For fans of Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman, Josh Schonwald delivers a fascinating investigation into the trends and technologies that are transforming the world of food before our very eyes—from Alice Waters's micro farm to nanotechnology and beyond. Building upon the knowledge base we have gained from such books as The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Schonwald takes our contemporary conversation about food a step further, debunking myths, clarifying controversies (such as the current storm over GMOs, or genetically modified organisms), and exploring the wild possibilities that food science and chemical engineering are making realities today—from food pills to new species of scratch-built fish.
The Taste of Tomorrow: Dispatches from the Future of Food
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Josh Schonwald is an adventurous reporter and engaging writer whose appetite for his subject, so to speak, produces prose with just the right leavening of humor. If we are what we eat, his real subject is cultural self- definition” (Ron Rosenbaum, author of Explaining Hitler and The Shakespeare Wars )
“In his candid, sensible survey, Schonwald weighs carefully the pros and cons of our well-intentioned, but often blindsided ‘foodie fundamentalism.’” (Publishers Weekly )
“The Taste of Tomorrowis a fascinating adventure through what will controversially, inevitably, and desirably be on your grocery list of the future.” (Dan Koeppel, author of Banana: The Fate of the the Fruit that Changed the World )
“[An] enthusiastic exploration of a range of possible food futures.” (Booklist )
“The author effectively pairs his personal experiences with significant research, interviews and lively anecdotes. An articulate food book that has an opinion without being preachy and that exudes a joy about food without being oversimplified.” (Kirkus Reviews )
“Schonwald is a good-natured and curious guide whose lightness of touch keeps you reading. A non-foodie at the start, he grows into his quest, championing sustainable, local and even genetically modified food to help feed the world.” (Financial Times )
“[Schonwald] has come up with a great deal of interesting information, much of which will surprise people who eat food without giving much thought to where it comes from.” (Washington Post )
“This is a fun book…Schonwald has the talent to explain serious, complicated issues in ways the average reader will understand. He does it in an entertaining, often irreverent way that keeps you turning the pages…a provocative book.” (Chicago Tribune )
“…all this food exploration is divided into manageable and palate-pleasing bites.” (Associated Press )
“In his candid, sensible survey, Schonwald weighs carefully the pros and cons of our well-intentioned, but often blindsided ‘foodie fundamentalism.’” (Publishers Weekly )
“The Taste of Tomorrowis a fascinating adventure through what will controversially, inevitably, and desirably be on your grocery list of the future.” (Dan Koeppel, author of Banana: The Fate of the the Fruit that Changed the World )
“[An] enthusiastic exploration of a range of possible food futures.” (Booklist )
“The author effectively pairs his personal experiences with significant research, interviews and lively anecdotes. An articulate food book that has an opinion without being preachy and that exudes a joy about food without being oversimplified.” (Kirkus Reviews )
“Schonwald is a good-natured and curious guide whose lightness of touch keeps you reading. A non-foodie at the start, he grows into his quest, championing sustainable, local and even genetically modified food to help feed the world.” (Financial Times )
“[Schonwald] has come up with a great deal of interesting information, much of which will surprise people who eat food without giving much thought to where it comes from.” (Washington Post )
“This is a fun book…Schonwald has the talent to explain serious, complicated issues in ways the average reader will understand. He does it in an entertaining, often irreverent way that keeps you turning the pages…a provocative book.” (Chicago Tribune )
“…all this food exploration is divided into manageable and palate-pleasing bites.” (Associated Press )
From the Back Cover
A fascinating look at the people, trends, and technologies transforming the food of today and tomorrow
In The Taste of Tomorrow, journalist Josh Schonwald sets out on a journey to investigate the future of food. His quest takes him across the country and into farms and labs around the globe. From Alice Waters' microfarm to a Pentagon facility that has quietly shaped American supermarkets, The Taste of Tomorrow is a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse at what we eat today—and what we'll be eating tomorrow.
