I agree with just about everything you said, yet still I find myself reading on with increasing interest (I’m about 2/3 or so through the book). There’s nothing *new* in here for me so far, but I like the way she describes her take on the the modern food thing and how it has gone so wrong. Yes, she could use some enlightening about some basic biochemistry and the problems with too many carbs, but she’s quite well informed about most of her subject matter. For some people who are just starting to put more thought into their food, this will be a better option than The Omnivore’s Dilemma, as it is less daunting and easier to digest.

I just passed a point in the book where Kingsolver makes it very clear that she doesn’t think it realistic for everyone (or even a large minority) to “get back to the land” and produce their own food, but with a little information and more mindfulness of the land/farmer/food connection going into the consumer’s food decisions, many things would move in a better direction. Too many know nothing at all about food.

So I hope you’ll read on to the end, and then give us your review. I think you probably stopped too soon when your feathers were ruffled by the flippant diet comments.

Cheers,
Anna

Hi Anna–

I’ve always planned to read it through to the end–I just took it off my must read now list when I hit the parts that annoyed me.  I will finish it.

Thanks–

MRE 

I use the word enlightened, because as I’ve learned about it, it does feel like a revelation. The effects on my body from eliminating the unbelievable amount of carbs that I was eating have been wonderful. I used to joke that I have purely organic fat on my body – because as you said – I was eating wonderfully, decadent organic and local food. Delicious, but not so great for my health.

Eating foods from local farmers is very important to me – I’m finding that eating low carb from local sources is much easier than trying to eat low fat from local sources (I think low-fat depends on too many pre-made items). It’s definitely doable – I have my CSA share all set for the summer and I’m all the more motivated to create some wonderful vegetable dishes. I’m also fortunate to have access to local meat sources.

I think the effort to eat local is one worth making and it can be done without the holier-than-though attitude that is sometimes taken.

I agree 100 percent.

MRE 

I saw a review of this book, and as usual, was amazed that old hippie back-to-the-lander stuff keeps getting re-treaded these days. Why read this book? Just dig up a year’s worth of issues from the Mother Earth News from the early or mid 1970′s and read the same stuff, with the added fillip of campy nostalgia for long calico skirts and playing the dulcimer and singing folk songs ’round the Vermont Castings Defiant woodstove of an evening.

robyn cardy

Hi robyn–

I think the long calico skirts may be coming back in.

Cheers–

MRE 

I have almost totally eliminated using a car. I bicycle everywhere that is within 20 miles of my house. If they really cared about the environment, they would not be using an automobile at all.

Hi Mike–

I suppose that since I use my car daily that I must really hate the environment.

Cheers–

MRE 

The Mom was holier-than-thou about keeping vegetarian even though the hand-made macaroni for her ‘healthy’ mac and cheese cost more than meat did in 1900. She burned it and the sullen obnoxious younger son refused to eat dinner that night. And the mac and cheese was supposed to be a treat because he wouldn’t eat the other glop she made on days 1 and 2.

Since the 1900 carpet sweeper didn’t really pick up anything (big surprise), they had to beat rugs, wash sheets in a huge vat of boiling water with lye soap etc., and were exhaused by 10 a.m. Eventually she caved in and bought some sausages from the butcher who dropped by every day, like they did in 1900.

I think it was the plain lye soap instead of shampoo that caused her and her daughter to crack. The whining and crying in the private-room-with-camera was hard to take, so I never saw the final episodes.

Hi Deirdra–

I never saw the show, and from your description, I don’t think I’ll make a huge effort to track it down and watch it.

Cheers–

MRE

Hi Grandma Ann–

Don’t totally diss it until I give the full review.  It may turn out to be great.

Cheers–

MRE 

Hi Kevin–

I agree with you to an extent here.  One can compensate for an increased carb intake if one indulges in hard physical work.  That’s one of the reasons the rural Chinese are thin and have low rates of heart disease despite a diet fairly high in carbohydrate: they work like crazy.  The urban Chinese are a different story, however.  They eat a high-carb diet, but don’t do the hard work, and they have rates of heart disease greater than we do in the US.

I have to argument with the idea that better quality food, hard physical work, reduction of stress (the people you mention built their portfolios BEFORE making the switch) and a lot of sunshine will make one healthier and thinner.  But I have the same argument that I do with the Ornish diet.  He makes health claims for his diet when the diet is only a part of his overall regimen, the rest of which is pretty good.  Same here.  If the people you mention did the hard work, got the sunshine, kept their stress low and ate a low-carb diet, I suspect they would be even healthier.

Cheers–

MRE