Food for Thought        The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World12 reviews Larry Zuckerman North Point Press, 1999 You Say Po-tay-to, And I Say Po-tah-to............. + Good Popular History + The Humble Spud in History Don't let the corny (ouch!) title put you off: this is a serious look at the historical place of the potato in England, Ireland, France and the United States. And if you are concerned that 271 pages on the "humble spud" might put you into a stupor, you might breathe easier when you know that Mr. ...             The Story of Corn6 reviews Betty Fussell University of New Mexico Press, 2004 what a book + Kind of A-maize-ing + Corn breadth + Best book about corn you can find! + A specialized food history             Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind12 reviews Henry Hobhouse Shoemaker & Hoard, 2005 An insightful book + An insightful book I havn't read this book in a while but came across an editorial by Hobhouse recently and I thought I'd check to see if it's still in print. I recall some rather strange notions about our 'current' lack of fiber in our diet and the dire effect it may have, but in most areas where he dosn't range ...             Near a Thousand Tables : A History of Food12 reviews Felipe Fernandez-Armesto Free Press, 2003 An Intriguing Bood A fascinating and erudite account of our prehistoric and historic relationship with food. The book discusses such things as herding versus hunting, sea weed, cannibalism... etc. I highly recommend this page-turner for its delightful insights into our most treasured habit -- eating!             In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto182 reviews Michael Pollan Penguin Press HC, The, 2008 An eye opener + Interesting Book, Makes Sense, Not Too Long + a useful reminder to us all + Paradigm Shift!             Literary Feasts: Inspired Eating from Classic Fiction Sean Brand Atria, 2006 Our busy twenty-first-century lifestyle doesn't allow much time for us to enjoy the pleasures of a good meal. Literary Feasts aims to change that by restoring readers' desires to eat, drink, and be merry. While Leopold Bloom fortified himself for his rambles through Dublin with a hearty breakfast of grilled kidneys with pepper, thinly sliced bread and butter, and a large pot of tea, James Bond ...             Salt: A World History106 reviews Mark Kurlansky Penguin (Non-Classics), 2003 Indiana Jones, this IS history + Ok...It was just Ok + A great read Remembering 2nd semester of Western Civ with a dynamic prof who loved to use the "spectrum of history" to link events...food, religion, war, hobbies, work. That is how this book is read and you must eat the whole salty pretzel to get the flavor. You must try not to quibble with a few sweeping ...             Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)572 reviews Anthony Bourdain Harper Perennial, 2007 A great read! + No Reservations... this book is GREAT! + The best It's amazing where writing talent is found. I originally discovered Bourdain via his "Les Halles Cookbook" -- one of the funniest cookbooks I have ever read. And then slowly, I began to remember -- hadn't this same guy written an earlier book, much more scandalous? Well, this is that earlier ...             Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History9 reviews H. E. Jacobs The Lyons Press, 1997 Multi-faceted book-wow + The Rise of Western Civilization Through Bread + Rise to the occasion + Bread as a catalyst for civilization + A Unique Perspective on World History             Good to Eat: Riddles of Food and Culture6 reviews Marvin Harris Waveland Press, 1998 Fascinating and unsettling + Well written, but dated + Love the animals - especially when nicely cooked + A common man's view of this enlightened work. + Good to Read!             In the Devil's Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food14 reviews Stewart Lee Allen Ballantine Books, 2003 It's a fun book and very informative. + Interesting, but some spurious claims I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot of history. He breaks it down into the seven deadly sins. How the apple became the "forbidden fruit" in the Bible. Why to even this day we look down at corn (think about how it's in junk food). Why some foods are shunned over the years for class reasons ...             Bananas: An American History6 reviews Virginia Scott Jenkins Smithsonian, 2000 Yes! We have the cultural history of bananas! + This IS the History of America... + A history of the banana in America Who would have thought there was so much to say about the modern love affair between America and bananas? I should have known it, though, for at Mathcamp the staff had entire wars based on bananas and the pilfering thereof. We snuck extras out of the cafeteria, hid them in refrigerators, even wrote ...             Citrus: A History6 reviews Pierre Laszlo University Of Chicago Press, 2007 5 star Citrus lovers book + Engaging read for the scientifically inclined Living where we do in California we do indeed have a cornucopia of citrus to enjoy. And this book is so wonderful and informative. And we love learning the rich long history of citrus like Minneolas which are a crossing between a tangerine and a grapefruit. Or the Satsuma which originated in ...             Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors18 reviews Lizzie Collingham Oxford University Press, USA, 2007 Food as History + Fascinating! + Sumptious + Curry is apparently and English invention + A concoction that is India!             The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals459 reviews Michael Pollan Penguin Press HC, The, 2006 Eye-opener/mouth-closer + Enjoyed this book from cover to cover! + Very good book! + Well Blended Research & 1st Person Narrative + a delight to be educated through wit and prose             The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee15 reviews Stewart Lee Allen Ballantine Books, 2003 One of my favorite books + amp up on the mocha and read + A gonzo tour with the Magical Mystery Bean I came across this book by accident and bought it out of my sheer love for coffee. But the book not only has the great tale of how coffee came from Africa and made it's way all over the earth to the daily drink we know today, it also is a first rate travelogue. The author follows coffee's ...             Empire of Pleasures: Luxury and Indulgence in the Roman World1 review Andrew Dalby Routledge, 2000 Roman - Italian What a great book...opened my eyes to a new world food history! Worth a purchase! Ian http://www.bragazzis.com             The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World10 reviews Christy Campbell Algonquin Books, 2006 Phylloxera and The Botanist and the Vintner + A threat to all wine + you don't have to be an enologist + A plague on both your louses             The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World163 reviews Michael Pollan Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2002 The best + worth the time + Short, Sweet, Insightful + The Coevolution of Human Cultures and Domesticated Plants.             Fast Food Nation1402 reviews Eric Schlosser Harper Perennial, 2005 The true world of Fast Food opens before your eyes! + By the Author of Outstanding You + highest approval + One Fast Food National Under God ! ?              Kindle - Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device This is the future of book reading. I have used it and love it! randomly chosen DVD: Richard Pryor - Live & Smokin' leave a comment home  impressum - about us