Food for Thought: The Stories behind the Things We Eat (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Food for Thought: The Stories behind the Things We Eat Deborah Stevenson Robbins, Ken Food for Thought: The Stories behind the Things We Eat; written and illus. with photographs by Ken Robbins. Porter/Roaring Brook, 2009 [48p] ISBN 978-1-59643-343-4$17.95 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 4-7 "Every kind of food has its story. Here are just a few of them," says veteran photo-documentarian Robbins, here turning his attention to apples, oranges, potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, bananas, mushrooms, corn, and pomegranates. Each foodstuff receives a few pages comprising tidbits about its cultivation and use and snippets of lore surrounding it, partnered with spot art and full-page photographs. The result is unfortunately scattershot in focus, and the material is variable in veracity (there are no sources listed), interest (the book leads with some of its dullest material) and significance (are kids even going to get the joke that President Reagan's favorite vegetable was ketchup?). The title still offers some digestible information in its compact sections, though, especially on agriculture and agribusiness, and the voice is often lively and opinionated. The full-page photographic illustrations are particularly dramatic, with the produce imbued with somberly glowing hues and backed with cloudy evening skies for an effect that suggests period still lifes. Despite the book's flaws, browsers may find interest in some of the slices of vegetal information, and it could be a diverting adjunct to more serious explorations of contemporary food practice. [End Page 378] Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois