Real Food, Fake Food by Larry Olmsted - Book Report #205

I have been on a mission to change my health through food.  I've improved the quality of what I eat and I pay attention to how it is produced.  I've also lost over 20 lbs.

What I found interesting are some of the seemingly innocuous ingredients listed on the packages.  The loose thread for me, was "cellulose powder," found in Kraft parmesan cheese.  Why would a product made of wood be in my cheese?

In Real Food, Fake Food Larry Olmsted uncovers the fakery and shenanigans that happen daily in the food industry.

What I liked about the book is that it wasn't a one-sided affair that leaves the reader in despair.  Instead, after exposing the fakery he gives us the tools to find the better quality foods but he does not stop there.  Being a foodie himself he then describes the sublime experience of finding the products in their traditional and whole forms.

I can't wait to experience real extra virgin olive oil and to taste Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy.  Instead of making me feel that there is no hope left and I should just give up, Olmstead has whispered in my ear about treasures to be found around the world and in my own city, if I just make the effort to seek it out.

I only wish other exposés would be so balanced.  It's one thing to expose the truth but it serves the world better to offer solutions and to show alternatives.  Olmstead has done this in a way that just makes me feel better informed.  One negative impact the book has had is to make me so skeptical of labels that I often don't know what to believe.

In any case this is a terrific book and I highly recommend it.

The official website to the book - http://www.realfoodfakefood.com/index.html

Larry Olmsted

Jamie Oliver, The Kitchen Crusader, Unauthorised Biography by Gilly Smith - Book Report #147

At first I was a bit wary of this book.  It was the word "unauthorised" that raised a warning flag.  To me, it sounded like a volume that would do nothing but tear the guy apart, otherwise why wouldn't it be authorized?  

What I found was a well researched story of his early life, culled from many print and TV interviews.  I found it was actually quite balanced in portraying the man.

I must confess that I am a giant fan of Mr. Oliver. He has changed everything about how I cook and how I purchase food. So I really wanted to just like the guy.  I really didn't want to find out that he was some kind of jerk you'd never want to be in the same room with.  According to Smith, Oliver is pretty much what you see on TV.  

The dark side that is Jamie Oliver, like many rebels (think Jobs or Musk), is that he can be single-minded in his pursuits.  This can lead to stresses in his marriage and create friction with the institutions he has targeted.  This guy has the ability of Thor and can come in with a great big hammer and smash things up.  But it is his passion that ultimately comes through and even though he may have upset people along the way, most concede that he is doing good things and is working form a noble place.

Much of the book dug deeply into his movement to improve food quality in the UK's schools and how it has impacted other movements, such as Slow Food and the local/organic trends in food culture.

It sure made me think more deeply about my own food hang-ups and gave me some positive energy to continue on the path of consuming better quality ingredients.  The local/organic thing is much more than eating healthier but there is also a very real economic impact that results from the purchases we make.  This should also be considered when deciding to buy local or not.

I would recommend this book as it will get you thinking about food culture, agriculture, pesticides and making informed choices.

The author's web page is:   http://gillysmith.com/

Gilly Smith

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I found this at a lovely used book store on Whyte Ave, uninspiringly called The Edmonton Book Store, but don't let that discourage you.  I have never seen such an outstanding collection of non-fiction in one place, plus, the basement is a literal treasure trove of western Canadian history.  I must go back soon.  They are located at 10533 82 Ave.

Visit the website at -  http://www.edmontonbookstore.com/

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I will be donating this book to my library in the hopes that somebody else can get behind the notion of paying attention to what we eat.