I was wary of this book. I do wish there were more characters of size in novels--everyone is wish-fulfillment slender or appealingly plush, no monumen...moreI was wary of this book. I do wish there were more characters of size in novels--everyone is wish-fulfillment slender or appealingly plush, no monumental Mrs. Mingotts these days. But in a wearying culture of obesity panic, I was understandably worried when I heard that one of the main characters is depicted as obese because she eats too much. That is THE story we tell about obesity, even though there are many other reasons why a body might be obese.
But it is a true story for some folks, so I decided that wasn't a good enough reason to shun. Then the opening chapter began with a girl who'd tried and failed Teach for America, and I was sold. Personal experience aside, I could see that this was a book that loved its characters for their strengths but didn't flinch at their weaknesses.
That remained true all the way through. There were a few false notes, usually when the narration introduced bit players and tried to sum up their past-present-and-future instead of alluding and letting a little tell a lot. But the main characters--the whole Middlestein clan--were fleshed out in pulsing, courageous, cowering detail, and I appreciated that complexity of their family relationships. (SO glad we're all over the Freudian family romance at this point in literary history.)
As a food writer, I appreciated that Edie Middlestein's eating was given some dignity and depth. Edie is no bestial overeater or lazy slob, the spectres most feared by obesity panickers. Her eating is mindful, purposeful, sensual. She loves the way food tastes, loves to disappear into the pleasure of taste, thinks about it all the time. And she is good at it: she can be as busy and efficient at eating as she is at her legal work or volunteerism. That's interesting, not the story we usually tell, and for me this portrayal pulled the book up from "I liked it" to "I really liked it" and "I will be mulling this over for awhile."(less)
I suspect I would have been more engaged by the book if I had started with a working knowledge of the stock market. But I appreciated the crisp, strai...moreI suspect I would have been more engaged by the book if I had started with a working knowledge of the stock market. But I appreciated the crisp, straightforward telling, and the snapshots of market men wrangling the very solid realities of foodstuffs into the more abstract systems of money and commerce. (less)
This is a great collection, and I'm certainly glad that it is organized in the order as it is. The introduction lays a wonderful foundation for consid...moreThis is a great collection, and I'm certainly glad that it is organized in the order as it is. The introduction lays a wonderful foundation for considering food via different philosophy routes; this is definitely an intro to excerpt for your food-themed humanities courses. The first few essays were delightful and--for me, with my particular research interests--useful considerations of eating through aesthetic and cultural lenses; I'll likely be quoting these.
The bulk of the book is dedicated to far heavier material, both quantitative and polemic considers of whether certain kinds of food (mostly meat) are safe or ethical to eat. This is important stuff, and I'll be thankful to have some of the data if I ever wade into a substantial argument on the subject. But from the introduction I had expected to see a more balanced representation of the various threads of philosophy or more essays that integrated various philosophical concerns. Without that intersection of disciplines and concerns, for my purposes the book is one-third stimulating, pleasurable read and two-thirds reference.(less)
Writing is not Michael Pollan's strong suit. It took me several weeks of subway reading to slog through this short collection of essays.
But the thesis...moreWriting is not Michael Pollan's strong suit. It took me several weeks of subway reading to slog through this short collection of essays.
But the thesis is interesting--Pollan recasts the relationship between plants and humans as a symbiotic one, in which people do not so much domesticate plants as facilitate the plants' own reproductive agenda--and the historical details, particularly in the chapters on apples and tulips, were compelling enough to keep me reading. I think I like those sections best because the apples' and tulips' evolutionary edge was to appeal to the better parts of human nature: the love of sweetness and beauty.
Besides, it was good to know about applejack before it started appearing in all of Philly's cocktail bars.(less)
I'm glad this book exists. It was a pleasure to re-visit childhood favorites (Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mary Poppins, Nancy Drew, Willie Wonka, oh my!) and...moreI'm glad this book exists. It was a pleasure to re-visit childhood favorites (Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mary Poppins, Nancy Drew, Willie Wonka, oh my!) and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I'm glad that there is an essay collection that offers a broad survey of food scenes in children's literature, definitely a fascinating topic if not one that I plan to examine in my own work.
However, none of the essays really struck me as a critical approach to food - or rather, when I hear "critical approaches" I'm expecting to see a range of theories engaged to draw out different nuances and useful arguments, and that's not what you'll get here. The stronger essays use comparisons and straight-up analysis of the narrative elements to make their case, the way I ask my Intro to Lit students to do. Many essays do not do much more than but offer up a sampler - occurances of oranges in literature, for example. This is pretty useful for someone who is looking for examples of this or that in literary texts, but less so for building up a literary food theory.(less)
"I would certainly recommend Foodies: it is definitely an academic book and a work of sociology, not necessarily a casual read, but I found their argu...more"I would certainly recommend Foodies: it is definitely an academic book and a work of sociology, not necessarily a casual read, but I found their argument accessible and readable as well as compelling." More here: http://scenesofeating.com/2013/01/25/...(less)
This book is as opulent and sensuous as the title suggests. Although the characters and narrative go through long stretches of poverty, war, and depri...moreThis book is as opulent and sensuous as the title suggests. Although the characters and narrative go through long stretches of poverty, war, and deprivation, everyone is so hungry for beauty and deliciousness and romance that they find it, even if they have to root it out of the earth. So the novel is immensely satisfying to read in some respects - the description of food and meals is glorious! - but frustrating in another, as none of the characters exhibit the same sensitivity and mastery when it comes to love and friendship. Lovers and spouses are forever calling each other by names the other does not like, spending years apart, sending useless presents and withholding much-desired demonstrations of affection. It's realistic, I suppose, but a little discouraging.(less)
Rounded up from 2.5. Reads like a dissertation that was rather hastily published: flat, too many copyediting errors, offers a broad survey of books re...moreRounded up from 2.5. Reads like a dissertation that was rather hastily published: flat, too many copyediting errors, offers a broad survey of books read and decent readings, but not an engaging argument. Secondary sources are dropped in at odd angles to the texts they are meant to commment upon. Still, if you're a food-focused literary scholar, you're going to have to read it, and the bibliography should be very useful.(less)
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