Eating for Beginners - by Melanie Rehak (Paperback)

About the Book

The acclaimed author of GIRL SLEUTH takes us inside the local food movement

Book Synopsis

With grace, humor, and irresistible recipes, the author of Girl Sleuth takes us on her journey as an amateur chef, amateur farmer, and amateur parent

Melanie Rehak was always a passionate cook and food lover. Since reading the likes of Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, and Wendell Berry, she'd tried to eat thoughtfully as well. But after the birth of her son, Jules, she wanted to know more: What mattered most, organic or local? Who were these local farmers? Was it possible to be an ethical consumer and still revel in the delights of food? And why wouldn't Jules eat anything, organic or not?

Eating for Beginners details the year she spent discovering what how to be an eater and a parent in today's increasingly complicated world. She joined the kitchen staff at applewood, a small restaurant owned by a young couple committed to using locally grown food, and worked on some of the farms that supplied it. Between prepping the nightly menu, milking goats, and sorting beans, Rehak gained an understanding of her own about what to eat and why. (It didn't hurt that, along the way, even the most dedicated organic farmers admitted that their children sometimes ate McDonald's.) And as we follow her on her quest to find the pleasure in doing the right thing--and become a better cook in the bargain--we too will make our peace with food.

From the Back Cover

Hilarious, moving and full of life, Eating for Beginners restores joy to its rightful place at the dinner table. Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project
Melanie Rehak always loved cooking, eating, and sharing food with loved ones. Like many of us, she read Michael Pollan and Wendell Berry and made an effort to buy organic and local foods. But upon the birth of her son Jules, she was suddenly responsible for feeding someone else, and she wanted to know more.
Eating for Beginners details a year of discovering what it means to be an eater and a parent in today s complicated world. Rehak harvested potatoes, milked goats, sorted beans, and worked in the kitchen at a small restaurant; she learned what to eat and why, that even the most dedicated organic farmers sometimes serve their children frozen chicken fingers, and that we really can make peace with our food.
If you feel a sensual rush in an open-air farmers market . . . you will enjoy Eating for Beginners . . [It is] not just enlightening it is life-affirming. Cleveland Plain Dealer
[Rehak is] funny, well-read and transfers her honest curiosity about what we eat and how we learn to eat to the increasingly hungry reader. And yes, there are recipes. Minneapolis Star-Tribune
MELANIE REHAK s Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her earned her both Edgar and Agatha Awards. She has written for the New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Real Simple, and others; her column on food books appears in Bookforum.
www.melanierehak.com
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Review Quotes

"Hilarious, moving and full of life, Eating for Beginners restores joy to its rightful place at the dinner table. Melanie Rehak's absorbing journey will appeal not only to people who want to spend less time worrying about what to cook, eat, or feed a family, but to those of us who are looking for a way to feel more confident in all of our choices. Whether she's picking kale or picking Cheerios off the floor, Rehak is always excellent company." -- Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project --

About the Author

Her column on food books, "Paper Palate," appears in Bookforum.