Eating for Beginners: An Education in the Pleasures of Food from Chefs, Farmers, and One Picky Kid

by Melanie Rehak

Recounts the author's amateur forays into farming and cooking after becoming a parent, describing how she joined the staff of a locally supplied restaurant and learned how to balance responsible eating with real-world dynamics. By the Edgar Award- and Aga
Eating for Beginners
Rehak, Melanie
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication 2010/07/08
Number of 275
Binding HARDCOVER
Library of 2009047467

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Memoir, Parenting, Cooking, Foodie

275 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun, less preachy than some other similar books. The author, confronted with her extremely picky toddler, ends up going on a year-long foray into food--what makes it good, how to prepare, grow, distribute it ethically. She works in a restaurant, and also spends days with farmers, fishermen, and produce distributors to learn more about how we get our food and why. She is chatty and comfortable to spend time with. There are even recipes.
The only things I did not like about the book were the several times the author told us she left her home to work in a restaurant every night, partly because she wanted to escape from her child. She never did say who took care of her child while she was working ten-hour restaurant shifts for free. Also at one point she sort of does get "lecturey" when she tells us we all ought to be happy to spend more money on organic locally-grown gourmet food, since we spend such a small proportion of our incomes on food. I know the author lives in New York, but for heaven's sake, does she really think everyone in America lives within walking distance of many organic shops and only spends 5% of their income on food? I'd like to see her feed my family on gourmet all-organic all-local food for a small percent of my income. But other than that, I enjoyed this one.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synthesizing ideals and application in the world of food, Melanie Rehak's Eating for Beginners is a delightful cross between Michael Pollan, Kitchen Confidential and Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions. Readers follow Rehak's adventures as a volunteer chef in a neighborhood restaurant and trying to introduce her toddler to the world of food, all while we consider the choices we all make about what we eat, and why.

Dashing around the area visiting sources for applewood's delicious cuisine allows much of the philosophical parts of the book to feel natural and interesting. What you won't find is 75 page diatribes about how everything we eat is basically corn or derived from corn. Or shouting and ego-trips in the kitchen. What you will find is balance and honesty, with a splash of self-deprecating humor. I'd recommend it if you are a foodie and a parent, or a foodie who doesn't mind kids.

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biarpun referensinya adalah budaya makan di Barat (a.k.a Amerika Serikat) buku ini memberikan gambaran bagaimana menulis artikel tentang makanan dengan latar belakang budaya tertentu.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reads like a good friend sharing her experiences and giving all the best information she can in the most accessible way. I love how expertly Rehak combines her parental anecdotes with tales of restaurant and farm life – with some fun recipes and silliness thrown in! It had me laughing on a nightly basis, drooling over delicious descriptions of food, ear marking recipes and quoting passages out loud to my husband constantly! I am not exaggerating when I say it was one of the best books I’ve read this year and maybe ever – I want to share this book with everyone I know!

[Rebecca Einstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, LOVED this!! Interesting, informative, and just a delightful read.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the highlighted reviews on the cover of this book calls it “mommy lit meets the Omnivore’s Dilemma,” which while both an oversimplification and a somewhat pejorative way of describing a carefully researched book, is also somewhat apt. However, despite its title, this chatty, casual book isn’t so much about how to get a picky eater to eat (spoiler: you can’t, you just wait them out, for years) but rather a meandering look at the food we take for granted and why we shouldn’t. With chapters on cheese making, vegetable growing, delivery operations, animal farming, and fishing, as well as an actual apprenticeship in the kitchen of a local restaurant, Rehak makes the case that cheap food isn’t actually cheap, and we should all be willing to invest in better health, better taste, environmental integrity, and sustainable living. This book was a pleasurable, light read in comparison to other food-focused books, which tend to employ shock therapy as a method for getting you to change your fast food ways. And I have to admit - it was a pleasure to read about Rehak’s stint in the applewood kitchen, where I’ve had the pleasure of dining before. She’s right: good food does taste...better.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the author's journey toward finding the food that she is comfortable with. Mostly she wants to eat local but wants to know the reasons behind such a decision. The book is also about her trying to get her son to eat food. She works in a restaurant and visits various places that the restaurant purchases food from to understand the local food movement. Each chapter contains a recipe or two. The book was a fast easy read.

[John’aLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this gal’s tenacity to really learn where food comes from. Her jaunts out to farms, working the fields, milking goats and going deep sea fishing made one seem as if you were right there with her.

I also enjoyed her renderings of working at a restaurant that was committed to buying fresh, local, organic food.

If you love ‘foodie lit’ I highly recommend this book!😁

[deanne belshe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward and thoughtful. Makes you think about supporting local food without hitting you over the head with a bunch of guilt-inducing data.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eating for Beginners started because the author, Melanie Rehak had a little boy. Not just any little boy, but an incredibly picky one. She started trying to figure our what he would eat and figure out what she wanted him to eat. So she took a job in a kitchen and started exploring where food came from and how to make it.

Eating for beginners is not a particularly new or original book. It follows the lines of Micheal Pollan or Jonathan Safran Foer where they tell you pretty scary stories about where that processed hamburger really comes from and what it looks like. I, personally, always feel guilty after reading those kind of books. Our family personal can't always afford the local or organic versions of things. We try and throw it in when we can, taking our kids to local farmers markets pretty regularly, and after reading Mr. Safran Foer's book we don't eat a lot of meat. Rehak takes you through the same journey, only without the side of guily. She recognizes that not everyone, including herself and most of the people she interviews, can't always whip up a fresh fish dinner with organic and local arugula in season at all times. And sometimes they eat buffalo wings bought out of the freezer or have lettuce during December in New York. It was nice not to finish a book and feel the heavy burden of an occasional chicken finger or kraft single.

It's nice to hear from a mother about food, it offers a different perspective that I liked. She is funny, sarcastic and just self deprecating enough that it is charming. She makes you want to bust out your knives and start practicing your chiffonade and dices. There are recipes added in at the end of each chapter so you can do just that if you want.

I enjoyed it, and if you like books about food, then you probably will too.

[Literary Mama]

Rehak is a warm and compelling narrator and energetic journalist. She knows just when to insert herself into the story (a brutal scene on a fishing boat is terrific, as is the story of her heady turn at the applewood grill) and exactly when to step back and let her subjects shine. The generosity and innovation of David and Laura Shae, applewood's owners, will make every reader wish they had a similar establishment in their neighborhood. While some of Eating for Beginners addresses the challenge of feeding her picky son and some is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to work in a restaurant, the stories of food producers really drive Rehak's narrative. As Rehak learns to milk cows, make cheese, sort beans, pick spinach, and butcher a side of beef, she brings to life the farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and cheesemakers who supply the food on the table. Rehak's lively prose and sensitivity to the producers, their food, and their lifestyles show the human consequence of every food choice we make. Eating for Beginners is a vivid story with bottomless heart, and while much of the takeaway will be familiar to readers of Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, Rehak's context -- family food and feeding a child -- and her profound sense of story make her book a fresh and moving read. Read Literary Mama's full review here: http://www.literarymama.com/reviews/a...

[Kristen Northrup · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly appreciated how mellow this book was, especially compared to so much writing in the genre. Her research led to some behavior modification, but nothing radical. And even the organic chefs and farmers that were interviewed all had the occasional junk food habit and recognized that sometimes a toddler will only eat a chicken nugget. Not to mention recognizing that there is still a limit to how much organic etc that most of us can afford or even find. No guilt!

There are some talented food bloggers out there, but I did appreciate that this actually started out as a professional writer with a contract instead. It's a refreshing change these days and you get less of the spoiled Manhattanite baggage and other overly-personal tangents. She even got trouper/trooper right.

The downside to the end-of-chapter recipes of course is that there's always something even tastier-sounding that doesn't appear (green apple slaw with lime, please!), and one seemed to have a typo (pork tenderloin), but they're still a fun bonus.

Your reaction to her Cheerios anecdote in the beginning will probably indicate your overall take on the book. I gave that a big, compatriot thumbs up.

Now I need to mail order some Bloomsday cheese.

[Sandy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable memoir by a writer who read Michael Pollan and some other books, had a baby, then decided to write about her experiences volunteering to work in a restaurant in her neighborhood in Brooklyn. She also went to the restaurant's suppliers and learned about the how the produce, cheese, fish, and meat was produced (so there's a bit about rural life in there).

It's funny, because at the beginning of the book, her 1 y.o. is existing mainly on bananas and yogurt. He won't eat *any* of the typical toddler foods.

The chapters are mix of parenting stories, food and cooking descriptions (with some recipes), and political and literary stuff about food - local foods, organic foods, food miles, and M.F.K. Fisher are all included. There's no index, though, which annoyed me when I wanted to find something to read to my dh (Rehak's quote from Fisher about little kids' food preferences, from "Serve It Forth", 1937):

"When a man is small, he loves and hates food with a ferocity which soon dims...His throat will close, and spots of nausea and rage swim in his vision. It is hard, later, to remember why, but at the time there is no pose in his disgust. He cannot eat; he says, 'To hell with it!'" (p. 37-38).

[Desiree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed reading this. An interesting perspective for those of us who have never set foot in a restaurant kitchen; certainly a good read for eco-moms who are nervous about what they're feeding their kids... It includes some of her favorite recipes, not one of which made me go "wow! I have to try that!" but perhaps they'll work for the more adventurous...
It's a bit short, with large type, which was fine since I borrowed it from the library. Had I paid the hardback cover price of $25, though, I'd be a bit irritated.
She quotes prolifically from Pollan and Bittman, so I'm not sure she needed to write this, but she does discuss fisheries (CSFs like CSAs!) which I haven't seen much of in other discourses on sustainability.
It's well-written and funny at times (mostly the picky kid parts). But I guess I can't help but be annoyed that some young chick (her dust jacket pic makes her look about 19) pitched this book and got paid to research it and didn't even come up with that much to talk about. Meh. But that's probably just the jealousy of the unpublished talking ;)

[Chris Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a wholesome and family-oriented version of Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. (similar thoughts to the quote on the front of the book) The method for investigating the food at our table was different though - less extensive and maybe more realistic. Rehak did something more interesting than Pollan and above expectation - joined a restaurant which happened to be both in her neighborhood and already focused on doing the right thing with local or sustainable food. She traced the food chain from that small restaurant - giving a very nice scope to the book. The result seemed to be a huge benefit to her as a local consumer - she not only increased her skill level in the kitchen (real restaurant experience) but more-importantly gained intimate knowledge about the food producers in her own region. She can choose her produce or meats with a confidence few others have the knowledge to match. And that is indeed very valuable. I would love to have the same opportunity, now I just need a way to make money while volunteering at a restaurant and farms in my area.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melanie Rehak was always passionate about food and cooking. And after reading Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, and other similar authors she tried to eat more thoughtfully as well. But, it was after the birth of her son that Melanie really started struggling with what to feed her son. Was organic better than local? How close is "local"? She decided to start working at a local restaurant near her house called applewood where the owners were committed to serving locally grown food. She also spent time working at some of the farms that supplied applewood with their local food. Melanie's journey into becoming more aware of her food is fascinating to read. She also includes some very yummy sounding recipes at the end of some of the chapters. Overall, if you are interested in what you eat and trying to a conscious food consumer then this book is for you. I thought it was very well done and covered a lot of ground without being preachy or bogged down with too many statistics.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

MelanieRehak has the opportunity to work in the kitchen of applewood, a restaurant (still open in Brooklyn) that is down the street from where she and her family live in order to experience how they choose their menus based on what is available. The restaurant tries to stick with locally grown as much as possible but don't beat themselves up when they need to purchase something from farther away. While working there she drives to the farms that grow the produce, raise the livestock, and to the boating docks of NJ to catch the fish. At each location she learns what it takes to get the job done and the impact these establishments try NOT to make on the environment, what each are up against due to regulations that make it hard for the ma and pa estsblishments vs. big agribusiness and what needs to be done to keep it all going. I enjoy her writing style.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's true that this book is one of many food memoirs that are trendy these days. Much like the others, the yuppie author decides to find out where her food actually comes from, works on a farm, cooks in a kitchen, and fishes on the open sea. I've seen this before.

But just because it's like other books before it doesn't mean it's no good. It's concept is unoriginal, for sure, but the writing is enjoyable and the voice of a mother caring for her family (even though the majority of the book is her leaving her family behind to pursue a food journey) is familiar and comforting.

