93rd out of 469 books
—
976 voters
The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table
by
Tracie McMillan (Goodreads Author)
In the tradition of Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed, an ambitious and accessible work of undercover journalism that fully investigates our food system to explain what keeps Americans from eating well—and what we can do about it. Getting Americans to eat well is one of today’s hottest social issues; it’s at the forefront of Michelle Obama’s agenda and widely covered i...more
Hardcover, 1st Edition, 319 pages
Published
February 21st 2012
by Scribner
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McMillan is trying to do two things at once. First, she's tracking the life cycle of food in America by taking jobs on a farm, at a grocery store, and in a restaurant. Secondly, she's exploring the challenges that these workers face when they try to eat fresh, healthy food on their incomes. From her experiences, she hopes to learn more about how food gets to your table, why it costs what it does, and why so many of us seem to be living on Little Debbie and Chef Boyardee.
It's good, but it doesn'...more
It's good, but it doesn'...more
“The American Way of Eating” by Tracie McMillan, published by Scribner.
Category – Sociology
Tracie McMillan went undercover in farm fields, Walmart, and Applebee’s in an effort to explore the lack of fresh produce in our diets and what we eat and why.
The first part of the book has Tracie working as a farm hand alongside the immigrant farm workers in California. Although she does not bring any new problems in the industry, she does remind us of the plight of these workers.
Her next job was at a Wal...more
Category – Sociology
Tracie McMillan went undercover in farm fields, Walmart, and Applebee’s in an effort to explore the lack of fresh produce in our diets and what we eat and why.
The first part of the book has Tracie working as a farm hand alongside the immigrant farm workers in California. Although she does not bring any new problems in the industry, she does remind us of the plight of these workers.
Her next job was at a Wal...more
Journalist Tracie McMillan explores the American food supply by working in it. She goes undercover and lives as a crop picker, a Walmart produce stock-person, and an Applebees kitchen worker. My favorite section of the book is when she is living in Detroit working at Walmart and exploring the food supply of the city to residents. She visits the large produce wholesalers (Eastern Market), local grocers - and the big chains which will not locate inside the city limits.
I started this book a couple...more
I started this book a couple...more
This book is in between a Michael Pollan book that looks at our food from its source to the plate and a Barbara Ehrenreich book that looks at the lives of low wage workers. In other words, I learned a lot by reading this book and strongly recommend it to anyone interested in food and food workers.
The beginning of the book describes how, author Tracie McMillan, went to California to work in various places as farm worker. Her first job was picking grapes, which she found took more skill than she h...more
The beginning of the book describes how, author Tracie McMillan, went to California to work in various places as farm worker. Her first job was picking grapes, which she found took more skill than she h...more
I thought I would enjoy this book much more than I did because the subject matter is very interesting and relevant. I read Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed" book a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, and unfortunately McMillan's book seemed like a poor copy of it. Although it was supposed to be about food and the issues pertaining to food consumption in America, somehow it seemed to miss the mark. Obviously, because she went undercover and worked in various sectors of the food indus...more
I was really interested in the subject of this book, but I really wish Barbara Ehrenreich had covered it instead. This is way too dense. Nearly every page has a lengthy footnote or two, and I am not talking about fun, Terry Pratchett-ish footnotes.
The writing is also oddly confusing. I had to read several sentences over again because I couldn't figure out what the author was trying to say.
The best parts of the book are when the author describes the people. I wish she had narrowed her focus more...more
The writing is also oddly confusing. I had to read several sentences over again because I couldn't figure out what the author was trying to say.
The best parts of the book are when the author describes the people. I wish she had narrowed her focus more...more
McMillian writes of the nexus of food and economics - whether eating well costs more, and whether the desire to eat well is a class perogative. The answer to both points is yes and no. McMillan's first experience is in the California fields, seeing first hand the complex lives of migrant worker and enjoying a marvelous generosity of spirit and goods.
As she makes her way across the country, into increasingly urban environments and up the food chain, her experiences become less personal, more ind...more
As she makes her way across the country, into increasingly urban environments and up the food chain, her experiences become less personal, more ind...more
The American Way of Eating is a supremely aggravating book. Tracie McMillan goes undercover to learn more about the American food industry at various parts of the process, at a farm, grocery store and chain restaurant. This is an important topic that needs to be told, but the author is not quite up to the task.
