Connecting to the World thru Food
936327
Review by JBJourneyer.com

There is no greater single tangible thing that defines a culture than the foods that it eats.  Yet the very thing that makes a culture as unique also unites the world as a whole.  Food is the great equalizer of us all.  No matter what culture you come from, we all need to eat.

That was my take away from "The Food Traveler's Handbook," a new book by Jodi Ettenberg.  I loved this book, because Ms. Ettenberg verbalizes the excitement that all avid travelers get when they experience a new culture by savoring its unique dishes.

But this book doesn't just philosophize about food abstractly.  She gets down to the nitty-gritty, giving practical advice about how to find the food that best defines the countries she has visited and how to try it without getting ill in the process.  As a photographer, I can appreciate that it is filled with beautiful `food porn' pictures (pardon my indelicacy) that were taken by Ms. Ettenberg herself.

I am a traveler who loves to eat.  "The Food Traveler's Handbook" will travel with me from now on.  I like to travel light so thank god it comes in a Kindle edition.
1067766
A mind-map connected with the word salt might be infinite.  Mark Kurlansky has pursued a dozen branches.  He provides a global and historical portrait of food, production and trade.  The book is strongest in providing the cultural context of salt and its various uses in food.  Salt is variously associated with wealth, status, virility, health and class.  It is used as a flavoring, preservative, ingredient and catalyst.  Olives, eggs, pickles, fish, ham, cheese, ketchup, tabasco and soy sauce are served.  Salt's role with soldiers, sailors, taxes, politics and trade are covered.  Technology, chemistry, pipes, pumps, evaporators, canals, shipping, mining, oil and geology are described.

This is a quirky journey which mostly enlightens and amuses.  If you enjoy the variety and surprises of history, cultures, food and technology you'll enjoy digesting this 465 page main course.
3784180
A fantastic book that has helped me become aware of the food I eat and how it affects my health. I think about the words what I do today will effect tomorrow.
1958348
Patrick Westhoff made food economics accessible with this book. Areas covered include factors that influence food prices, changes in consumer behavior based on economics and government policies that affect food availability and pricing.

An interesting topic covered is crop yields. In most areas weather is the single largest determining factor affecting crop yield. Therefore, futures traders continually monitor weather in diverse regions. There is an interesting chapter (5) relating income to food consumption. Income affects how much and what types of food people eat. For example, average income levels in India are lower than in China. Rising income levels in China led to more animal protein consumption. In India, rising incomes led to increased grain consumption. I liked the global view presented throughout the book.

The appendix (Food 101) summarizes world food facts. The major exporters and importers of each main category of food are listed. For example, the U.S. and Brazil are big exporters of beef, pork and poultry. Australia and New Zealand are major beef exporters. The European Union and Canada are major pork exporters. Japan and Russia are big importers of beef, poultry and pork. Investors could probably use the appendix as a reference.

Westhoff's final chapter presents various long-term scenarios for food prices based on several factors outlined, some of which include world population growth, world income growth, technology, energy and government policy. I think this chapter gets to what most of us want to know and think about, but it didn't make me feel certain about a future viewpoint. Instead, The Economics of Food lays the groundwork to understand current food pricing.
2478232
I got this book as a gift and then I gave it to someone as a gift. It made me think about what I am eating. As a result of the information, not marketing hype, I have made changes to my eating habits. I feel healthier and have lost weight. It is a very good book for those who want to improve their health through food.
3269315
This delightful cook book reminds us how lovely it is to cook, prepare and share a meal with family and friends. I loved reading about the creators of these delicious recipes - the families that gardened and grew their produce, the couples that prepared their meals together in California, the father that passed on a love of gardening and the grandmother who passed on a love of cooking. In this busy world this book reminds us of the pleasure in taking time to grow and harvest your own produce  and the joy in cooking and  sharing of  a meal in addition to being a fantastic collection of recipes.
3503145
This book is of great quality, mixing beautiful photography, with exotic foods, and mouth-watering descriptions. The authors also explain well about all the places they stayed in, with humour. This cookbook is no ordinary cookbook, it wraps up the journeys of two people who know the value and  pleaure of eating, and by reading the book you don't only find out about  some delicious recipes but it also makes you dream about the places they  went to. Next time I'm in London, I will be definetly making a stop at the  World Food Cafe!
1166618
This collection of essays is a buffet of scholarship on contemporary and ancient practices linking food and religion.  With both scholarly intricacy and readability, this book may be enjoyed by any person from advanced high school students through senior citizens.  Anyone interested in culture, religion, and food will find a fascinating and maybe even delicious bit of learning in this book.
4733572
Madison and McFarlin's book has opened a cultural flood gate of awareness and conversation about eating alone. Who could have guessed that we have so much interest  in learning about what food others enjoy alone, and, equally, in thinking and talking about the pleasures of our own solo meals.  The book has unlocked a topic clearly waiting to be examine and relished --  a cultural phenomenon.
4188819
This book is half cookbook, half meditation on nourishment. The recipes are first evoked through beautifully written poems that create a moment to pause and consider your connection to the natural world around you through eating. The recipes are simple, seasonal, deeply nourishing fare. Some are so simple that you realize you know how to make it already. Others are a refreshing take on a classic. And yet others are simple, creative ideas you haven't yet thought of. The author often incorporates and ponders ingredients you may not have given much thought to.

