The Gospel of Food - by Barry Glassner (Paperback)

About the Book

From the author of the national bestseller "The Culture of Fear" comes a rallying cry to abandon food fads and myths for calmer and more pleasurable eating.

From the Back Cover

For many Americans, eating is a religion. We worship at the temples of celebrity chefs. We raise our children to believe that certain foods are good and others are bad. We believe that if we eat the right foods, we will live longer, and if we eat in the right places, we will raise our social status. Yet what we believe to be true about food is, in fact, quite contradictory.

Part exposé, part social commentary, The Gospel of Food is a rallying cry to abandon the fads and fallacies in favor of calmer, more pleasurable eating. By interviewing chefs, food chemists, nutritionists, and restaurant critics about the way we eat, sociologist Barry Glassner helps us recognize the myths, half-truths, and guilt trips they promulgate, and liberates us for greater joy at the table.

Review Quotes

"The Gospel of Food is pure fun to read . . . Glassner is methodical and relentless in his exploration, fierce in his finger-pointing . . . and he's genuinely concerned about our growing disassociation with, and emotional baggage around, food." - Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Glassner exposes the strained interpretations, 'prejudices dressed up as science, ' and pure fabrications behind much received wisdom." - New York Times
"Pure fun to read . . . Glassner is methodical and relentless in his exploration." - Los Angeles Times Book Review
"A master at the art of dissecting research." - New York Times Book Review
"It's hard not to root for Glassner as he tilts against modern food dogma." - Wall Street Journal