Mark Bittman

This really inspired me to be more vegetable-forward.

Written in the form of Q&A, where the Q comes from a rhetorical person asking leading questions (like, "Huh?"), and the A from co-authors Mark Bittman, of cookbook fame, and David Katz MD. But they all read like they come from the MD.

The theme is sensible advice about what to eat. Sometimes it got too bogged down in nutritional science for me. And my big quibble... there's always a big quibble, here it comes:

They make the mistake of show more lionizing 'traditional' ways of eating without addressing the whole grains issue. Traditionally speaking, for as long as humanity has been raising grain crops, we've been trying to come up with ways to get the yucky outer hulls off, in order to make flour with just the beautiful creamy white middle of the grain. In Asia they've been polishing their rice for hundreds, thousands of years? And I've been to Italy three times, to three different regions. I never once saw whole wheat pasta. I can imagine what the natives would say to that (namely, "Fa schifo!" - disgusting).

So yes, encourage consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Just don't call it Mediterranean and don't worship the 'traditional'. The authors are constantly reminding us, after all, that we evolved to like calorie-dense foods; and they give the obvious reasons why (a few too many times). I wish the rhetorical questioner would have asked why we evolved to prefer refined grains, because we obviously did.

And what about tofu, after all? They say there "seems" to be something good about it, and call it "minimally processed." Seems like a highly processed foodstuff to me. Tofu has such a reputation for being good and healthy, and I have no reason to think it's not; but it seems to be a big fat exception to the rule of not eating "processed" foods.

Still and all it WAS an inspiring book. I really hope to start eating meals that are more plant-focused, and yes, more whole-grain-focused as well. I am glad to hear them encourage the eating of 'carbs' (albeit whole grain ones). Starches have indeed been the Staff of Life since agriculture began! show less

There's certainly a lot to like in this book. It's a reasonable approach to eating less meat and animal product, and more veggies. It's well-written to convince anyone that they can make some progress on that goal and see benefits for themselves and the planet. I think the general principles about diet flexibility, making simple substitutions, cooking in big batches, and using leftovers creatively, are useful, and it's good that they're framed as "principles" not "rules".

That said, there's a show more lot I can't get behind. The recipes strike me as very basic. I think they've been written for an audience which doesn't cook and needs to be told how easy it will be, and given permission to experiment. That's probably fine, but as a more experienced cook I didn't find much of it inspiring or even interesting, and the side bars of "other things you could put in this recipe" struck me as lacking detail. (I should admit here I haven't used any of the recipes yet and my opinion might change.) While I think there's a good argument about over-processed food, there's also the woo-woo fear of "chemicals" which always puts my teeth on edge. show less

Yes, it is a book that openly advocates trying to orient the US food system to put pro-health, social justice and anti-poverty goals first. It is not a practical "do this" guide for an individual trying to personally become a healthier eater or personally diminish one's own environmental impact; in fact it points out how that inevitably falls short because the issue is systemic, not personal. If you aren't open to a progressive view of the economy, and reject that categorically, this isn't show more the book for you; but, then, you already have the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal. This is a book for people who are open to thinking about things differently, and being challenged; know that going in.

Is it a work of academic history or science? No. It's a popular work of advocacy journalism. It's written out of anger, and urgency. He thinks it's immoral to create or work for a food system that harms the planet and the poor, that exploits animals, workers and the soil, all to make a tiny percentage of investors insanely rich. You may agree or disagree, but I say good for him for going for it, and for stating a case that's unpopular in the US so strongly. He is doing a brave and important thing, using his name and reputation to bring attention to a difficult issue, with a book that someone like me, who enjoys his cooking work and past journalism, might pick up from a library shelf. A nice change from doing PBS shows with celebrities.

Is it a perfect book? For me, the early "historical" parts were less engaging, but long, while the latter parts, which contained more of what I was interested in, went by too quickly. But it's given me a lot to engage with, and some new academics to read. show less

I'm not really a cookbook kind of person. I love eating, but I don't necessarily love cooking. I don't hate it, it's just not my thing, though I really admire people who enjoy cooking. I'm convinced that regardless of style of cooking or genre of food, cooking is an art form with ingredients the media. Anyway. I bought a copy of this at a used bookstore and ended up reading the entire thing cover to cover. I learned something about cooking, but more than that, I gained confidence or interest show more in giving it a go and simultaneously not being wed to someone else's recipe rules. If not freedom to experiment, maybe confidence to riff? I mean, what's the worst that can happen?

I feel like this book is sort of akin to a basics of sketching book. It gave me a sense of basics and foundation, some of which were new to me, that I now feel like I can remix pieces and create something interesting on my own. I felt like I was taking a masterclass in cooking, but at Lowe's learning DIY techniques, rather than at a culinary school where I'm never gonna graduate, you know?

Even if cooking isn't your thing and never fully becomes mine, reading me left me a little different from where I started. What more could I ask of a cookbook? Recommended. show less