This book is a gift to those who care about food, meditation, and their part in the natural world around them. It would make a lovely gesture as a gift to someone you care about, who connects through food and health. I highly recommend it.
3713192
While studying in Nairobi, Kenya, I was introduced to this wonderful cookbook by a missionary couple. Now as a wife and mother, I often turn to its simple recipes that appeal to the palate as well as the pocketbook. And its basic premise - conserving the world's limited food resources - encourages you to make a difference by 1) working to eliminate processed foods from your diet; 2) eating less meat; and 3) consuming more fruits, vegetables and grains.
As a companion to More-With-Less, I recommend Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook, by Joetta Handrich Schlabach. It also contains frugal recipes with a delightful variety of international flavors.
Both cookbooks contain interesting vignettes about the origins of many recipes.
4481697
Not only do you learn about the various ingredients which are indigenous to the country, and essential to their cuisine but it is a trip thoughout the country, through pictures and text to the wonderful sights and aromas of this mysterious land.  Familiar foods are prepared in totally different ways, and new ones are there to explore.  With the advent of many ethnic food shops and open markets catering to many different cuisines one is now able to put a Japanese dish on your own table.  Good reading without cooking as well.
196105
Per usual the Campbell Family, et. al. are in fine form encouraging the world to "Eat Plants".  Kim's cookbook companion to the soon to be released "PlantPure Nation" film documentary is a wonderful compliment to the growing arsenal of Plant-Based WholeFoodist cookbooks coming to the forefront. (Another of my personal favorites are the two 'China Study' cookbooks from Kim's sister-in-law LeAnne Campbell.)

I absolutely LOVE the full color photographs accompanying each recipe to show you that eating plantpure is a tasty, flavorful, eye-appealing endeavor -- very much contrary to the belief that somehow eating plants won't taste good, or usually looks like 'cardboard' or 'wall-paper paste'.  The colors and international variety of 'comfort food' recipes, show the cornucopia of plant-based whole-foods available to those who want to eat plantpure.  'Kim's Hints' mentioned with select recipes help the home cook embrace their kitchen with ease and simplicity.  Her recipes are filled with plant ingredients that are readily available and affordable for any newbie plantpure cook, as well as, easy to prepare plantbased substitutions for disease promoting animal-derived products.  Her Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise is a staple in my pantry and a base foundation for many wonderful oil-free dressings & sauces.  Cooking for a PlantPure Family is not so expensive, difficult or scary after-all!

Interspersed through the cookbook are excerpts from the movie encouraging you to get on board the PlantPure Nation movement to change the way our government and local communities 'do' food.  Personally hailing from a true 'food desert' Desert community, with an over-abundance of 'fast-food joints' and expensive corporate restaurant franchises make plantpure shopping difficult and greatly limits our families' local options to obtain a variety of affordable fresh produce for our table. Mainly because, ALL of our local communities food is trucked in from great distances with many of the local residents relying on a handful of distance-challenged, high-priced chain groceries, the Colorado River Food Bank, one 'Country Health Market' for specialty items/special orders, or gratefully, obtained from the newest source - an economical and increasingly popular volunteer run BountifulBaskets.org Food Co-Op -- to supply us all with a healthy kitchen pantry.

