The way we eat now : how the food revolution has transformed our lives, our bodies, and our world / Bee Wilson.

ISBN:

9780465093977

Title:

Author:

Wilson, Bee, author.

Personal Author:

Wilson, Bee, author.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

xxix, 356 pages : illustrations, charts ; 25 cm.

Contents:

Introduction: The gatherers and the hunted -- The food transition -- Mismatch -- Edible economics -- Out of time -- The changeable eater -- Dinner without duty -- Eating by the rules -- The return to cooking -- Crossing the bridge -- Epilogue: New food on old plates.

Subject Term:

Format:

Books

Publication Date:

2019

Publication Information:

New York :

Basic Books,

2019.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
641.013 WIL	Week loan	1	Standard shelving location	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

An award-winning food writer takes us on a global tour of what the world eats--and shows us how we can change it for the better
Food is one of life's great joys. So why has eating become such a source of anxiety and confusion?
Bee Wilson shows that in two generations the world has undergone a massive shift from traditional, limited diets to more globalized ways of eating, from bubble tea to quinoa, from Soylent to meal kits.
Paradoxically, our diets are getting healthier and less healthy at the same time. For some, there has never been a happier food era than today: a time of unusual herbs, farmers' markets, and internet recipe swaps. Yet modern food also kills--diabetes and heart disease are on the rise everywhere on earth.
This is a book about the good, the terrible, and the avocado toast. A riveting exploration of the hidden forces behind what we eat, The Way We Eat Now explains how this food revolution has transformed our bodies, our social lives, and the world we live in.

Author Notes

Bee Wilson is a celebrated food writer, food historian, and author of five books, including First Bite: How We Learn to Eat and Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat . She has been named BBC Radio's food writer of the year and is a three-time Guild of Food Writers food journalist of the year. She writes a monthly column on food in the Wall Street Journal . She lives in Cambridge, England.

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

This compelling overview of global eating habits by acclaimed food writer and Wall Street Journal columnist Wilson (Consider the Fork, 2012) seesaws back and forth between alarming paradoxes. We eat to live, but what we eat is killing us. Food is often readily available (and sometimes even hard to escape), but overly processed fast food contains few nutrients, resulting in simultaneously malnourished and obese populations. And so it goes, as Wilson's entertaining text compares how humans used to eat before mass consumerism, when considerable time was devoted to preparing and enjoying meals with how we eat now, when food choices, dining styles, and meal times have become so markedly individualized. After about 200 pages of delivering dining angst, the book starts offering hopeful and helpful alternatives. Scale back portions, reform school lunches, elevate and celebrate the art of cooking, enact legislation against sugary drinks and junk food, and increase global consumption of vegetables. The epilogue offers even more focused advice: ditch plastic and Styrofoam in favor of ceramic and glass, drink plain water, skip the snacks, think about what you're putting in your mouth, and slow down. Wilson's many fans and new converts alike will find her arguments convincing. This diet advice goes down easy.--Kathleen McBroom Copyright 2019 Booklist

Library Journal Review

English food writer and historian Wilson explores the evolution of food and changing tastes around the world. This latest work, after First Bite and Consider the Fork, shares research and insight on the transformation of global cuisine and eating habits in recent decades, from sustainability to satisfying cravings. While our tongues may drive our food tastes and preferences, Wilson considers all of the other determining factors of what ends up on our plates, including corporations and economics (or what's profitable for us to consume), busy schedules that have eliminated the time to cook, and diets and fads. The author delves into the reasoning why both food insecurity and obesity are co-occurring and epidemic, and her research includes trends currently driving Western diets, including keto/paleo, fasting, and orthorexia (the trend of "clean eating" to a disordered level). Occasionally, the chapters are tangential in an attempt to include the most information possible, much like an overfilled buffet plate. However, the research is solid and readers will come away with a new understanding of what we eat and why. VERDICT Much more than another culinary history, this is a fascinating read for both foodies and sociologists alike.--Jennifer Clifton, Indiana State Lib., Indianapolis

Introduction: The Gatherers and the Hunted	p. xv
Chapter 1 The Food Transition	p. 1
And They Never Went Hungry Again	p. 1
Where the Balance Falls	p. 6
Stage Four	p. 15
The Global Standard Diet	p. 19
The Mythical Banana Kingdom of Iceland	p. 27
A Short History of Eating Too Much	p. 33
Bending the Curve	p. 42
What We Ate Next	p. 47
Chapter 2 Mismatch	p. 53
The Thin-Fat Baby	p. 56
The Thirst Conundrum	p. 61
The Stigmatized Majority	p. 67
Chapter 3 Edible Economics	p. 73
A Hidden Sea of Oil	p. 75
Never Tasted Before	p. 81
The Price of Bread	p. 89
Engel's Law	p. 96
Give Us This Day Our Daily Meat	p. 101
Value for Money	p. 108
Chapter 4 Out of Time	p. 113
The Death of the Lunch Hour	p. 117
Like a Rest in Musk	p. 126
Wasting Time or Wasting Food	p. 130
The Rhythm of Modern Life	p. 134
The Woman Who Never Snacks	p. 136
Snack Foods for the World	p. 143
"He's Not Really Big on Food"	p. 146
The Healthy Snack	p. 149
Eating Alone Together	p. 152
Chapter 5 The Changeable Eater	p. 158
What's Salsa?	p. 161
New but Not Really	p. 166
Now Comes Quinoa	p. 170
Fads and Frauds	p. 174
Chapter 6 Dinner Without Duty	p. 180
The Democratic Restaurant	p. 183
Calories and Convenience	p. 188
Dinner on a Bike	p. 193
Self-Service	p. 196
The Inequalities of Choice	p. 202
Chapter 7 Eating by the Rules	p. 208
Bleeding Beetroot	p. 212
The Healthiest of All Possible Diets	p. 217
The Enigma of the Protein Bar	p. 223
Beyond Food	p. 227
The Opposite of a Cucumber	p. 230
Chapter 8 The Return to Cooking	p. 238
The Dabbler Cook	p. 241
Cooking by Numbers	p. 247
The Land of Cooks	p. 253
New Kitchen Rules	p. 258
Chapter 9 Crossing the Bridge	p. 262
The Sweet Green Grass	p. 265
Killing the Cartoon Characters	p. 269
"If I Had Maths Results Like This I'd Be Out of a Job"	p. 274
Celebrate with Olives	p. 278
The Joy of Greens	p. 283
Recipe for a Seed	p. 287
Epilogue: New Food on Old Plates	p. 295
Acknowledgments	p. 307
Bibliography	p. 311
Notes	p. 327
Index	p. 347

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents