Book takes on big food questions with wit and grit
"Eating for Beginners" starts with a stark statistic: 61 percent of Americans are confused about what to feed their family.
What follows is a cross between "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "The Girlfriends' Guide to Toddlers" - an exhaustively researched and delightfully witty account of author Melanie Rehak's adventurous year working at a local restaurant and tracing its food supply to the sources, as well as grappling with her young son who won't eat a thing.
Through her visits to dairy, produce and animal farms, Rehak gains a deeper appreciation for the difficulties facing local farmers - and the need to support them. Organic food seems more expensive because the costs are more visible, one of her sources tells her. But the costs of conventionally grown food include public funding of irrigation projects and crop subsidies, not to mention pollution and food-borne illnesses.
Back on the homefront, readers can track the budding language skills of Rehak's son, Jules, in the myriad ways he refuses almost every edible thing she offers him - from "No" to "No this" to "No chicken. No pasta. No fish."
The juxtaposition between these dual tracks in Rehak's life - food and parenting - makes for an amusing read. After methodically describing how to butcher a duck, and the struggle involved in clipping a baby's nails, Rehak dryly concludes: "You genuinely feel it's easier to butcher a duck."
Despite her conviction that local is the way to go, Rehak (author of "Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her") is reasonable and flexible in the belief, knowing that it's not always possible to be choosy.
The general issue of accessibility of local produce and livestock, however, is unfortunately not addressed, a gaping hole in the book.
"Eating for Beginners" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25), is funny, informative and relatable. And if you find your mouth watering at some of the dishes mentioned, Rehak is considerate enough to include recipes at the end of each chapter.