Schonwald introduces us to a motley group of mad scientists, entrepreneurs, renegade farmers, and food engineers who are revolutionizing the food we eat. We meet the Harvard-trained pedia-trician who wants to change the way humans raise fish; a New York chef who believes he's found the next great ethnic cuisine; a lawyer-turned-nanotechnologist who believes he can solve human nutritional needs without using food.
In this lively and fascinating book, Schonwald explains how new foods happen; why some foods explode on the scene virtually overnight while others take decades—and countless failures—to catch on. And he doesn't shy away from controversy. Although the book begins as a simple search for "the salad, meat, seafood, and pad Thai of the future," Schonwald becomes increasingly focused on finding environmentally friendly foods of the future. Ultimately, he comes to believe that emerging scientific breakthroughs—genetic engineering, nanotechnology, food processing—are essential to feeding the globe's expanding (and hungry) population.
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More About the Author
Josh Schonwald has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Slate. He lives in Evanston, Illinois with his wife, children, and indoor aquaponic system.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I enjoyed reading The Taste of Tomorrow by Josh Schonwald, but didn't take it too seriously. While the author traveled and did do research on the subject of the future of food, he bases his ideas of the future on food based on what is brewing right now and doesn't take into consideration what the world itself will be like---from the environment to economics and scarcity. Because he is a journalist and not a scholar on the subject, putting the "future" at a distant 2035 made the whole book read like science fiction. I'll give him 5 stars for trying, but he was overambitious with this subject.
The reality is, writing about the future of food for an entire planet is a very complex undertaking. Much of what he writes about is highly speculative---like the lab grown meat, for instance--it is still little more than a concept. The scientists have not been able to grown anything even slightly resembling meat that is more than a cell or two and there may not be money to fund the research needed to do so.
The book is also somewhat limited; he covers vegetables, fish and lab grown meat, food pills and ethnic foods.
Yet--the book is entertaining, educational and thought provoking. I enjoyed his descriptions visiting the trade shows, farms and the meat lab in the Netherlands. I appreciated getting the inside scoop on what the vast farms in Salinas look like. And I liked the chapter on ethnic food and our constant quest for the next new food. (According to the food experts, African food seems to be the next big trend...but in 2035? By then, my guess is that the phrase itself ethnic foods will cease to have meaning...)
I think Schonwald would have been better off if he had not used 2035 but the "near future" because he simply does not have enough supporting evidence to show what we'll be eating in almost 25 years.
Update 3/8/12...Just read more about lab grown meat and it will probably be doable in the not so distant future...
The reality is, writing about the future of food for an entire planet is a very complex undertaking. Much of what he writes about is highly speculative---like the lab grown meat, for instance--it is still little more than a concept. The scientists have not been able to grown anything even slightly resembling meat that is more than a cell or two and there may not be money to fund the research needed to do so.
The book is also somewhat limited; he covers vegetables, fish and lab grown meat, food pills and ethnic foods.
Yet--the book is entertaining, educational and thought provoking. I enjoyed his descriptions visiting the trade shows, farms and the meat lab in the Netherlands. I appreciated getting the inside scoop on what the vast farms in Salinas look like. And I liked the chapter on ethnic food and our constant quest for the next new food. (According to the food experts, African food seems to be the next big trend...but in 2035? By then, my guess is that the phrase itself ethnic foods will cease to have meaning...)
I think Schonwald would have been better off if he had not used 2035 but the "near future" because he simply does not have enough supporting evidence to show what we'll be eating in almost 25 years.
Update 3/8/12...Just read more about lab grown meat and it will probably be doable in the not so distant future...
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like "Omnivore's Dilemma" but more forward looking (and frankly more enjoyable to read)
January 30, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
While Pollan asked the question "what should we eat [now]?" this book asks "what should we plan on eating next?" It's hard not to compare the two books as (a) a large portion of the audience to which this is aimed will surely have read OD and (b) they are written in a similar way, following the author in a food quest with a narrative written though their own curious and questing eyes with various guides along the way...and with their own biases. Schonwald (the author of this book) admits a dislike of dairy, unforgiving love of meat, and an obsessive fondness of salad that seems to imply he might not consider any meal eaten after 11 am complete without it.
