The Gospel of Food: Everything You Think You Know About Food Is Wrong (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his latest debunking project (after The Culture of Fear), sociologist Glassner argues that "everything you think you know about food is wrong." And Glassner really does take on almost everything, from Atkins to vegans, with particularly hard jabs at those who, in the name of nutrition, take the fun out of food. This includes some well-known food writers, the manufacturers of "fat-free" foods, as well as "natural" and "organic" offerings—but surprisingly, he stands up for irradiated "Frankenfoods" and for some processed fast food. Later, he tackles the American obesity "epidemic." Here, too, he finds conventional wisdom more mythic than real, with so much conflicting evidence (the book is formidably researched and footnoted) that he finds himself wondering if obesity really matters and concludes that it probably doesn't, much. Only two conventional bits of wisdom survive Glassner's skeptical approach: the rich really are thinner than the poor, and four-star restaurant cooking really is delicious. Glassner's myth-busting information is useful, but at times he takes jabs in too many directions, losing narrative focus. (Jan. 2)
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Review

"A master at the art of dissecting research." -- New York Times Book Review

"Everybody eats. The only question is what. Call this a sane guide." -- Paco Underhill, bestselling author of Why We Buy

"Glassner exposes the strained interpretations, ‘prejudices dressed up as science,’ and pure fabrications behind much received wisdom." -- New York Times

"It’s hard not to root for Glassner as he tilts against modern food dogma." -- Wall Street Journal

"Persuasive... Americans take their concern over healthy eating to unnecessarily extreme levels... amusingly skewers one food fad after another." -- Library Journal

"Provocatively examines everything all of us have held near and dear about the food we eat... surprising, gutsy and fun." -- Ed Levine, author of New York Eats, food writer, New York Times

"Pure fun to read . . . Glassner is methodical and relentless in his exploration." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Remarkable... [for] people who are tired of being bludgeoned by the `nutrition police' or the elite food critics." -- Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice

"Such a smart and engaging writer... many people--sociologists, students, foodies, observers of popular culture--would adore it." -- Pepper Schwartz, bestselling author, Professor of Sociology at University of Washington

"a well-timed brick through the plate glass window of conventional wisdom ... He gives you plenty to think about." -- Anthony Bourdain

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; First Edition edition (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060501219
• ISBN-13: 978-0060501211
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #564,399 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Arguing for a balanced perspective ... and eating habits, March 26, 2007

By	Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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"Call it the perfectibility trap, this impulse to idealize some foods while devaluing others that are plenty good for their intended purposes but don't further a pet view of proper eating." - Barry Glassner

Perhaps you know someone whom THE GOSPEL OF FOOD author Barry Glassner would call a "devotee of the doctrine of naught", i.e. one who eats food based on what it doesn't contain - too much in the way of calories, fat, sodium, cholesterol, sugar, animal products, preservatives, genetic modifications, or whatever - rather than what it does. And once an acceptable foodstuff is decided upon, it's portioned and weighed and toted up for the day's ration. To such a person, mention of any yearning for a cheeseburger incurs a look of scornful contempt that would wither the most blithe of souls. Such a person is an unofficial member of the Food Police. ("Badges!? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!!")

Perhaps you're one of them.

A professor of sociology at USC, Glassner hopes to persuade the reader to accept a more balanced perspective of the food they eat that can perhaps be summarized as, "Eat what you want in moderation; eat food for what it is rather than what it's not; enjoy one of life's great pleasures because you've only one life to live."

Glassner is, of course, at odds with the hand-wringing government nannies and assorted self-proclaimed nutritional do-gooders that say you're too fat because you eat the wrong foods - especially fast foods - and are doomed to a premature death. With that in mind, perhaps the most interesting chapter in THE GOSPEL OF FOOD is "What Made America Fat", in which Barry examines the reasons ranging from the probable, such as the binge eating of constant dieters, to the interestingly plausible, such as adenovirus-36, to the downright improbable, such as inadequate breast feeding as an infant. Indeed, after referencing the iconoclastic book by law professor Paul Campos,The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health- see my 6/14/2005 review entitled "Recommended reading for all past and present 'husky boys'" - Glassner reiterates:

"... not a single published study demonstrates that heart disease among the overweight and moderately obese results from their heft rather than from other factors that contribute to obesity and heart disease, such as smoking, poverty, stress, genetic predisposition, physical activity, depression, and quality of medical care."

I give my read books away to friends, usually in pristine condition. This one, I fear, has a stain of Secret Sauce and a smear of french fry grease on page 173 because I, like Glassner:

"... can't help but wonder how hundreds of millions of people have enjoyed fast-food burgers and lived to tell the tale if Mother Nature had entirely different plans."

On my death-bed - perhaps sooner, perhaps later - I may have cause to remember a particularly delicious meal I once ate. I can assure you that it won't be my dear wife's stir-fried veg with tofu chunks, which, bless her good intentions, is edible enough. Rather, it may be that deep-dish, pepperoni, sausage and mushroom pizza dripping with melted cheese and grease, and washed down with a cold beer, because, for an all too fleeting span of time, it contributed to a life worth living. I think Glassner would agree.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Eat, Do Not Miss This Book, January 2, 2007

By	Laurie Winer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've closely followed all of the food books of the past year (Pollan, Buford, Kamp, etc.), and "The Gospel of Food" stands apart for several reasons. Glassner is a sociologist and - if not as "literary" a writer as Pollan et al - his book is clearer, more astringent and freer of romantic authorial stances. "Gospel" provides an excellent opportunity to assess the food wisdom of the past years while adding immeasurably to the public's knowledge. Loving the counter-intuitive argument, Glassner (also author of bestseller "The Culture of Fear"), makes us reconsider our superstitions and most entrenched and most beloved ideas about food and culture. Fast food: not as universally evil as Morgan Spurlock and others would have you believe. Restaurant culture in American: about as democratic as Versailles under Antoinette. Health professionals: Mostly P.T. Barnums, armed with unbelievably spurious data. Make no mistake, this is an important book for anyone who cares about how we live now.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a breath of fresh air, March 25, 2008

By	UrsulaElsa - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gospel of Food: Everything You Think You Know About Food Is Wrong (Hardcover)

This book gives a different, and much appreciated perspective on nutrition and eating. For years I've suspected that the diet fascists were wrong. One day it's oat bran, then it's olive oil, then it's trans fat free....where does it end? We're on fat free diets and getting fatter than ever. This book offers a dose of sanity to the diet craziness.