The Real Food Revival [Mass Market Paperback]

Sherri Brooks Vinton (Author), Ann Clark Espuelas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2005

Say good-bye to flavorless tomatoes, mealy apples, and "mystery meats." Say hello to the way food used to taste-and still can.

The Real Food Revival is a book of celebration and indulgence, an ode to culinary delight, and an indispensable reference guide for food lovers everywhere. It takes you through the delicious process of filling your pantries (and tummies) with Real Food. Simply put, Real Food is: delicious, produced as locally as possible, sustainable, affordable, and accessible.

In The Real Food Revival, readers will learn how to find Real Food wherever they shop, and how to navigate the jargon-organic, eco-friendly, fresh, fresh-frozen, cage-free, GMO-free, fair-trade, grass-fed, grain-finished-in order to make meaningful choices. The book also informs readers about alternative Real Food sources such as CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture systems), direct-from-the-farm, and the Internet.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. We long for days gone by, when farmers were plentiful and prosperous, produce was free of chemicals and cows weren't mad. What can we do to return to safer, more flavorful and natural food? Vinton and Espuelas answer that question via this information-packed, well-written volume. The authors aren't dietitians, but they are excellent researchers and top-notch storytellers who love delicious food and believe it should not come at a cost to our health and to farmers' livelihood. They track the effects post-WWII industrialization has had on our food chain (sick animals, damaged land and oceans) and the unreal food that results. And they exhort us to consider that our food-shopping choices can transform not only our meals, but our landscape, society and culture, too. Profiles of independent farmers, bakers and cheese makers are inspiring (and include contact information). Grocery store aisle-by-aisle primers on food-centric terms and labels explain, for instance, the difference between "artesian well water," "mineral water" and "spring water," or the reasons why "corn-fed beef" isn't as wholesome as it sounds. This book gives readers tools for change, offering hope for a future rife with sustainable and flavorful food.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Americans have become so used to shopping for food at supermarkets and giant discount warehouses that they have utterly lost the connection between food producers and those who eat what they produce. The authors of this treatise advocate for consumers to become aware of the food they eat, where it comes from, and how it's processed before it reaches their tables. They caution against consumer acceptance of genetically modified products. They suggest that wise consumers seek out local dairy producers and that they cultivate productive relationships with purveyors of meats and seafood. Taking this a step further, Vinton and Espuelas outline how consumers can effect positive change through co-ops and buying clubs. Interspersed among these prescriptions are profiles of farms and food suppliers involved in the promotion of sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry. An inventory of relevant books and a list of online resources help readers put in practice the book's food selection principles. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (June 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585424218
• ISBN-13: 978-1585424214
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #502,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

About Sherri
You might expect a food epiphany to strike in the kitchen, at the table, maybe in the market. For Sherri Brooks Vinton her 'aha' moment came on the back of a motorcycle. A cross-country tour brought her face-to-face with the negative impacts of industrial agriculture and compelled her to trade in her career as a dot .com executive to begin a quest for food raised with integrity.

Sherri's discussions and workshops on "how to reclaim the food chain" have been offered at a variety of venues across the country. She is honored to have been featured on a number of radio programs including WHYY's "A Chef's Table" and television programs such as "Living Fresh" on Discovery's Health Channel. Sherri is a frequent contributor to Edible Nutmeg. Her monthly newsletter, "Farm Friendly," is a resource of advice and recipes for anyone who wants to join this exciting food movement.

Sherri is a former Governor of Slow Food USA and is a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Chefs Collaborative.

Sherri is currently touring with her new book, Put 'Em Up! which is an eater's guide to preserving the harvest. For more information about Sherri or to sign up for her newsletter, Farm Friendly, visit http://www.sherribrooksvinton.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one is a keeper!, August 13, 2005

By 

K. Cosar (Norwalk, CT. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Real Food Revival (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought I was a well informed consumer, but this book filled me with even more knowledge and understanding of all of the decieving food lingo out there. It busted some major foody myths as well. Such as, "free range" and "antibiotic and hormone free chicken"! What GMO's truly are and what their future ramifications might be. Fascinating and shocking revelations on Food additives, surplus crops, and a breakdown of confusing FDA babble on prepackage/prepared items. Do have a pen and paper beside you as well. The author provides you with internet locations of all the wonderful sustainable products she details. Products like grass fed beef, cheeses, heritage breeds, and organic produce can all be sourced from this book. The Real Food Revival explains how the food industry conglomerates took a wrong turn about 50 years ago and what some farmers are doing, and really what we as the consumers need to be aware of to reclaim what we deserve! Truly delicious and sustainable real food. As someone who believes that "You are what you eat" I am so grateful for the information I found in this book. I feel empowered when I shop now. I am much more well versed on the tricky jargon of food labels. I highly recommend this book!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Opening, Inspiring and Practical, June 27, 2005

By 

Wallis NY - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Food Revival (Mass Market Paperback)

This book opened my eyes -- I love great food and I want to be a good citizen, but I always thought "eating right" meant eating "wholesome" but tasteless food. The authors have researched the (sorry) state of our food chain, what we as consumers can do about it, and in the end, offer a hopeful and practical approach to eating well and doing right by our planet. I can't help but think that they love luscious eating as much as I do. What really surprised and inspired me was the idea that by changing my behavior just a little bit, I could have a significant impact on the environment, farmers, and animals, while significantly increasing my access and enjoyment of great food. Whereas books about "good" food tend to be impractical paeans to an idealized world that no one can live up to, The Real Food Revival seems like a sensible road map to great eating and responsible living. Good choice for both foodies and crunchy granola types.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Food Revival, August 15, 2005

By 

Charles F. Eisenberger "Chuck E." (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Real Food Revival (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the finest book I have ever read about nutritious food and where to find it. If you wish to learn how bad the food you buy at the super market is and how it has been treated without regard to your health please read this book. If you are concered about your health and the health of your family please read this book. Finally, someone tells us what and how to eat healthy. I feel so much better after reading this book.