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Plenty : one man, one woman, and a raucous year of eating locally
Smith, Alisa
Adult Nonfiction TX360 .C32 B78 2007
From Publishers' Weekly:
Over a meal of fish, potatoes, and wild mushrooms foraged outside their cabin in British Columbia, the authors of this charmingly eccentric memoir decide to embark on a year of eating food grown within 100 miles of their Vancouver apartment. Thus begins an exploration of the foodways of the Pacific northwest, along which the authors, both professional writers, learn to can their own vegetables, grow their own herbs, search out local wheat silos and brew jars of blueberry jam. They also lose weight, bicker and down hefty quantities of white wine from local vineyards. Their engaging narrative is sprinkled with thought-provoking reportage, such as a UK study that shows the time people spend shopping the supermarket-driving, parking and wandering the aisles-is "nearly equal to that spent preparing food from scratch twenty years ago." Though their tone can wax preachy, the wisdom of their advice is obvious, and the deliciousness of their bounty is tantalizing-if local eating means a sandwich full of peppers, fried mushrooms, and "delectably oozing goat cheese," their efforts appear justified. (May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
From Library Journal:
Freelance journalist Smith and MacKinnon (Dead Man in Paradise) recount their yearlong experiment of living on a diet of foods grown within 100 miles of their home in Vancouver, B.C. They forgo foods such as oil and salt when they realize these common staples, among many other food sources, travel great distances before reaching one's supermarket. They discuss the challenges and sacrifices they endure as they commit themselves to a philosophy of living on locally grown produce and a way of life radically different from what they had known. While this is an illuminating story, many issues are not addressed, such as the impact of this diet on one's health and one's wallet and whether it would be possible for an ordinary family to engage in such a way of life. Nevertheless, this is an eye-opening account and a good read about the couple's particular experience. Academic studies, historical research, and primary sources enrich their memoir, which includes references to biologist Edward O. Wilson's The Diversity of Life and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. An acknowledgments section is provided; however, a bibliography would have been more useful. Recommended for public libraries.--Christine Holmes, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Smith, Alisa
Adult Nonfiction TX360 .C32 B78 2007
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From Publishers' Weekly:
Over a meal of fish, potatoes, and wild mushrooms foraged outside their cabin in British Columbia, the authors of this charmingly eccentric memoir decide to embark on a year of eating food grown within 100 miles of their Vancouver apartment. Thus begins an exploration of the foodways of the Pacific northwest, along which the authors, both professional writers, learn to can their own vegetables, grow their own herbs, search out local wheat silos and brew jars of blueberry jam. They also lose weight, bicker and down hefty quantities of white wine from local vineyards. Their engaging narrative is sprinkled with thought-provoking reportage, such as a UK study that shows the time people spend shopping the supermarket-driving, parking and wandering the aisles-is "nearly equal to that spent preparing food from scratch twenty years ago." Though their tone can wax preachy, the wisdom of their advice is obvious, and the deliciousness of their bounty is tantalizing-if local eating means a sandwich full of peppers, fried mushrooms, and "delectably oozing goat cheese," their efforts appear justified. (May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
From Library Journal:
Freelance journalist Smith and MacKinnon (Dead Man in Paradise) recount their yearlong experiment of living on a diet of foods grown within 100 miles of their home in Vancouver, B.C. They forgo foods such as oil and salt when they realize these common staples, among many other food sources, travel great distances before reaching one's supermarket. They discuss the challenges and sacrifices they endure as they commit themselves to a philosophy of living on locally grown produce and a way of life radically different from what they had known. While this is an illuminating story, many issues are not addressed, such as the impact of this diet on one's health and one's wallet and whether it would be possible for an ordinary family to engage in such a way of life. Nevertheless, this is an eye-opening account and a good read about the couple's particular experience. Academic studies, historical research, and primary sources enrich their memoir, which includes references to biologist Edward O. Wilson's The Diversity of Life and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. An acknowledgments section is provided; however, a bibliography would have been more useful. Recommended for public libraries.--Christine Holmes, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
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