She is not hardy enough to handle farm work, so those chapters tend to be more about her physical condition than the work itself. Again at Wal-Mart, where she works as stock clerk, she...more
She is not hardy enough to handle farm work, so those chapters tend to be more about her physical condition than the work itself. Again at Wal-Mart, where she works as stock clerk, she...more
I hate this book. A lot.
If I did not have to read this for a class I would have trashed it a long time ago. McMillan, decides to go "undercover" as a farm laborer, a WalMart employee, and an Applebee's expeditor.
The story itself could have been interesting if McMillan would have focused more on those she met who do this type of work every single day rather than whining about her personal struggles with it (I didn't budget this month, looks like I'll have to take out another cash advance! Boo fr...more
If I did not have to read this for a class I would have trashed it a long time ago. McMillan, decides to go "undercover" as a farm laborer, a WalMart employee, and an Applebee's expeditor.
The story itself could have been interesting if McMillan would have focused more on those she met who do this type of work every single day rather than whining about her personal struggles with it (I didn't budget this month, looks like I'll have to take out another cash advance! Boo fr...more
This book was just so blah. I loved the articles gleaned from this book that I read on Slate or Salon and thought the whole book would be as interesting a read. Boy was I wrong. She didn't really connect me to any of the people she met other than in the most superficial way.
For me, in the end what could have been a fascinating book ended up being a narrative that was so dull and largely unmoving. I think one could envision this book as two in one - one book deals with the mechanics of the mass p...more
For me, in the end what could have been a fascinating book ended up being a narrative that was so dull and largely unmoving. I think one could envision this book as two in one - one book deals with the mechanics of the mass p...more
Nickle and Dimed for food in the United States, a journalist follows how food is produced, harvested, distributed, sold, used by restaurants, and is a striking indicator of how income inequality, food history and current priorities, and how we live alter our personal and political landscapes (as well as altering regular landscapes, of course).
Fascinating, enraging, interesting, well-written, and cogent in analysis, I can recommend this to everyone.
This falters, in my opinion of course, because...more
Fascinating, enraging, interesting, well-written, and cogent in analysis, I can recommend this to everyone.
This falters, in my opinion of course, because...more
Tracie McMillan decided to investigate the American food industry and the lifestyle of those who bring us our food, literally from farm to table. She worked in the produce fields of California, a midwestern Walmart, and a Brooklyn Applebee’s, and reports her experiences in this book. I believe it to be a fine addition to the current food literature, illustrating, as it does, the many ways in which our food SYSTEM needs to be reformed to better both our diets and our workers. Still, I was most st...more
hmmm. one of the key rules of writing book reviews is to review the book you actually read & not the book you wish that book had been. i admit that this book was not what i expected it to be. i saw the title & read that it was an expose of the american food system. i was expecting something informational & sociological--kind of like all the books i have been reading about the baby industrial complex, but about food. instead, i got a bizarre stunt memoir by a well-educated young woman...more
This book takes Michael Pollan's concept of the "4 meals" a step further - McMillan goes undercover for a year to work in 3 different aspects of food production (as farm worker, as grocery stock clerk at Walmart (#1 grocer), and as food expediter at Applebee's (#1 restaurant)). A lot of her insights are startling, from lax food safety, to lack of concern for worker injuries, to her analysis of how Applebees "cooks" (hint: stay at home to save money and use your own microwave).
She also keeps a f...more
She also keeps a f...more
My opinion of Tracie McMillan's book of investigative-journalism veered wildly as I read of her semi-undercover adventures on the front lines of American food: its production (she goes among the migrant workers on mega-farms in California), its distribution (she stocks produce at a WalMart outside of Detroit), and preparation (she gets a job putting the finishes on plates at a Flatbush Applebee's). What I liked was some of the big picture stuff, like the astonishing 25% market share that WalMart...more
Generally interesting book that I liked a little less as I went on. Foodie journalist goes undercover by working for a couple months each picking crops in California, working in the grocery part of a wal-mart supercenter outside Detroit, and helping in the kitchen of an Applebee's in Brooklyn. The theme is how we get food from farm to table, and the economics of procuring and pareparing healthy food when you are making minimum wage (or less, as in the undocumented farm workers she reports on, of...more
My perspective on eating is forever changed after reading this book. Eating is a social act.
