Hungry: Avocado Toast, Instagram Influencers, and Our Search for Connection and Meaning

by Eve Turow-Paul

We wait in lines around the block for scoops of cookie dough. We photograph every meal. We visit selfie performance spaces and leave lucrative jobs to become farmers and craft brewers.

Why? What are we really hungry for?

In Hungry, Eve Turrow-Paul provides a guided tour through the stranger corners of today's global food and lifestyle culture. How are 21st-century innovations and pressures are redefining people’s needs and desires? How does “foodie” culture, along with other lifestyle trends, provide an answer to our rising rates of stress, loneliness, anxiety, and depression?

Weaving together evolutionary psychology and sociology with captivating investigative reporting from around the world, Turow-Paul reveals the modern hungers—physical, spiritual, and emotional—that are driving today’s top trends:

The connection between the “death” of the cereal industry and access to work email on our smartphones
How posting images of our dinners on social media both fulfills and feeds our hunger for human connection in an increasingly isolated world
The ways “diet tribes” and boutique fitness gyms substitute for organized religion 
How access to round-the-clock news relates to the blowback against GMO foods
Wellness retreats, astrology, plant parenthood, and other methods of easing modern anxiety
Why “eating local” might be the key to solving not just climate change, but our current global sense of disconnection

From gluten-free and Paleo diets to meal kit subscriptions, and from mukbang broadcast jockeys to craft beer, Hungry deepens our understanding of why we do what we do, and helps us find greater purpose and joy in today’s technology-altered world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Psychology, Audiobook

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 9, 2020

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, I hated this book. It was drudgery to read, especially as the author so clearly seems to look down on... pretty much everybody. She smugly psychoanalyzes vegans, vegetarians, paleo folks, millennials, gluten-free folks, people who eat health food, poor people who eat at restaurants (how fiscally irresponsible), and on and on. She location-drops the way other writers name drop, as she does things like jet off to Hong Kong to interview influential vegetarian restaurant owners and such left and right. She is very much the "I'm writing my PhD" kind of writer, quoting lots of studies, people she's interviewed and other authors.

Most of all, she's just so condescending. Ugh. As someone who did cure chronic illness with healthy food and who has gluten free and vegetarian children, it was very hard to stomach how utterly obnoxiously she talks about people who eat in any way outside of the standard American diet.

This is my least favorite book of the year so far, and I read a lot of books.

I read a digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

[Denver Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Hungry, Eve Turow-Paul breaks down how today’s top food, wellness and lifestyle trends—from gluten-free to the DIY movement—reflect a global culture hungry for control, community and purpose. Weaving together evolutionary psychology and sociology, original research and captivating investigative reporting from around the world (from a futuristic grocery store in Beijing to a vegan speed dating event in New York City), Hungry reveals our most basic human needs and reviews how today’s technology-driven environment impacts our abilities to meet these innate needs. Trying to figure out why CrossFit and SoulCycle devotees get that way? Or why some people never even eat the food they lovingly post on Instagram? Hungry can give you insight, in an entertaining and well-researched way.

[Ell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hungry is a decidedly informative and thought-provoking book. The book is well-written and expertly composed. This book explores “foodie” culture and our physical, spiritual, and emotional hunger. These are salient issues I was eager to learn more about. I personally would have appreciated a more engaging and conversational style. Having said that, the book delivers on its promise to fully explore what it is we currently hunger for and what it is we are getting.

[Lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and would give it 4.5 stars if I could. In "Hungry" Turow-Paul dives into the food, fitness, and home trends of the twenty-teens, analyzing the psychology behind their origins. She asserts that trends like sourdough bread baking, the keto diet, "mukbang" videos, houseplant ownership, and CrossFit all have something important in common: they're tied back to the basic human needs of control, belonging, and purpose, which are increasingly hard to come by in the digital age. The book is split into corresponding sections and Turow-Paul explores different trends in each section.

This is an incredibly well-researched and well-written book, complete with footnotes and dozens of pages of sources. I loved the journalistic anecdotes sprinkled throughout the analysis (Turow-Paul describes visiting a farm, interviewing a mukbang "BJ" in her home, etc.) and the global perspective they offered. Most other books I've read about food trends are 100% U.S.-focused, but "Hungry" details food trends in Japanese, Chinese, South Korean, and Dutch culture too. As a food-obsessed, agriculture-romanticizing, houseplant-loving Millennial, I felt personally called out by a lot of the analysis in "Hungry" and I think I came away form reading it with a better understanding of what drives my tastes. I also loved the "Conclusion" section addressing climate change and how some of these trends are hopeful signs for the planet.

My only criticism is that sometimes, the conclusions Turow-Paul draws seem a bit obvious. (We're happier in nature than on our phones? I think we all know this.) I also would have loved to see more of her first-person journalism, because sometimes page after page of analysis got a little dry. Overall though, I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves food, particularly Millennials or Gen Zers who want to understand the source and impact of their obsessions.

[Karishma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Eve Turow-Paul for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy of Hungry in exchange for an honest review!

Hungry explores millennial foodie culture through researching and explaining trends, such as foodstagram accounts, mukbangs, food delivery apps, and more. Turow-Paul seeks to answer the question, "How are 21st-century innovations and pressures are redefining people’s needs and desires?"

Rating: 4/5 stars. The psychology of 21st century foodie culture and "wellness diets" overtaking social media these days was fascinating to read about in this book! The author's connection of how these trends seek to fulfill a physical, spiritual, social, and emotional hunger was something that I had not considered before. This book utilizes a lot of studies and statistics from the U.S. as well as other countries, which are pretty eye-opening. While this did take a long time for me to read because of all the statistics/numbers, I would recommend Hunger to anyone who wants to learn more about the "why" of today's food obsessed culture and trends!

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a bit unsure how I feel about this book. It is well-researched (the footnotes could be their own book). It was interesting, and easy to read. I am just not sure that I agree with all of the author's conclusions, or that there is anything new here. Yes, people are lonely and disconnected, even though theoretically they can connect all the time. Yes, real-life interactions offer more meaning than online ones. Yes, nature is healing. Yes, people are seeking a return to tangible, physical crafts, jobs, etc. in this increasingly digital world. I feel like most of us already know this.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it took me a bit to get into this book. I did by the third chapter but it was a slow read. I didn’t agree with everything the author put out there but that is always the case. It was nice to read someone else’s take on the world we are all experiencing.

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me so mad, and I hate that I have to write negatively about it because it’s not a bad book. Eve Turow-Paul did an excellent job with this book, but I blame her publishers for my anger. This book was recommended in a list of evolutionary psychology books, and it’s not that type of book. But, it wasn’t the lists fault because whoever wrote the description of this book put that info in there, and it also says “sociology.”

This book is pop psychology at best, but if you’re looking for an evo psych book, this isn’t the book for you. While Eve does touch on a few things here and there about how we evolved for wanting to be accepted by groups, it’s probably less than 2% of this entire book, and that’s what angered me.

Since they botched the description of this book, let me give it a try.

This book is about the social media culture around food, health and wellness. Have you ever wondered why people take pictures of their food and make it such a big deal? Are you curious about the odd rise in people looking for gluten-free food? Want to know why a lot of teens are depressed? This book is a journey to find answers to these questions as well as much more about how social media is impacting our lives and how this culture intersects with food.

Overall, there wasn’t much new in this book for me. It has a lot of interviews because the author traveled a ton talking with people. Throughout the book, she points to different studies, stats, and data. But, if you’re familiar with books about social media and how its affecting us, I’m not sure how much you’ll learn from this book aside from just the interesting interviews with the people kind of obsessed with the culture of finding the perfect places to Instagram your meal.

If you’re curious, definitely check it out. Like I said, it’s not a bad book. If I was unfamiliar with the topic, I would have loved it. I still gave it a 5-star rating, but I feel like the description was a bait and switch, and I don’t like that.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about foodie culture, but is so much more than that. The author uses Millenials' and Gen Z's attitudes and behaviors around food to segue into a larger discussion about the effects of social media and technology. Food and the shared experiences of its preparation and consumption satisfy an urge for analog and tactile experiences that are rare in our digital age.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The formatting of this book made it quite difficult to follow. However, it was an interesting read, full of facts and figures. It’s mainly based on USA figures and habits, but don’t let that put you off.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

[Sam Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very impressed with this book. There was a LOT of content within its pages, causing much-needed reflection on important topics that surrounds us in the 21st century. Upon first impression, I thought this book was JUST going to talk about food trends, food sourcing, etc. While this book does a great job touching upon those subjects, it digs much deeper than that. "Hungry" looks at the human behavior behind trends (such as foodie culture, Instagramming, digital life, etc) and how Eve constructs educated theories behind these drives based on loads and loads of academic studies and credible/relevant sources.

This book did an excellent job of organizing its content around Maslow's hierarchy of needs. By drawing the Maslow-Food behavior parallel throughout her book, it, in turn, helped me organize my thoughts and emotions about the book's content. Also, Eve has an excellent talent in her writing, where she expertly balances between factual reporting and journalistic storytelling. Not only that, but Eve amazed me by blending 2 fields of study (food/nutrition and psychology) together in such a cohesive way. Kudos!

You do not have to be an expert in food culture (trust me, I am not) to get lost in this book. This book covers a wide array of professions, subjects, and interests to satisfy the reader's taste. Give it a try and you won't be disappointed!

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one left me a bit conflicted. While I enjoyed the voluminous amount of statistics and trends the author shared, I’m not sure that her overall thesis that technology impacts our ability to fulfill our innate needs came together in a convincing manner. Yes, we are hopelessly addicted to our phones and social media; and yet, we still need human interaction; and yes, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is being affected by technology; but yeah, we’re using our hands and knitting and baking bread more than ever..? Wha ...? Is that contradictory? It was a lot-and that bibliography in the back of the book is still begging for more clicks- but I’m still not sure that it all ties together as neatly as the author might like. But nevertheless I liked it! Lots to learn about generational differences.

[Ian Yarington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn on how to review this book. I thought it was well put together and Turow-Paul is an excellent writer, couple that with an interesting premise, and the book should have appealed to me more. I read another reviewer say that Turow-Paul "smuggly psychoanalyzes" and goes on to list a ton of types of people. I wouldn't go as far as to say smuggly psychoanalyzes but I certainly understand why the other reviewer felt that way. In spots the writing feels very academic, or what I like to call, academic signal calling by citing and name dropping. That isn't always a bad thing and it lets me know that Turow-Paul put in a lot of work to get this book written. I would recommend if the premise interests you.

[Marc Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why? What are we really hungry for? I believe this is a question we should ask ourselves regularly.
With my background being overweight and feeling numbness towards almost everything, I really connect to and understand the messages in this book.
I had Eva on my podcast Inside Ideas where we talked about the book and how the pandemic, climate change just to mention a few affects us. You can find episode 112 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etu5R...

Or visit any of the below links:
https://www.innovatorsmag.com/food-an...
https://medium.com/inside-ideas/eve-t...

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.

If you want to understand Millenials, read this book. It's packed with depth, thoughtfulness, and research. As a Gen Xer, I have struggled to understand Millenials. I worked with them from the mid-1990s to last year, and I've been amused, confused, and shocked by things they do and say. The takeaway: all the strange things Millenials do is because they are looking for meaning and connection.

[Liz Mason]

Heavily researched. I accidentally deleted my original review. But I found the last chapter regarding nature to be the best part of the book, I found myself highlighting a lot of that chapter and being super engrossed in it.

[Zach Minuto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve given a ton of thought to our shifting foodscape, especially the elevation of the culinary arts, but I’ve never been able to synthesize my thoughts about these trends into anything coherent. Luckily, I won’t have to—Eve Turow-Paul has done a lot of the work for me in this lucid exploration of the world’s changing dining habits.

Hungry is a broad survey of food trends that have emerged over the last decade or two, but it still feels concise. Turow-Paul weaves together seemingly disconnected phenomena, from the rise in DIY and maker culture to the prevalence of mukbang streamers, into a compelling story of our disconnection from our communities and our surroundings, and our disparate attempts to rebuild those connections. As a primer to the bourgening field of culinary criticism, Hungry succeeds in familiarizing its readers with the major movements in food, and pointing them toward deeper academic or journalistic reading. In a way, Eve Turow-Paul has arguably done for food what Sherry Turkle has done for the tech industry: she reminds us what it is we like about food in the first place, while warning us of the traps we have placed for ourselves as we try to build a healthier and more delicious future.

A lot of writers (and chefs and bartenders and bakers and butchers and vloggers) shout the refrain “food is culture.” Usually it feels trite, if not vague or meaningless. But Hungry provides the foundation for understanding food as culture, and will inform my thinking about it for a long time to come.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hungry. What are we hungry for? This book, full of stats, studies, and information tries to answer that. My daughter takes photos of her food and posts it on FB and Instagram, she also gets a food box from a local farm and boxes in the mail from food companies like Hello Fresh and Amazon for convenience so she doesn't have to go to the store but what does it all mean? I don't know and even after reading this book I still really don't understand the reason for it all. The numbers don't really explain the human psyche and there have been food fads since time immemorial though I hope the trends t local, healthier, less meat-based diets continue. The quarantine made many of us bakers and to rediscover the family dinner table. Will this pause make us think our lives and change the numbers in this book? This book is not for everyone but if you want to take the time to read it and digest the stats and information you can come to your own conclusions. I guess I read this book hoping it would explain some of the foodie behaviors of today and I am still mystified. Maybe it depends on your generation. I found the traveling interesting also. Obviously written before the quarantine. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me read this book in exchange for a review.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your typical. If you are looking for food or diet recipes, you will not want to read this. You still should anyway because it is filled with food statistics and the foodie craze. Some of the insights and point of view of author was quite funny, although that wasn't the main point of the book. I don't know how research she did for this book or it was all by experiences as foodie, but it was detailed.

