Noodles and Rice

The Okinawan Diet

by Stef on June 12th, 2006

This is a book we’re reading today for geography — but it looks like we will be getting lessons in nutrition and economy as well.

Here’s the NPR Feature, which includes an interview with the authors.

The book, written by husband-and-wife team Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio, is beautifully photographed and a serious contender for the home library. Even for small children, the pictures are thought provoking. And I highly recommend having your teen read the essays. There are only a few: Baked, Boiled, Roasted, and Fried by Alfred W. Crosby, Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas; McSlow by restaurant critic, food writer and author of The Pleasures of Slow Food: Celebrating Authentic Traditions, Flavors, and Recipes, Corby Kummer; Food with a Face by Michael Pollan; Launching a Sea Ethic by Carl Safina; Diabesity by Francine R. Kaufman, international expert on diabetes and obesity; and Cart a la Carte by Charles C. Mann.

The book features 30 families in 24 countries including India, China, Japan, the Philippines, and offers a glimpse into each family’s weekly grocery habits and budget — how much they spend on food and what kinds of food they buy (recipes are also included, though you may have difficulty finding seal to make Greenland stew). You are hit with globalization and its effects early on, especially as you see all the Coke and other processed foods that families buy. There will be many epiphanies as you continue to peruse the book. As a foodie I am excited as well as intrigued by the seeming minutiae in front of me — but it’s minutiae with relevance. You can’t help but think of how you eat and why you eat the way you do and what eating habits you can and probably should change. The book could have come off as preachy, but it’s not, which is one reason I chose it for the kids to read. Besides the profound, there are basic, valuable lessons that are reinforced here, such as:

Prepare your food at home. Pay attention to what you put into your body. Be thankful for what you have.

A must read for adults, yes, but we will be doing the next generation a huge favor by having them read it as well.

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POSTED IN: General : Asian Food / Cuisine, Healthy Eating with Asian Food