Tracie McMillan makes a case for being aware that our food has passed through many hands to get to our dinner plate.
I need to keep in mind the people who picked or harvested the food - maybe under harsh working conditions for little pay. I need to be leery of how my food has been shipped and stocked and whether the store I'm buying from is paying a livable wage, employing people full-time with benefits....more
Tracie McMillan makes a case for being aware that our food has passed through many hands to get to our dinner plate.
I need to keep in mind the people who picked or harvested the food - maybe under harsh working conditions for little pay. I need to be leery of how my food has been shipped and stocked and whether the store I'm buying from is paying a livable wage, employing people full-time with benefits....more
I always thought the food at Applebees tasted like plastic. Now I know why! I haven't eaten there in years and now I won't ever again.
I already knew Wal-mart was evil and this just confirmed it. I never shop there. The Waltons are rich enough.
And, the way the migrant workers are treated and paid is shameful. Ms McMillan said it would cost the average American family $16 per year to increase their wages by 40%. I think most people could handle that.
But, I really do have to take issue with somethi...more
I already knew Wal-mart was evil and this just confirmed it. I never shop there. The Waltons are rich enough.
And, the way the migrant workers are treated and paid is shameful. Ms McMillan said it would cost the average American family $16 per year to increase their wages by 40%. I think most people could handle that.
But, I really do have to take issue with somethi...more
Part anecdotal recount of a year spent working undercover at several stops along the U.S. food chain, part numbers-laden analysis of immigrant rights, labor politics, poverty, urban decay and growth and gentrification, and, of course, said food chain, "The American Way of Eating" took me a long time to read because it was like taking an entire class. McMillan is an accessible writer, and has good timing for switching from dry history and stats-quoting to harrowing stories of working the Valentin...more
Fascinating, fascinating book!
Reporter Tracie McMillan, inspired by conversation with subjects of her stories on the 'poverty beat' of the paper for which she worked, embarked on an undercover, year long quest to find out how food gets to our tables and how the people that make this possible, often the lowest paid workers in our society, make ends meet. From the growing fields of California, to retail sales in Michigan, to a neighboorhood family chain restaurant in New York City, McMillan works...more
Reporter Tracie McMillan, inspired by conversation with subjects of her stories on the 'poverty beat' of the paper for which she worked, embarked on an undercover, year long quest to find out how food gets to our tables and how the people that make this possible, often the lowest paid workers in our society, make ends meet. From the growing fields of California, to retail sales in Michigan, to a neighboorhood family chain restaurant in New York City, McMillan works...more
Similar in style to Nickle and Dimed, and once again, I struggle through another elitist scribe. I don't know why I read these! I keep hoping to find some real answers to serious concerns, but instead get rants on the evils of capitalism.
I found a few things odd. When did she work at Walmart? In 1970? I worked there in the 90's and do not recall having to ticket items. Also, I had pretty good benefits. Health insurance for part time, stock options, pizza parties and really nice managers. Does...more
I found a few things odd. When did she work at Walmart? In 1970? I worked there in the 90's and do not recall having to ticket items. Also, I had pretty good benefits. Health insurance for part time, stock options, pizza parties and really nice managers. Does...more
Class is the big theme here. The incredible hard scrabble of minimum wage (if you're lucky) work. For each undercover job, the author had a hard time paying rent and feeding herself. A holiday cookie-exchange party 30 miles away creates financial hardship because of all the eggs and butter, and the gas to drive there. Her budget issues were stressful to read about, but she balanced them with portrayals of some really kind, generous co-workers and roommates.
