As industrialization and technology take over our lives, we become more sedentary. Through
the riches of our country, we can afford more meat, dairy products and processed foods;
thus, contributing to our poor health, "over-nutrition," otherwise known as the
Western Diet.
Erik Millstone
works at the University of Sussex in Science Policy. He has been working on food-related
issues for almost 30 years. Tim Lang is a professor of food policy at City University in
London. He is, also, a consultant to the World Health Organization. With the aid of Axel
Drescher, a professor of Applied Geography at Freiburg University, they have formulated
this educational book about "who eats what, where and why."
While rich industrialized countries thrive in excess and develop diseases from
over-consumption (such as, diabetes), these countries are also feeding a bulk of our grain
to feed livestock, when over 40 million people a year die of starvation.
This book is filled with statistics, bar graphs, charts and
miscellaneous graphics that help aid in our understanding of food's role in modern life.
The book is divided into five parts: Contemporary Challenges (feeding the population,
environmental challenges, disease, nutrition and more); Farming (mechanization, genetic
modification, pesticides, sustainable farming and more); Trade (animal transport, fair
trade, tariffs and more); Processing, etailing and Consumption (staple foods, Organic
food, fast food, alcohol and more); and World Tables (agriculture and comsumption).
This is not a cookbook, nor a glamorous journey through each country's
cuisine, however.
Upon studying this book, I ponder the ideas of vegetarianism for a
healthier way of life, and as an objection towards the feeding of livestock in lieu of
providing grain for starving nations. I, also, think of how we have looked for ways on
simplifying our lives with remote controls, garage door openers, email, kitchen
appliances, washers and dryers, and how ultimately, we have complicated it more. This
reminds me of a movie I once saw: The Gods Must Be Crazy. Although this movie takes on a
more comedic approach of two wildly different cultures in South Africa, still it does
demonstrate what both cultures have gained and lost due to industrialization.
Information found in this book can help educate the reader on how the
food on their plate came to be and at what cost to society. For anyone that eats, and that
is everyone, we should all read this book and become more educated on how we are
contributing, both positively and negatively, to our society.
"The Penguin Atlas of Food: Who Eats What, Where and Why"Erik
Millstone, Tim Lang, Penguin Books; (April 1, 2003) Paperback: 128 pages ; Dimensions (in
inches): 9.8 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches. ISBN: 0142002240
Jennifer A. Wickes is the Food and Drink Dean at Suite University, the Food and
Drink Community Manager at Suite101, as well as a freelance food writer and cookbook
reviewer. She has written five eBooks, and has had several articles in printed
publications, such as Cooking Pleasures magazine and Ernest and Julio Gallo's Turning Leaf
Wine pamphlet. http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/CulinaryJen
