Susan V. (nrlymrtl) reviewed The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table on + 297 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed this book mostly for the look at the migrant workers that are employed to harvest the majority of produce that fills our grocery stores. One of the many things that I learned from this book was that organic crops can be sprayed with organic pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. This seems to be going against the purpose of labeling something organic. Basically, this book reinforced my belief that unless you grow it and cook it yourself, you dont truly know what you are getting. While this was a great informative book, there were certain spaces in which the story lagged, being filled with statistics.
Elizabeth R. (esjro) -
Helpful Score: 2
The author wants to learn about the how the food Americans eat is grown, distributed, and served, as well as learn about the workers who make these things happen. She works as a farm worker, clerk in a Walmart produce department, and in the kitchen at Applebee's. Tales of her experiences on these jobs and living in poor communities amongst her co-workers are interspersed with bits of history about American agriculture and the rise of unhealthy eating. While this book does a better job of pointing out problems than solutions (as most of this genre tend to do), it is an entertaining read and provided an interesting behind the scenes view of Walmart and Applebee's. (I have never liked Applebees. The last time I ate there was after Hurricane Sandy because it was the only thing open. I don't plan on eating at Applebee's again unless there is another hurricane and my food goes bad.)