Kim's recipes, highlight simple, easy to prepare,  plantpure 'peasant foods' like beans - brown rice and home-made whole grain breads, and an abundance of recipes for affordable carrots, broccoli - cabbage & kale.  Personally, we cut our food bill in half after transitioning to a plantpure lifestyle and Kim's recipes are a wonderful addition for any struggling plant-hungry family.  The PlantPure Nation Cookbook will be an active resource at our Mojave Desert PlantBased WholeFoodist Society Recipe Exchange Meet-up group.

I highly recommend this PlantPure Nation Cookbook to any plantpure newbie, highly seasoned plant-based home cook or those Vegan's looking for more oil-free plant-based whole foods recipes.  Eating PlantPure never tasted so good!
Relax & Enjoy Life ~ Eat & Drink Plants :)
2360294
Oran Hesterman has written comprehensively about our broken food system in a way that is engaging and thought-provking. He links the various aspects of food development and delivery and makes connections that are important for all of us who view ourselves as conscientious consumers. While framing the discussion with an historical perspective, he brings lively examples of contemporary people who exhibit model solutions which can be easily replicated.

I recommend Fair Food to everyone who has an interest in becoming an enlightened citizen and wants to learn more about options for fixing our broken food system on a personal, political and global level.

Ruby Kornfeld, New York City
4856491
This book describes one of the simplest things you can do to live in a more sustainable world. Make the right choices when you go shopping to put food on your table. The book guides you through an entire ingredient list, pointing you towards purchasing options that can make a change in the world. Simple, daily, practical.
2693733
Big selection of easy to prepare and tasty meals from around the globe. You will not regret buying this book.
3635190
You've been told that when you travel, you should eat like a local. But if you don't get the chance to travel, then you don't get to eat like a local. So Canadian food bloggers and cookbook authors Randy and Darcy Shore did it for us, and they brought back recipes from diners, bistros, and cafes from around the world and made them workable in the home kitchen.

Home and Away is filled with over 100 recipes for comfort food from all corners of the world. With the recipes are tons of helpful tips and tricks, from where to find some of the more obscure ingredients to possible substitutions or ideas on what to freeze or change up in the recipe. There are also several moments with well-known chefs, where food personalities such as Anito Lo, Edward Lee, and Brad Miller talk about their inspirations [Note: most of these chefs are from Canada, as are the Shores, and they also have a blurb from Mario Batali, who has fallen out of favor lately. I thought I'd mention in case that matters to anyone].

Home and Away starts with East Asia and Australia. Recipes include Easy Asian Spring Rolls, White Miso Ramen, Lemongrass Chicken Curry, Pad Thai with Prawns, Soy and Honey Braised Chicken, and Beef Chow Fun. From there, it's off to Africa, India, and West Asia. These recipes encourage you to make classics such as Lahmacun, Haloumi Salad, Red Pepper Chicken Wings, Turkish White Beans, Moroccan Lamb Breast with Lemon Couscous, Sweet Potato Tagine, and Spatchcocked Chicken with Chickpeas. They eve include a recipe for the spice blend Ras el Hanout.

Next is a tour of Europe, where the recipes include Crispy Potato Latkes with Caviar, Gazpacho, Smoked Tomato and Sausage Ragu, Fish en Papillote, Paella, Chicken Provencal, Irish Boiled Dinner (Corned Beef and Cabbage, of course), Venison and Stout Stew, Spaetzle, and a Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby. And then it's off to the Americas. These diner classics include Hot Chicken and Waffles, Southern Fried Chicken with Gravy, West Coast Smoked Salmon, Jerk Chicken with Grilled Romaine Salad, Duck Poutine, Peruvian Hen Soup, Chicago-Style Beef Brisket Sandwich with Giardiniera, Pork Tomatillo Tacos with Onion Pico, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, New Orleans Fried Fish Po'Boy with Smoky Remoulade, and Mexican Chocolate Flan.

Home and Away is the perfect introduction to world cuisine for those who can't afford to travel (like me) or who want to try out some new food before heading out to the airport. It's a great way to build a bridge to other cultures. And all the beautiful photos and stories of the authors' travel experiences offer a lot of insight into traveling and eating in countries where you don't know the language or the customs. It's a great cookbook for those who get around and for those of us who are mostly stuck at home, as it gives us a glimpse of the rest of the world to try at home and share with friends and family.

Galleys for Home and Away were provided by Arsenal Pulp Press through Edelweiss, with many thanks.