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Michael Ruhlman

Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America Paperback – May 29, 2018

by Michael Ruhlman (Author)

167 ratings

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In Grocery, bestselling author Michael Ruhlman offers incisive commentary on America's relationship with its food and investigates the overlooked source of so much of it—the grocery store.

In a culture obsessed with food—how it looks, what it tastes like, where it comes from, what is good for us—there are often more questions than answers. Ruhlman proposes that the best practices for consuming wisely could be hiding in plain sight—in the aisles of your local supermarket. Using the human story of the family-run Midwestern chain Heinen's as an anchor to this journalistic narrative, he dives into the mysterious world of supermarkets and the ways in which we produce, consume, and distribute food. Grocery examines how rapidly supermarkets—and our food and culture—have changed since the days of your friendly neighborhood grocer. But rather than waxing nostalgic for the age of mom-and-pop shops, Ruhlman seeks to understand how our food needs have shifted since the mid-twentieth century, and how these needs mirror our cultural ones.

A mix of reportage and rant, personal history and social commentary, Grocery is a landmark book from one of our most insightful food writers.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Abrams Press
Publication date

May 29, 2018
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

1419729535
ISBN-13

978-1419729539
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Ruhlman has collaborated on several bestselling cookbooks, including The French Laundry Cookbook, Bouchon, and Alinea. He is the author of critically acclaimed books including The Soul of a Chef, The Elements of Cooking, Ratio, and Ruhlman’s Twenty. Ruhlman has written about food and cooking for the New York Times, Gourmet, Food Arts, and other publications. He lives in New York City.

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Product details

Publisher : Abrams Press; Reprint edition (May 29, 2018)
Language : English
Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1419729535
ISBN-13 : 978-1419729539
Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #296,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #182 in Agriculture Industry (Books)
- #185 in Restaurant & Food Industry (Books)
- #367 in Hospitality, Travel & Tourism (Books)

Customer Reviews:
167 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		63%
4 star		22%
3 star		10%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Herb F

The fascinating processes that make the mundane supermarket work

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

Really interesting insights into the Grocery business. Who knew all the finagling and wrangling that needed to source the fruits and vegetables we take for granted in the produce section? How many people of my generation had even heard of A&P, the Walmart of retailing years ago? And who can comprehend the sheer volume of food that rolls down those checkout conveyor belts each day?

My only criticism is that the middle third of the book goes into a Michael-Pollanesque discussion about healthfulness of natural foods and avoiding the food-like substances. I agree with the line of reasoning, but I've heard it already -- from Michael Pollan. Thankfully, the third portion of the book returns to the fascinating, often-nerdy aspects of what makes the local supermarket tick.

The book afforded me a great deal of insight (and appreciation!) for something that I used to take for granted.

34 people found this helpful

Helpful

Matthew Davidson

Interesting But Lacking in Addressing the "Business" of Supermarkets

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2019

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Michael Ruhlman is from Cleveland. He likes to write about food. His dad really liked grocery stores. The Ominvore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan is an important book. Much of the food sold in supermarkets is bad. There is one particular Heinen's supermarket in Cleveland that he really likes. Knowing all that in advance could have reduced the page count in Michael Ruhlman's book by half.

Regardless, I generally enjoyed this book. It sheds some insight into the history and evolution of supermarkets and food, with an emphasis on food. Ruhlman talks to nutrition experts, organic farm ranchers, food buyers, and others.

What this book does a mediocre job of covering is the business aspect of supermarkets. Instead of getting anecdotal information from talking to many people affiliated with the smaller Heinen's chain, I would have liked to learn more about the supermarket industry in totality. Heinen's practices are interesting; how do they compare to Kroger and Safeway? How do they compare to stores that are even smaller? What about Aldi and Whole Foods? In the outset, it is stated that supermarkets earn a poor return on investment. Why is that? Certain departments are major money losers. Why? Heinen's supposedly places a lot of value on hiring good people. What goes into that hiring process and how do they foster a certain kind of culture? Why did Heinen's expand into Chicago and why didn't they expand elsewhere? How do sales margins vary for different products and product types? Ruhlman leaves the reader to wonder a lot of things.

15 people found this helpful

Helpful

Eric Mayforth

Superb Examination of the Grocery Business

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2017

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In the United States grocery stores are so commonplace that we generally take them for granted and rarely think about them and just how important they are. Michael Ruhlman grew up in Cleveland with a father who loved grocery stores, and eventually took such an interest in them himself that he wrote "Grocery," this volume that looks at these important places from just about every angle.

Ruhlman discusses some of the history of the retail food business going back more than a century. Twentieth-century giant A&P rose and eventually fell, and change in the industry has been constant—Walmart and Whole Foods have been drivers of change in recent decades. The author focuses on Heinen's, a Cleveland-area chain, and recalls their history in Northeast Ohio. "Grocery" notes how competition between stores and chains of stores affect decisions of individual grocers.

Healthy eating is en vogue in some quarters in America today, and the author describes how chains such as Heinen's make room for healthier products on their shelves to compete with other retailers. Ruhlman talks with the consultant physician for Heinen's on a trip through the store, discussing the poor eating habits of many in the last forty or so years and how they contribute to food-related illnesses, focusing much attention on the detrimental effects of excess sugar.

Ruhlman has chapters in the book about the meat, produce, and frozen foods departments, looking at the operations of each. The author also notes how food producers get their products on grocery store shelves and looks at the forces likely to change grocery stores in the near future, including the rising market for prepared foods, hydroponic farming, and the impact of Amazon.com.

The book closes by discussing the opening of a new Heinen's location in downtown Cleveland and just what the opening of a sizable grocery store can do for such an urban area. This volume even goes over how groceries should be properly bagged and debunks some of the myths about how grocers supposedly try to trick customers. "Grocery" is a thorough look at a topic some might wrongly think mundane, and those of us who worked in a grocery store at some point during high school or college would find the book an especially good read.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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John Maher

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

David Monkhouse

Interesting subject, nor very well developed from a usually outstanding and reliable food writer.

Reviewed in Canada on March 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

I have read almost all of his books and this one is probably the least interesting. The research seems pretty anecdotal. Spend your money on his charcuterie book instead.

Rachelle Lafreniere

Great Product

Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

great book

Mr Peter Auksi

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on February 16, 2018

Verified Purchase

Very fine book - informative and down-to-earth.

Alice Calvy

Tres informatif

Reviewed in France on August 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

Ce livre resume d'une manière assez synthétique et facile à lire, le parcours de notre nourriture et son évolution dans le marché.

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