics -- close to 20 percent of anorexics die, according to Brown, half of those from suicide. Harriet Brown and her family continue to battle these statistics, as anorexia can be a lifetime disease, and they refuse to allow their child to become one of the 20 percent.
Gosh, what a downer. I'll get a bit more cheerful now, and introduce another new book that I read over the weekend. A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter is pure fun for the Austen lover. One of the only negative things about Austen is that she wrote only six books, and Janeites who finish all six are left with a craving for more. This has led to a small industry in Austen copycats, mysteries featuring Austen characters (cringe), Austen sequels (gag), and Austen spoofs (actually, some of these aren't bad). This isn't one of the above list. This is the nonfictional account of William Deresiewicz, who started off his adult life as an immature, obnoxious pseudo-intellectual. Forced to read Austen in college, he slowly comes to the realization that it is not chick-lit, it is quite relevant, and it helps him gradually reorient himself and become, in a word, a mentsh. This is an entertaining and light read, and it has a lovely happy ending. What more could you ask?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Nonfiction Post
Sometimes only nonfiction will do. Lately I've discovered (the hard way) that if I'm reading at bedtime I will never fall asleep at a decent hour if I read a good fiction book. There's just too much temptation to see what will happen next; even if I exercise self-control and put aside the book to turn out the light, my mind races as I speculate as to the ending.
Hence my solution: at bedtime, only read nonfiction. True, sometimes a nonfiction book acts as a soporific (better than Ambien!) and I drop off with the light on and the book still in my hands. However, even if it is an interesting book, and I have found many, it's not quite as hard to lay aside when you really must be disciplined and fall asleep.
I'm going to run through a few genres of nonfiction, and save others for another post. Because this is my blog (ha ha), my selections will obviously favor my interests. Don't let this deter you -- sometimes, reading a book that you wouldn't have chosen yourself can open up a whole new world of interests.
History:
I love history. I would have majored in it, but it's slightly less practical than my actual major (psychology). I especially love European history -- there's so much of it, a lot is really loopy (think the defenestration of Prague), and the characters are so fantastic they could not have been created by any average author's pen.
Some favorites of mine include In Europe, a sort of historical travelogue of the 20th century by Geert Mak. I own it (okay, I lifted it from my father's library) and it lives permanently in my bedroom. Lovely to dip into.
Another favorite is Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, The Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World, by Roger Crowley. This book describes the series of events during the mid-16th century in which the balance of power in the Mediterranean dramatically shifts. I know, this sounds boring to some of you, but it's written really well, and if you follow current world events it's quite relevant.
I don't as a rule really seek out Holocaust books, but these are exceptional and really too good to miss. The Third Reich Trilogy, written by Richard J. Evans between 2003-2008, begins with The Coming of the Third Reich, continues in The Third Reich in Power, and concludes with The Third Reich at War. The books chart the rise and fall of Hitler's regime, and it's a comprehensive work, stunningly researched, which touches on every aspect of life in the Third Reich as it grows, and then implodes. This takes forever to read, but it is well worth it.
Science and Health:
I'm a little obsessive about The Omnivore's Dilemma; it's probably not well-balanced of me. This book is by Michael Pollan, who has achieved a certain measure of fame writing about food and how it gets to the table. (He actually wrote a long article for the New York Times Magazine in which he purchases a steer and follows it to the dinner table). Pollan can make anything sound interesting, even corn propagation, but this book can definitely hold its own. He asks, what should we have for dinner? and follows up his question by following the industrial food chain, the organic food chain, and the food we can forage ourselves. My first reaction to this book was to react hysterically to displays in the supermarket (it's a conspiracy!) and try to buy organic and local, but it didn't last. In part this didn't work because I live in Connecticut, and if I'm going to buy local produce I'll be eating old potatoes all winter. In part I calmed down a bit, but I do regress every time I reread the book. I don't mean to scare you off Pollan's ideas -- I think they have a large degree of merit and a lot can be learned from this book. Just don't go overboard and start keeping chickens in the backyard (with organic feed).
