bibliomani

It seems that I need to read some of Kingsolver’s novels, which I must admit I hadn’t even heard of before someone (thanks, Wanda!) recommended I read this book. Because Kingsolver is an excellent storyteller. This is the unpretentious, un-preaching, real life story about her and her family who for a year only eats food grown locally. That means surviving without pineapples, but also putting up incredible amounts of tomatoes and gorging on all kinds of fresh, fresh vegetables from their own small farm. That part of the book read like porn to a vegetarian like me.

Kingsolver makes an intelligent case for thinking about (or learning) which fruits and vegetables are in season, and then cutting down on those that aren’t, and for eating food locally grown. Her reasons counts the environment, health, taste and the ability to connect with what we eat. However, her definition of locally grown (within a 120 miles / 200 km radius) makes a lot more sense in America than in a small country like Denmark. I think I could do it on an even smaller radius – if I had a farm and was a gardening queen like Kingsolver.

This is a very powerful, thought-provoking book, as has been obvious from the massive media attention it has gotten even here in small Denmark. As a vegetarian, I often discuss food with people who are shocked, repelled or simply curious about my not eating animals. How do I get full? Isn’t it unhealthy? Expensive? Bothersome? Terribly boring? But the focus of Eating Animals is not to ask why some people don’t eat meat, but why so many people do. Being a vegetarian, and a vegan even more so, is healthy, it’s good for the environment and it doesn’t cause any animals to suffer and be killed.

More than an argument for vegetarianism (it is that as well) it is a fact-filled (with 60 pages of notes and references) exploration of our relation with the animals that most of us eat maybe several times a day. Of course, in my case Foer is preaching for the convert, but this book has made me even more interested in people’s reasons for eating meat. As a vegetarian, I’m constantly asked why. I now feel much better equipped to turn that question around and ask: Why do you eat animals?

Jeg har altid været vild med mad, men jeg er for nylig også blevet ret vild med kogebøger. Jeg har ikke skrevet om dem her før, men min seneste anskaffelse har så meget (og så inspirerende) tekst, at jeg slet ikke kan lade være.

Det kærlige køkken er en vegetarkogebog, som måske især henvender sig til kødspisere, der gerne vil spise mere vegetarisk, men som også fungerer fint for en vegetar-grænsende-til-veganer som mig. Det kærlige køkken er også en klima-kogebog, som undertitlen “grøn mad til en sårbar planet” slår fast. (mere…)

The full title of this book is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living, and what’s up with that?!  Someone’s calling me a complete idiot?! Why would I want to read their book, already?! Well, apparently it’s a part of a whole series of Complete Idiot’s Guides (which makes sense; complete idiots probably need lots of guides), and apart from the idiotic title (ha!) it was quite interesting.

I bought the book in New York because I wanted to learn more about veganism, and it does give a good overview of different aspects of veganism, ranging from nutrition, how to deal with family and friends and quite a few recipies. However, it is decidedly written for Americans, and some of the advice feels quite … unnecessary to a European who’s actually used to cooking my own food. For instance, I know how to buy food in a supermarket. I know that fresh vegetables are healthier than french fries, even though the fries are made out of potatoes. And so on on that level. Furthermore, the book mentions a lot of specific brands that I haven’t got access to over here, but it’s still interesting to know what’s out there.

The sections on animal welfare and “hidden” animal products in foods and other goods was maybe the most interesting part of the book. Did you know that gelatine (boiled pigs, basically) is used in the production of some wines and beers? Urgh.