4 stars...it's what a book should, every so often be: a simple, enjoyable, and encouraging story about an important and rooted topic.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of those books examining where our food comes from and why we make the choices we do. But liked it anyway. I did actually learn about how an organic farm gets its produce out to stores, what's really involved for small fishing boats and the kitchen end of restaurant work is always kind of fascinating. While the book jacket talks to parents about feeding a picky kid, there really wasn't much on that in this book (which was good for a picky adult like myself). Three and a half stars.

[Linda Siadys · Rating 3 out of 5]

First am no chef, and I am sure if I would have read some of the books Rehak cited, I might have had a better frame of reference. I started to put this down early on because I am older as is my son, and I was quickly becoming bored reading about her son's appetite in so much detail. I hung in and glad I did. Rehak won me over by bringing me along into the kitchen, field, and aboard showing what the organic world is really like.

I have a whole new understanding, appreciation and respect for the organic food I buy.

[Erin Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir that combines a parenting and food focus. This turns out to be just my style. I loved both Rehak's stories of cooking in the kitchen at applewood (and her field trips) and the interspersed bits about her finicky toddler. Though a couple of recipes are included at the end of each chapter, this isn't really a cookbook, nor should you expect statistics and footnotes. This definitely belongs in the memoir category--she spent a year working out her own family's best choices for local/organic/sustainable food...or not, and wrote a book about it.

[David Drysdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, if a bit familiar. The author takes the occasion of her son learning to eat solid foods as the inspiration to reimagine her own relationship to food, working in a restaurant, on some farms, and on a fishing boat along the way. The voice is friendly and engaging, but this book lacks the urgency and energy of other calls to re-evaluate where the food we eat comes from, such as Michael Pollan's work (which is clearly an influence). Think of this as a diet version of Pollan or a more family-friendly version of Kitchen Confidential of Heat. If that sounds good to you, check this out.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book just plain made me happy. The restaurant she works in sounds like the friendliest and tastiest place ever. All the farms (and a fishery) she visited connected together so well as she described the complete process for the food made at the restaurant. Yet another book that inspires me to use more local food and cook healthy delicious meals. Above and beyond all that, the author’s writing flows so easily, I ended up reading more than a hundred pages in one sitting and didn't notice until I got to the end.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ironically, this was the book I kept on my dining room table to read while eating. I loved Rehak's honest voice; to me she was more the frustrated mom trying to learn about food than being preachy about the kinds of foods we all eat. Her ramblings and visits to the farms that supply applewood restaurant certainly got me to thinking about the way I feed my family. I'd really like to explore food from the meat-is-luxury standpoint, honor the protein and all that.

[Waynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and entertaining. I noted the recipes she shares as I too have a picky eater at home. It's a book that pats your back telling you it's okay to feed non-organic Cheerios to your kids and still believe in local produce. I appreciate that I don't feel like I'm scolded for the food choices I make for my children. Good read,--the book is a gentler way to start educating yourself on the business and politics of food.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could be subtitled "The Omnivore's Dilemma Part 2: Sometimes Even Organic Farmers Eat Chicken Nuggets!". Although I was hoping for more parenting tips (a la "Bringing up Bébé"), it was nice to read a book that manages to praise and encourage purchasing local food while not condemning you for sometimes needing to do otherwise. Rehak also visits some areas Pollen didn't touch on in his book (for example, cheesemaking and commercial fishing) so it was a nice complement.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read about the year in the life of a person like me, who's read up on how horrible our food production/consumption system has become, now has a child that she's charged with teaching how to eat in this world, and a case of what in the world do I do? Really informative description of life in a small restaurant as well as info on local food production of all types.

[Cookbookjj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Rehak blends her own food life and the larger issue of food choices for the ethical consumer in an enchantingly articulate memoir. Engaging and intimate with superior writing.

Would be a 5 out of 5 but the section dealing with meat is a bit hasty. Maybe the author had trouble working through that issue on a personal level, don't know.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found her adventure interesting,but not a big fan of her writing style. I can identify with many of the challenges she struggles with. I liked the motto in Applewood's kitchen: Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble,or hard work.It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rehak tries to draw together different streams of thought, from interacting with food as a parent, a producer, and a chef, to present a synthesis. While her writing is engaging, the focus of the book lacks clarity. I liked the passages about the restaurant and her family table best. Someone else might prefer the parts about food production.