Fit Fare

Recently, I’ve read quite a few books about challenging and changing our food system, knowing where our food comes from, and how to make the best, most well-informed decisions about eating. Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle, Eric Schlosser… the list goes on and on. Yet Grub is the first one that I’ve read that felt like a fired-up call to action. Sure, these other authors sought to incite our outrage with the current industrial food model and to make us think more about what we are eating, but Grub took all that information (a lot of the same information) and let forth an echoing rally cry - angry, but motivated and hopeful. And considering the target audience, young and urban adults, I feel that the tone is perfectly suited.

First, however, I should let the authors tell you what Grub is:

1. Grub is organic and sustainably raised whole and locally grown foods;
2. Grub is produced with fairness from seed to table;
3. Grub is good for our bodies, our communities, and our environment.
* Grub should be universal…and it’s delicious.

Lappé, with her extensive background in writing about food and the environment, is perfectly suited to write the information and organic food guide section of the book. Meanwhile, Terry, a food-activist chef, developed the seasonal menu cookbook section.

Lappé’s section is incredibly well researched and filled with quotes, references and statistics to back up her points. It was a bit of a dense read, despite her easy conversational writing style. However, I found her focus on bringing about change to be very well thought out and practical. On the “why” end of the spectrum, in part one, she includes a section on “The Six Illusions” of the industrial food model, which are Choice, Safe and Clean, Efficiency, Cheap, Fairness, and Progress - which she then goes on to analyze and explain how they are exactly that: illusions.

On the “how” end, part two of the book focusses on the alternatives to the Industrial model, and tells what the benefits of organics are - both to the environment and to your health, the importance of buying locally, what to look out for on labels, as well as what the organic industry is choosing not to tell us. She includes a great little cheat sheet to use at cocktail parties to explain, in ten short and easy-to-remember points, why eating grub is so importantant. Now, I’m the type of person who sometimes gets caught unaware by some vaguely antagonisitic question about organics at the least opportune time, and find myself fumbling and stumbling to explain myself, only to get frustrated. Then, perhaps a day later, I think of all the intelligent, concise, and eloquent responses I could have said. I’ve therefore decided to memorize these ten points so it never happens again.

Most importantly, for the young urban household, Lappé provides a section on the seven steps to creating a “Grub Kitchen:” how to shop, how to stock a pantry, asking local businesses, shops and restaurants about the foods they sell, even what cookbooks to buy.

The cookbook section of Grub is filled with inspiration, in the form of menus from around the world with fun themes, music to cook to, great cooking tips and even poetry. Perhaps less practical then the first half, but a reminder that ultimately, food should be a fun, creative part of our lives, and not simply a bland and boring fuel.

I think the book can be very effective for inspiring outrage, but even more so for teaching people exactly what they can do to change their food future.

While I alternated between being inspired by the motivating and easily accessible solutions and a bit overwhelmed by the dry dense details, I still highly recommend it, especially for all new households.