The book follows his journey though various food realms, constantly asking "what's the next big thing?". Several times the term "killer ap" is used and it seems very appropriate (what's the next big fish? vegetable? etc...) and points out that foods come in trends and topple each other for supremacy (broccoli introduced to Americas in the 1930s, the reign of iceberg now displaced by "spring mix", the prevalence of tilapia in today's supermarket when almost no one would have even been able to tell you it was a type of fish just 10 years ago.) He set the date 2035 as his target to figure out what we might be eating then.
Instead of bemoaning the rise of genetic modification, packaging, and processing...Schonwald is willing to evaluate it and sometimes even embrace it (you'll never look at a FreshExpress plastic salad bag the same way). He's equally willing to give treatment to the argument that allowing for seasonality allows better taste as he is that American's demand of having foods available year round has opened up new marketing potential to bring certain foods into profitability. There's reverence both for the local natural grower and his innovated small and sustainable techniques as there is for the cutting edge scientist making crops disease resistant and capable of standing up to several weeks of travel and storage but in both cases, both voices are allowed to be heard...and to argue against each other though of course the author's voice is heard as well...and you can feel his opinions rise up and even change through the journey. He also gives a wonderfully balanced assessment of GMOs and regulatory issues.
Another interesting aspect is the exploring of America's palate...developing. Liking sweet, but learning slowly to embrace bitter. The way new flavors are adopted is explored (much in the same way technology is...first by a few early adopters and then a few powerful voices that can introduce it to the mainstream where it will catch on or die quickly) along with the quest for ethnicity. He searches for the next ethnicity...
Other parts of the book look at synthetic meat (including the possibility of lab grown), various forms of fish farming and what fishes might be particularly suited for it (and tasty), journeys to food shows and food labs, and a look at the rather sci-fi and kooky - food pills in military labs and nanotech that might eliminate the need to eat at all (this isn't held up as a theory in which the author believes...but does point to the new frontiers being explored in general.)
All in all, it's quite a fun, enjoyable, informative and easy read that I do recommend! I love food history and always love it when it teaches me something new...
The book follows his journey though various food realms, constantly asking "what's the next big thing?". Several times the term "killer ap" is used and it seems very appropriate (what's the next big fish? vegetable? etc...) and points out that foods come in trends and topple each other for supremacy (broccoli introduced to Americas in the 1930s, the reign of iceberg now displaced by "spring mix", the prevalence of tilapia in today's supermarket when almost no one would have even been able to tell you it was a type of fish just 10 years ago.) He set the date 2035 as his target to figure out what we might be eating then.
Instead of bemoaning the rise of genetic modification, packaging, and processing...Schonwald is willing to evaluate it and sometimes even embrace it (you'll never look at a FreshExpress plastic salad bag the same way). He's equally willing to give treatment to the argument that allowing for seasonality allows better taste as he is that American's demand of having foods available year round has opened up new marketing potential to bring certain foods into profitability. There's reverence both for the local natural grower and his innovated small and sustainable techniques as there is for the cutting edge scientist making crops disease resistant and capable of standing up to several weeks of travel and storage but in both cases, both voices are allowed to be heard...and to argue against each other though of course the author's voice is heard as well...and you can feel his opinions rise up and even change through the journey. He also gives a wonderfully balanced assessment of GMOs and regulatory issues.
Another interesting aspect is the exploring of America's palate...developing. Liking sweet, but learning slowly to embrace bitter. The way new flavors are adopted is explored (much in the same way technology is...first by a few early adopters and then a few powerful voices that can introduce it to the mainstream where it will catch on or die quickly) along with the quest for ethnicity. He searches for the next ethnicity...
