Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen (Paperback)

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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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Product Description

From making healthy food choices and preparing mouth-watering meals, to unmasking corporate flimflam and supporting sustainable farming, here is the complete guide for the young, the hip, the socially tuned-in - and for all who want to eat real food.

In the past few decades, organic food has moved out of the patchouli-scented aisles of food co-ops and into over three-quarters of conventional grocery stores. Hand-in-glove, more and more of us are becoming aware of the social, environmental, and health benefits of organic eating, independent farming, and promoting "fair food."

Combining a straight-to-the-point exposé about the fake food filling our supermarkets and the compelling reasons for choosing organic, local, "fair" food, Grub helps all of us become a part of one of the most hopeful movements of the new century: a revolution in food and farming that is best for our bodies and the earth.

With spirited and practical how-to's for creating an affordable, easy-to-use organic kitchen and dozens of delectable recipes, Grub also offers the millions of people who buy organics fresh ideas and easy ways to cook with them. From the Valentine's Day Decadence Dinner to the Straight-Edge Punk Brunch Buffet, Grub includes over a dozen menus paired with soundtracks to cook (and party) by and artwork and poetry evoking the spirit of Grub.

If organic food has a user's guide, this is it.

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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: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,093 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #17 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Organic Cooking
  #74 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Environment > Ecology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired!, May 2, 2006

By	Laura Loescher (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	M. Rockamann (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Ryan Zinn (Anchorage) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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