Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen [Paperback]

Anna Lappe (Author), Bryant Terry (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 6, 2006

In the past few years, organic food has moved out of the patchouli-scented aisles of hippie food co-ops and into three-quarters of conventional grocery stores. Concurrent with this growth has been increased consumer awareness of the social and health-related issues around organic eating, independent farming, and food production.

Combining a straight-to-the-point exposé about organic foods (organic doesn't mean fresh, natural, or independently produced) and the how-to's of creating an affordable, easy-touse organic kitchen, Grub brings organics home to urban dwellers. It gives the reader compelling arguments for buying organic food, revealing the pesticide industry's influence on government regulation and the extent of its pollution in our waterways and bodies.

With an inviting recipe section, Grub also offers the millions of people who buy organics fresh ideas and easy ways to cook with them. Grub's recipes, twenty-four meals oriented around the seasons, appeal to eighteen- to forty-year-olds who are looking for fun and simple meals. In addition, the book features resource lists (including music playlists to cook by), unusual and illuminating graphics, and every variety of do-it yourself tip sheets, charts, and checklists.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This smart, engaging work deftly blends polemic, lifestyle guidance and cooking expertise. The daughter of writer Francis Moore Lappé (Diet for a Small Planet) and medical ethicist Marc Lappé, coauthor Lappé wears her pedigree well, arguing passionately and articulately for the organic lifestyle (Terry is a chef and food justice activist). Early chapters explore how the advent of commercial agriculture and mass-manufactured food has led American eaters down a path to obesity and disease while undermining the local economies of farming communities and, in many cases, encouraging the exploitation of both labor and natural resources. The answer: to adopt a "grub" lifestyle that is both healthy and ethical. The "Seven Steps to a Grub Kitchen" chapter suggests readers commit more time to cooking and eating, and use local resources like co-ops and farmers markets, while describing how to best prep a kitchen with tools and pantry supplies. The recipes portion offers seasonal, international, health-conscious menus aimed at young, hip readers, with themes like "Afrodiasporic Cookout" (Grilled Corn and Heirloom Tomato Salad, Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs, Fresh Green Beans, Good Grilled Okra, Ginger Beer) and "Straight-Edge Punk Brunch Buffet (DIY)" (Spicy Tempeh Sausage Patties, French Toast with Blueberry Coulis). (Apr.)
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About the Author

Anna Lappé is the co-author with her mother, Frances Moore Lappé, of the national bestselling Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet (Tarcher/Penguin 2002). Her second book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, will be out from Tarcher/Penguin in Spring 2006. The co-founder of the Small Planet Institute and the Small Planet Fund, Anna's articles and op-eds have been widely published, appearing in The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune, and the Globe and Mail, among others. Anna is a sought after public speaker and commentator on food politics, globalization, and the media and has been featured in Organic Style, Utne, and O: The Oprah Magazine. In 2002, she was the first recipient of the Bioneers Youth Award, given annually to leaders under thirty who have made a national impact and in 2004 was included in Organic Style's "50 Environmental Power List." She is a Food and Society Policy Fellow, a national program of the WK Kellogg Foundation. A graduate of Brown University, Anna received her Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. She has worked in South Africa, England, and France, and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (April 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585424595
• ISBN-13: 978-1585424597
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Organic Cooking

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired! May 2, 2006

By Laura Loescher

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are a lot of things that I love about this book. First, the authors use humor to present some really serious news, simplifying a set of complex factors that have led to our very broken food "industry". Second, they artfully show the intersection of the health, environmental and social justice issues that play out in food production and food choices. Third, they remind us that eating healthfully doesn't mean we're limited to tofu veggie stir fries and rice cakes every day of the week. Finally, Grub is really accessible, and is a perfect tool for educating friends and family members about these issues without worrying about offending anyone by saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment.

I already consider myself a healthy eater - but after reading Grub, I feel so much more inspired to make thoughtful choices, buy from my local farmers market and have more fun creating beautiful, delicious and healthy meals. Just in time for summer!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPER? yes Ficial? NO May 5, 2006

By M. Rockamann

Format:Paperback

I have to say I was extremely surprised to see this book deemed "superficial" by reviewer "the librarian" below. Grub is anything but.

Specifically, "the abundantly documented health and environmental ills of the the meat and dairy industry and the massive disinformation campaigns of those industries" are indeed highlighted in Grub, in which Lappe outlines six illusions of our modern day food supply. A whole chapter on health delves into many of the health ramifications of industrial food. I'm guessing the reviewer "librarian" hasn't read the book?

One of the things I really appreciate about Grub, is the non-dogmatic way it goes about informing the reader about good food. Yes, there are clear lines at times between good and bad food. For example, it is very easy to make the distinction between a generic label milk product bought from Wal-Mart produced by a cow pumped with hormones and antibiotics, and fed GM soy and corn in a closed feedlot & a small organic dairy farm 30 miles from your home that you buy milk from on a weekly basis at the farmer's market. Easy distinction.

But when it comes to many of our food choices, there are grey areas, that need to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. For example, would you choose certified organic broccoli (grown in California) OR whatever locally-grown green vegetable you can find, that may not be organic? Support a far-away farmer that upholds the organic standards and practices sound ecological methods, or support a close-to-home farmer that has not yet phased out all chemicals from production? It's a tough call from an environmental and health standpoint, and I don't pretend to have the answer. Perhaps this is what the author means about it not being so clear and easy to write off some foods as good and others as bad. With her well-informed analysis in Grub and previous excellence in Hope's Edge, I'm certainly inclined to think so.

Librarian in Asheville, I encourage you to give this book a closer look.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Get it! May 5, 2006

By Ryan Zinn

Format:Paperback

As someone who reads and reviews dozens of books on food and farming each year, I highly recommend Grub. Where else can you find a great read, cookbook, and party planer, all rolled into one?

Very rarely does a book as complete and engaging as Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, make it to the mainstream. Grub, as defined by the authors, Anna Lapp? and Bryan Terry, is "healthy, local, sustainable food for all... food that supports community, justice, and sustainability." Blending a healthy mix of information, analysis, and scrumptious recipes, Grub is the ideal kitchen, classroom, or bedside companion for all things food. Part 1 is a well-written expos? of the industrial food complex, replete with revealing graphics and information. Part 2 features a diverse cookbook that champions seasonal and whole foods, from vegan to carnivorous options.

The most exciting part Grub is its underlying objective: to build community around a just and sustainable food system. Grub provides a guide to throwing "Grub Parties," complete with recipes and discussion guides, making this book not only a fantastic catalyst to taking the next step in rescuing our food system.

If you are going to buy one book on food or farming this year, Grub is the one to get.

Ryan Zinn

Organic Consumers Association