As far as food goes, I learned a lot a...more
As far as food goes, I learned a lot a...more
The American Way of Eating is a groundbreaking book that exposes why Americans eat the way they do, where we get our food, and why food is priced the way it is. Many Americans know that the processed food we eat is not good for us but we still eat it anyway. What the author, Tracie McMillan, strives to uncover is why healthy food is a luxury for the average American. McMillan went undercover working as a grape picker, peach picker, garlic cutter, Wal-Mart produce clerk and a line cook at Applebe...more
If you ever read "nickle and dimed" this book was a lot like it except Ms McMillan did not just take any low paying job, it had to be in the food industry. She had three jobs. The first was working in the fields in California harvesting garlic, then on to Wal-Mart stocking produce and finally working at Applebees as an expeditor. Basically she was tracking food from the field and the journey it takes through America to the consumer. Her notes were extensive and I really enjoyed the depth of her...more
i'm stil pulling my own thoughts together on this essential and hugely enjoyabe book. It will change foodwriting if we let it. In the meantime, the review that hits a lot of the points I'd want to make has already been written by the man who spent 10 years as the editor of the New York Times Book Review. Please check this out.
Before the Food Arrives on Your Plate, So Much Goes on Behind the Scenes
By DWIGHT GARNER
Published: February 20, 2012
One of the first things to like about Tracie McMillan,...more
Before the Food Arrives on Your Plate, So Much Goes on Behind the Scenes
By DWIGHT GARNER
Published: February 20, 2012
One of the first things to like about Tracie McMillan,...more
I found this book interesting, but I have to knock it down a notch for being a ripoff of Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed." It's the exact same concept, but food-focused instead of just general low-wage jobs like Ehrenreich. So much of what she had to say echoed Nickel and Dimed.
But, OK, so it was food-specific, and that was different, and there were interesting anecdotes there. It actually wasn't quite as disturbing as I thought it would be--I mean, yes, there were stories about trimming...more
But, OK, so it was food-specific, and that was different, and there were interesting anecdotes there. It actually wasn't quite as disturbing as I thought it would be--I mean, yes, there were stories about trimming...more
This book is almost as important as The Price of Civilization by Sachs. Clearly he is the more serious writer, the expert in his field while McMillan is more in the Barbara Ehrenreich camp. She immersed herself in the world we depend upon for eating. Her depiction of the fields of California, the good people who bring cheap food to our tables, is heartwarming and wrenching at the same time. For just a few pennies more on the bulb of garlic or bundle of grapes we could pay these people, offer the...more
In The American Way of Eating the author essentially sets out to discover why Americans eat so poorly, how we came to do so and what it would take to make everyone, even the poorest, eat better. It is a praiseworthy ambition, but I don't think she quite hit the mark. The author chooses to explore the American way of eating by traveling around the country to live and work with various employees of the industrial food system. She works with migrant field workers in California, produce stockers in...more
Apr 08, 2012
Leilani
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Leilani by:
New York Times, Rachel Maddow
Shelves:
food
Really, McMillan's experiences working at Wal-Mart and Applebee's didn't tell me anything I hadn't already surmised from my experiences shopping and eating there - Wal-Mart's produce isn't fresh and a lot of corners get cut; people eat at Applebee's not for fresh meals but but for the experience of dining out with friends. But she wrote about those experiences, and her struggles living on a minimum-wage budget and having the time and energy to cook healthfully, in a clear and appealing voice.
Th...more
Th...more
I admire Tracie's dedications in writing this book, she walks-the-walks to provide her readers a dynamic view of the food industry, and not just replying on research datas. I do believe that by understanding how foods come from is a essential step for anyone to appreciate foods.
Tracie did raise some good questions, why fresh food shouldn't be as important as water and electricity, which is available to nearly every American? Do we all "commercialized" foods as a consumer goods instead of a nece...more
Tracie did raise some good questions, why fresh food shouldn't be as important as water and electricity, which is available to nearly every American? Do we all "commercialized" foods as a consumer goods instead of a nece...more
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| The Giving Table ...: Part 1: Farming | 3 | 10 | Jun 13, 2012 10:31am |
A working-class transplant from rural Michigan, Brooklyn-based writer Tracie McMillan is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table. Mixing immersive reporting, undercover investigative techniques and “moving first-person narrative” (Wall Street Journal), McMillan’s book argues for thinking of fresh,...more
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“Today, if you pay a[n US] dollar for a pound of apples in the supermarketm only about six cents covers the farmwork used to get it there; (...)”
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