Saturday, July 2, 2016

The American Way of Eating

Author: Tracie McMillan
Stars: 2
Review by: Mandy Apgar


I saw a notice for this on the Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap website and was amazed when the owner admitted that she couldn't finish it. So I figured I would try it. I do agree with that reviewer (whose own book is stellar) on a few things - one should certainly care about where their food comes from. The author went undercover of sorts as a produce picker, Walmart stocker, and Applebee's employee to learn about the mechanics of food production from farm to table and why so many in this country are prone to obesity as well as the increasing problem of "food deserts" - highly populated areas that do not have proper access to places offering fresh and healthy choices, thereby causing the residents to choose the more calorie packed items and decreasing their health. I do also agree that there were a lot of compelling truths to the book - but I have worked in the field myself and frankly I think a lot of this also is common sense (People pay migrant workers less than minimum wage???? Restaurant meals are actually often microwaved? Gasp!?!?!) which is a key problem in that I think it makes the author seem a bit unsympathetic perhaps. She is an excellent writer yes- but making obvious points and doing what she considers slumming in jobs that for many are survival simply to in many ways to demean those jobs to the very yuppies she decries at the same time, well, her constant whines about poverty got really annoying really quick considering why she was really doing her work.

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