In Lost in Wonder, Colleen Brooks gives a layperson's tour of the greatest scientific discoveries of the last few centuries. I don't have much of a science background (I stopped after fulfilling my college requirement, which was not much more sophisticated than what I had done in high school) but I do enjoy it to the extent that my mind can grasp. This book is so accessible to anyone who has an interest and does not have background or skill, it's a pleasure to read. It's also written smoothly and with a minimum of jargon.
This weekend I read Seth Mnookin's The Panic Virus, about the autism/vaccination controversy and its effects on the general population. It was reviewed recently on Slate (how I found out about it) and here's the review: http://www.slate.com/id/2285219/. It was a very good read, and I recommend it to everyone. Again, you don't need to have any special knowledge to read this.
Other nonfiction genres will have to wait for another post. Please post your comments and suggestions!
Hence my solution: at bedtime, only read nonfiction. True, sometimes a nonfiction book acts as a soporific (better than Ambien!) and I drop off with the light on and the book still in my hands. However, even if it is an interesting book, and I have found many, it's not quite as hard to lay aside when you really must be disciplined and fall asleep.
I'm going to run through a few genres of nonfiction, and save others for another post. Because this is my blog (ha ha), my selections will obviously favor my interests. Don't let this deter you -- sometimes, reading a book that you wouldn't have chosen yourself can open up a whole new world of interests.
History:
I love history. I would have majored in it, but it's slightly less practical than my actual major (psychology). I especially love European history -- there's so much of it, a lot is really loopy (think the defenestration of Prague), and the characters are so fantastic they could not have been created by any average author's pen.
Some favorites of mine include In Europe, a sort of historical travelogue of the 20th century by Geert Mak. I own it (okay, I lifted it from my father's library) and it lives permanently in my bedroom. Lovely to dip into.
Another favorite is Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, The Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World, by Roger Crowley. This book describes the series of events during the mid-16th century in which the balance of power in the Mediterranean dramatically shifts. I know, this sounds boring to some of you, but it's written really well, and if you follow current world events it's quite relevant.
I don't as a rule really seek out Holocaust books, but these are exceptional and really too good to miss. The Third Reich Trilogy, written by Richard J. Evans between 2003-2008, begins with The Coming of the Third Reich, continues in The Third Reich in Power, and concludes with The Third Reich at War. The books chart the rise and fall of Hitler's regime, and it's a comprehensive work, stunningly researched, which touches on every aspect of life in the Third Reich as it grows, and then implodes. This takes forever to read, but it is well worth it.
Science and Health:
I'm a little obsessive about The Omnivore's Dilemma; it's probably not well-balanced of me. This book is by Michael Pollan, who has achieved a certain measure of fame writing about food and how it gets to the table. (He actually wrote a long article for the New York Times Magazine in which he purchases a steer and follows it to the dinner table). Pollan can make anything sound interesting, even corn propagation, but this book can definitely hold its own. He asks, what should we have for dinner? and follows up his question by following the industrial food chain, the organic food chain, and the food we can forage ourselves. My first reaction to this book was to react hysterically to displays in the supermarket (it's a conspiracy!) and try to buy organic and local, but it didn't last. In part this didn't work because I live in Connecticut, and if I'm going to buy local produce I'll be eating old potatoes all winter. In part I calmed down a bit, but I do regress every time I reread the book. I don't mean to scare you off Pollan's ideas -- I think they have a large degree of merit and a lot can be learned from this book. Just don't go overboard and start keeping chickens in the backyard (with organic feed).
In Lost in Wonder, Colleen Brooks gives a layperson's tour of the greatest scientific discoveries of the last few centuries. I don't have much of a science background (I stopped after fulfilling my college requirement, which was not much more sophisticated than what I had done in high school) but I do enjoy it to the extent that my mind can grasp. This book is so accessible to anyone who has an interest and does not have background or skill, it's a pleasure to read. It's also written smoothly and with a minimum of jargon.
This weekend I read Seth Mnookin's The Panic Virus, about the autism/vaccination controversy and its effects on the general population. It was reviewed recently on Slate (how I found out about it) and here's the review: http://www.slate.com/id/2285219/. It was a very good read, and I recommend it to everyone. Again, you don't need to have any special knowledge to read this.
Other nonfiction genres will have to wait for another post. Please post your comments and suggestions!
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