I enjoyed this book. As primarily a memoir, it was not earth-shattering but a well written book about how Americans tend to eat a lot of processed food. The book was the author's attempt to teach nine volunteer cooks how to cook from scratch and do away with pre-packaged, high sodium everything. I could really see the author's passion for food in her writing and that in turn made me feel renewed enthusiasm for cooking.
But what mostly got my attention was a comment on the back from the author of this book:
Both books are equally well written accounts of bringing people back to eating whole foods, but this one really resonated with me as a mom. I thought I was raising non-picky, healthy eaters but upon reading this book, I see there is so much room for improvement. I'm only halfway through so I can't give a full review, but I see where some of the tips could be implemented in our lives.
Parts of the French eating model seem harsh (and the author herself agrees). Even from birth, children are put on an eating schedule, and I fall on the side of breastfeeding on demand in the early days. However, I think the concept is true that sometimes we can get stuck in the on-demand mentality of feeding our kids so they never learn delayed gratification. The snacking chapter was especially enlightening.
The book is not about making kids go hungry or getting involved in power struggles over food ("you'll sit here until you eat every last green bean, Miss" types of battles). Instead, the French parents lead by example with healthy and adventurous eating habits and kids naturally learn a mannered approach to eating well.
I did notice that beyond baguette, there was not much listed in the diet that made me think "oh, I couldn't eat that" (pasta was mentioned in a negative light). Maybe expanding my cooking repertoire to include leeks and kohlrabi might not be a bad thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment