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November 20, 2005
Last Chance to Eat: The Fate of Taste in a Fast Food World by Gina Mallet ****
Although cursed with an uninviting cover, Last Chance to Eat, with its investigations into the history and eating of a variety of foodstuffs, is a fascinating read for anyone with even the barest interest in food. For foodies, it should be essential.
Toronto-based Gina Mallet uses her particular memories - a post-WWII childhood in egg-less Britain, life in a Connecticut fishing village, dates at a New York steakhouse - to expand on the universal food issues. The daughter of a food-loving Englishman and his free-spirited American wife, she quotes from obscure experts and modern scientists in her quest to discover where the good food came from - and where it has disappeared to.
Using her evocatively sensual descriptions of food from the past as a counterpoint, she picks her way through the nutritional minefield of the present, exploring the issues of raw milk cheese, the importance of the egg in cooking, BSE scares, the demise of vegetable and fruit varieties, and exploring the vagaries of the fishing industry.
Erudite and entertaining, Last Chance to Eat is a thought provoking read.
Last Chance to Eat: The Fate of Taste in a Fast Food World by Gina Mallet is published by Norton
Posted by Caroline at November 20, 2005 10:53 AM
Comments
that's really odd! In Australia, it's published with a beautiful rich red cover and a picture of an opened pomegranate! Much nicer than that one!
You can see it here at http://www.dymocks.com.au/ContentDynamic/Full_Details.asp?ISBN=1740513967
Posted by: plum at November 27, 2005 11:23 PM
Now, that Australian bookcover would make me buy it! The cover on the copy that I read isn't appealing and it just doesn't do justice to the contents. It's well worth a read, Plum, especially when you interested in food enough to blog about it...
Posted by: Caroline at November 28, 2005 10:59 PM
This was the first foodie book I read! Such a fantastic book!
Posted by: kimbie at November 29, 2005 2:19 AM
Yourself, Kimbe, and Plum have reminded that I meant to buy this book for an Aussie friend of mine. I was visiting her last month and I kept banging on about different aspects of it! It truly is a fascinating read.
Posted by: Caroline at November 29, 2005 4:31 AM
