Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes from and Why We Need to Get It Back Audiobook (Unabridged)

" I actually got to meet the author who is really nice and we chatted about environmental history (which is what this book is really) and how she became a freelance writer. Very interesting idea and very relevant as we begin to think about reducing our emissions and understanding how much energy goes into moving our food around the globe. "

" I never read non-fiction but this book jumped off the library shelf at me. It very interesting, even without a plot. "

" A really interesting and worthwhile read. Vileisis looks at changes in what Americans know about their food and how they know it (basically a shift from first-hand experience to relying on food scientists and food advertisements), especially in relation to social and economic trends (urbanization, industrialization, the growth of the advertising industry, women's changing roles in the home and in society at large). She has an agenda, as the final chapter makes very clear, but she uses documentation rather than polemic to make her points and it's pretty powerful. "

" Since I've read "Omnivore's Dilemma", "Perfection Salad", "An Edible History of Humanity" and many other books on agriculture and food in history, I thought this book would just recap stuff I already knew. To some extent, it did, but it presented it in a new and interesting way, looking at what Americans knew about their food and where it came from in the years 1790-2005. I was thrilled to see my old friend Martha Ballard in the first chapter (whom I blogged about here), and especially enjoyed the chapter on "A New Longing for Nature" and how it chronicled the origins of food advertising in the US. Occasionally, Vileisis's writing made me wish for an editing pen, but her material is fascinating and well-researched, and the writing was usually pretty good. If it were just a bit more inspired, this would have been a five star book. "

" Most comprehensive look at American food that I've read so far. Absolutely fantastic! Thoroughly researched, wonderfully written and engaging to history-buffs, foodies and book-worms alike. Very useful to read such a book when grappling with/thinking of/making judgments about American food today. I'm starting to think that knowing how we got here is perhaps even more important than knowing the "in's and out's" of the current ag industry-related dilemmas. I cannot recommend this book enough! "

" Didn't really get through this one... too busy, or just not interesting enough? Determined to give it another try some day. "

" Drags a little in places, but full of history and illustrations on how we got to where we are now and some good suggestions on restoring health and sanity to the advertising, shopping, and growing of food. "

" This book has valuable documentation about American food history and our path to losing knowledge about what we eat. A good resource for information to support local food systems. "

" This book was kind of a long way to go... "

" I really liked how this book presented a lot of information about how food used to get to peoples' tables, compared to how it gets there now. It was like having a nutritional anthropologist near by (good eats reference). "

" This book tells the story of how Americans lost their connection to their food. It tells about the rise of grocery stores. It was very informative. I used elements of it as the base for a Farm to Table class that I taught to 4-6 graders, even though it is at a much higher reading level. "

" Fascinating history of how we (or our kitchens) evolved. Definitely made me ponder (& appreciate) the difference between "food industry" and "agri-culture". "

" Eye opening. I am now a proud supporter of my local CSA and try to enjoy as many organic productsz as I can. "

" The writing style was a little dry, but not too bad. Excellent information, though! "

" Covering the past two hundred or so years, Ann Vileisis traces how Americans became detached from food knowledge, linking dozens of historical vignettes into a narrative bemoaning the industrialized food system and sharing what modern day consumers can do to reconnect with their food. "

" i really enjoyed this book, but it was dry. if you're not already interested in the topic it covers, chances are you won't want to sit through the whole thing. but if you care, it's a great thorough history of our food knowledge in this country. "

" An excellent book that helps us understand where our food comes from and how our relationship to it has changed over time. A great read and full of important stories about the nature of food and how we feed our families. "

" A lot of intresting stuff about history. I did not find her style of writing easy to read. But thats a personal preference, facinateing stuff. "

" If you are a foodie who loves history, then this is your book. I am the former, but not so much into the latter, so I found it a little dry. Michael Pollan is a lot more fun to read. "

" Lesley marked as to-read - on hold at lib for 4/8 "

" If you are a foodie who loves history, then this is your book. I am the former, but not so much into the latter, so I found it a little dry. Michael Pollan is a lot more fun to read. "

" This book was kind of a long way to go... "

" i really enjoyed this book, but it was dry. if you're not already interested in the topic it covers, chances are you won't want to sit through the whole thing. but if you care, it's a great thorough history of our food knowledge in this country. "

" A lot of intresting stuff about history. I did not find her style of writing easy to read. But thats a personal preference, facinateing stuff. "

" I really liked how this book presented a lot of information about how food used to get to peoples' tables, compared to how it gets there now. It was like having a nutritional anthropologist near by (good eats reference). "

" A fantastic, well researched book into the cultural shift of our eating habits spanning from the late 18th century to the present. Most of the books I've read on the subject don't cover the cultural shift, but focus primarily on the shift in ag, especially from the 1920s onward. "

" An excellent book that helps us understand where our food comes from and how our relationship to it has changed over time. A great read and full of important stories about the nature of food and how we feed our families. "

" Didn't really get through this one... too busy, or just not interesting enough? Determined to give it another try some day. "

" Fascinating history of how we (or our kitchens) evolved. Definitely made me ponder (& appreciate) the difference between "food industry" and "agri-culture". "