There were some early pages about certain ages spending more money on expensive than they could afford, and this was repeated a few times throughout; a little off putting. I just had to remind myself that most of these experiences and opinions were her own that she was trying to share. All in all, a decent about what it means to be a foodie.

Thanks to NetGalley, Eve Turow-Paul and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an review. The opinions of this review are all my own.

[Maude · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me such a long time to read this book, because I wanted to make sure I understood every single point the author was making, and I kept taking notes and quotes because I found so many excellent arguments in there ! The psychology of foodie culture is such an interesting topic - along with the diet culture that we live in, and the "wellness diets" overtaking social media - and this book explores the different aspects of our relationship to food, social standing and technology in a very organized way. The author makes an effort to explain the different psychological theories used in the development of her ideas, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and resulting in an extremely thought-provocative and informative book.
I would recommend it to people interested in the psychology behind all the current foodie trends and eating behaviors, and people who aren't too put off by a relatively dense and slow book.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, BenBella Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this a very informative and thought-provoking read. I love to cook, and to enjoy a meal with friends - and this book gave me a lot of insight into why this is such a thing for me, and what has changed in the last 50 years in terms of consumer tastes, lifestyle and food culture.. I loved that the author did not just look at food trends, but also focused on the human behavior behind trends, and continually brought it back to the Maslow pyramid, which is such a basic building block of human behavior. I found the mix of academic and factual writing, and journalistic storytelling great in terms of creating a foundation and then making it personal.

[Lara Hulzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be an excellent book. I appreciated the author sharing from her own experiences as a Millennial and her willingness to ask what was motivating her to spend her money on meals out rather than saving. She does great research and although she gives frightening facts and stats about the influence of media and the Digital Age, she also shares the positives that can come from communities discovered and even how the DIY craze has led to many leaving corporate jobs to open bakeries and own farms.
This was published right before COVID hit so it was both fascinating and eerie for me some points she hit on about feelings of isolation from media and how not being with others in person is harmful on many levels. I would love to see her do a follow-up book...

[Erin Sugarman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hungry is not your typical food book, exploring how foodie culture reflects the current cultural norms and technological innovation. I found all of the research in this book fascinating, as well as the connections the author was able to make between our increasing reliance on technology for connection and the ways they explain our behaviors and trends, from mukbangs, food influencers, foodie culture, food delivery apps, increasing rates of veganism, and more.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in social science, or who wants to gain insight into how our relationship to food is changing in the post-modern era.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turow-Paul is a researcher, through and through. This is a book chock full of primary sources and cited studies. I heard her speak at a conference about the process and some of the insights of this book, and it was amazing.
She’s diving into the food, fitness, home trends we’ve seen in this burgeoning digital age and evaluating them based on the psychology of want/need - our “hunger” as it were. She covers a wide range of topics that comprise a culture, and explores them globally, all with an underlying theme of how we approach food.
I assume this book won’t age well - it’s is about a specific time and place in society right now. But it’s a great read.

[Sophie Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eve is an extremely gifted writer. Her style is energetic, accessible, crisp, and endlessly enjoyable and intellectually stimulating to read. She is also a gifted researcher, who packs a ton of information into easy-to-read stories and analysis. This book is about food culture, for sure, but it's really about us: It provides powerful keys to unraveling the onion of humans' most fundamental needs and desires. You'll leave the book smarter; more attune to yourself, your colleagues, family, and friends; and having had a ton of fun along the way.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hungry is a focused look at how we are finding comfort in our stress-filled world. Turow-Paul really made me think about my own behaviors and how they have been heavily influenced by the technology that has become omnipresent in my (and, really everyone's) life. There is original research which gives the book extra credibility and the writing ties this data together nicely. Hungry is definitely a worthy read for anyone who is interested in human behavior, especially during this time of change that we are all living through.

[Randi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but it just did not capture my attention. Many of the things discussed I had already read about in other books or from other sources. I struggled to finish it because of this.
I also found it to be a bit dry.
This was not the book for me. Others may find it engaging.
Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Denise Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to see who this book is for; lots of references but the book is not really scholarly. Instead it's full of anecdotes used to make the author's points. The book jumps around the world, raising questions on whether the author really is an expert on so many different regions (doesn't seem to be from the contents).

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

An examination of the psychology behind foodies, food-selfies, Mukbang, and the multi-cultural, multi-generational food obsession. From food selfies, and "tribal" lifestyle movements to GMO's, Organics, Vegans, and the decline of nutrients from the soil to the food supply, this is an interesting read.

[Bryant]

Underlined a few things; thought a lot about the section on social media and its distraction effect, in relation to productivity and anxiety; reading the last section kind of made me want to become a farmer -- also, I read this because the author is speaking at EatDenver's EDTalks on March 24 and you're all invited to join us.