Other parts of the book look at synthetic meat (including the possibility of lab grown), various forms of fish farming and what fishes might be particularly suited for it (and tasty), journeys to food shows and food labs, and a look at the rather sci-fi and kooky - food pills in military labs and nanotech that might eliminate the need to eat at all (this isn't held up as a theory in which the author believes...but does point to the new frontiers being explored in general.)
All in all, it's quite a fun, enjoyable, informative and easy read that I do recommend! I love food history and always love it when it teaches me something new...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I thought that was going to be someone giving information about what the next great thiings in food were going to be. His target date isn't the next great thing, it's 2035. Now that is looking ahead. How about a food pill that is nuclear powered, and you only one take one every 75 years? How about a sandwhich with a shelf life of 7 years?
The author is allergic to cheese, so he doesn't cover that. He starts out with salads, and gives you more about them then you thought could exist. Like the how the bagged salad came to be, and how really incredablly high-tech it is. Then he moves on to fish, and then to lab grown meat, and then the next ethenic food. The book is just filled with surprising informaiton. Did you know there is a Combat Food Command in the Army? How about a hot meal for 16 soldiers in a suitcase that self-heats in 30 minutes. The stuff in here is really mind-benging.
Bottom line, it's a great book. Just don't read it expecting it to tell you what to go to a restrauant amd try. Although at the end he does give you some meal suggestions, they may not be to your liking. He also, however, gives you some receipes at the end that look pretty good, for cooking things you probably have never heard of.
The author is allergic to cheese, so he doesn't cover that. He starts out with salads, and gives you more about them then you thought could exist. Like the how the bagged salad came to be, and how really incredablly high-tech it is. Then he moves on to fish, and then to lab grown meat, and then the next ethenic food. The book is just filled with surprising informaiton. Did you know there is a Combat Food Command in the Army? How about a hot meal for 16 soldiers in a suitcase that self-heats in 30 minutes. The stuff in here is really mind-benging.
Bottom line, it's a great book. Just don't read it expecting it to tell you what to go to a restrauant amd try. Although at the end he does give you some meal suggestions, they may not be to your liking. He also, however, gives you some receipes at the end that look pretty good, for cooking things you probably have never heard of.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fat City
Here's an uncomfortable truth. Without fertilizers and pesticides, half the world would starve to death. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Petralia
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, Yet Naive
If only the world were going the wonderful way of microfarms and coordinated local produce utilization, then the future of food would look as hopeful as this author paints it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by FatChickDancing
5.0 out of 5 stars
Useful description of possible future directions of food
I thought Schonwald gave a useful and interesting review of the possible future directions of food. Some of the subjects he tackled were quite new to me.
Published 5 months ago by Shetlander
4.0 out of 5 stars
The world needs protein...
A remarkably lively tour of gastronomical futures, Josh Schonwald pursues the next big thing in salads, meat, and fish. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Aaron Gutsell
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very readable look into the future of 'food'
Josh Schonwald's, 'The Taste of Tomorrow' starts off with a look into the year 2035 and type of food your typical restaurant goer will likely encounter in Colorado Springs. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sibelius
4.0 out of 5 stars
Varied, Optimistic and Digestible Account of Food Trends
Josh Schonwald's "The Taste of Tomorrow" is a nonfiction exploration of the future of food. Specifically he explores salads, GMO, sustainable aquafarming, lab grown meat, ethnic... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Neil Dewitte
4.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful look at the future of the food industry
In The Taste of Tomorrow, journalist Josh Schonwald sets out on a journey to investigate the future of food. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Leslie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought Provoking Ideas And Some Reporting
The last few years I have been facinated to read and listen to the various facts and ideas on the future of food, ranging from often-cited Michael Pollan to a suprising recent two... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Lemon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Chatty and entertaining
The best chapters in this book deal with fish-farming and the progress of food factories. There is also a useful discussion of the emergence of 'frankenfoods' that's sure to return... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Lynn Hoffman, author:The Short Course in Beer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Information
I thought the second half of the book should have been at the beginning. I had a hard time getting myself to the point where I wanted to keep reading. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jean Marlene
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