I just finished reading EATING FOR BEGINNERS, a new memoir by Melanie Rehak who you might remember from her book Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Woman Who Created Her. In this book Rehak explores all the places food comes from, trying to really understand the choices she is making when deciding what to eat (and what to feed her picky toddler). She joins the kitchen staff of a small Brooklyn restaurant, visits local farms and suppliers, battles sea sickness on a fishing boat and attempts to get her son to eat more than just cocktail party foods.
It’s kind of like the Omnivores Dilemma for mothers – except I think everyone should read it, not just parents. I found the book so accessable and enjoyable to read – her writing style is conversational in all the best ways but with content that is informative and with the potential to really broaden your view of the food industry. If you have a passion for eating local foods or are interested in why some people do, this book is a real eye opener but it’s also totally guilt-free. Rehak is all about doing what works best in every situation – and if that means frozen chicken nuggets, that’s fine!
Melanie Rehak demonstrates Carrot Puree on YouTube
The 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!
BUY IT!
You can get your own copy of Eating for Beginners at local booksellers and online retailers like Amazon.com.
WIN IT!
Thanks to Houghton Mifflin, we’ve got 10 copies of Eating for Beginners to giveaway to 10 lucky winners! Here’s how you can enter to win a copy:
- Tell us: Share with us your best story about picky eaters OR how you decide what food to buy and where. This step is mandatory and if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
- Become a fan of Houghton Mifflin on Facebook and leave a comment here telling us you’ve done so.
- Follow Houghton Mifflin on twitter and leave us a comment with your user name telling us you’ve done so.
For additional entry options and giveaway rules visit our Extra Giveaway Options page!
This giveaway will close at 12pm EST on Tuesday July 27, 2010.
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I decide where to buy food and when depending on seasonality and price. I try to buy local and organic whenever possible – so in the summer that means lots of farmer’s markets!
I buy food different in the summer than in the winter. In the summer I try to buy all my fruits and vegetables and even some meats and eggs from the local Farmers Market. In the winter it’s strickly Wegman’s supermarket as they buy from local businesses. This looks like a great book to find out the origins of what we eat
I do one trip a month around the whole store otherwise I hit the outer with vegies, dairy and meat
My husband buys our food.
He shops at Sam’s and the grocery store, and we get our veggies from a CSA. We’re still drowning in lettuce!
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my grandson would rather play than eat mverno@roadrunner.com
My son is not a picky eater but i need to make sure that the things I feed him are healthy and fresh. If not he has a bad reaction to them.
I’m far from an great grocery shopper, I try to shop sales and keep what we love in stock in the house. My kids are all picky in their own way so I feel like we often eat the same foods over and over.
When my daughter was a baby she refused (as in it all would come back out if we could get it in) anything green. Avocados, peas, m&m’s – you name it she wouldn’t eat it.
Since last week however (7 1/2 yrs later) she’s decided that chief salad is her best love ever!
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There are only a few things that Charlie is picky about… Potatoes and corn. Though we still dish her up helpings, because you never know! I also try different methods of making them, just to be hopeful. I think it is a texture thing. I think we’ve been pretty lucky so far though…
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Oh how I could have used this book especially when my daughter was little. She was the pickiest of the picky! She wouldn’t touch a vegetable!
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My 4 year-old son is currently a picky eater. All he eats is “kid food” – mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, cereal. I try to at least stock our cabinets with all-natural and organic versions of his favorites.
When my son was between four and five we went through a very long period where he would only eat peanut butter and jelly and milk. I worried myself sick about it. He eventually started eating other foods again and now he is in his 20s and still kind of a picky eater.
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I have the worst picky eater. Eight years old and still only a handful of foods she’ll eat even if I hold out and refuse to give them to her. And of course they are mostly not very healthy foods.
It depends on what season. In the summer I buy extra fruit and vegetables that are in season and cheaper, and then I freeze or dehydrate them so we have them in the winter. We do eat more fresh fruits and vegetables in the spring and summer because of the price.
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My husband is SUCH a picky eater! He especially dislikes condiments on any food…he likes things very plain! So I’ve started taking things he DOES like and use them to flavor sauces and things.
I think I am the pickiest eater of anyone I know. I love vegetables, but they can’t be cooked with he exception of celery, carrots and potatoes. But I don’t like onions or tomatoes period, but I love the by products of both of those. I love Corn, but it can’t be touching or mixed with anything else I eat. Those are just a few
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We like the comestibles that are offered at Whole Foods!
My daughter used to hate green beans. I once made her haricot verts and she loved them. I suppose since they were fresh green beans instead of canned they were ok
I choose what food to buy. I always look for sales and am very picky about what I eat.
I try to buy fruits and veggies that are in season to make my dish from.
I follow you on twitter (@trippyjanet)
I buy food depending on what’s on sale, and what I already have in our home – when fresh vegetables are in season, I buy as much as I can, and I will process it by dehydrating/canning/freezer.
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My best picky eater turn around story is my husband!
My 18 month old is one picky eater. He has a bad habit of throwing his bowl off the table if he does not like the food in it. My 6 year old eats mostly everything so we try to bait the 18 month old by showing off his sister as an example of what he should be eating.
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I try to buy the food that is the freshest and least processed, but always have price in mind as well!
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I’m following hmhbooks on Twitter (I’m @LuckyJinxy).
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My daughter asked me to make spaghetti today. Then my husband wanted the same. Guess which one didn’t eat it after I made it?
my husband is a picky eater, i have learned his likes and dislikes but when i first started cooking for him, there wasn’t much that i cooked that he liked
Deciding what food to be depend on my finances, time and what is available. I am not always able to buy what I would like. Fresh local food is not always available. My daughter dictates what she eats.
My husband and I have three picky eaters at home. This makes suppertime difficult. We eat a lot of homemade chicken nuggets, spaghetti, tacos, etc… However, as they are getting older, I am noticing a bit of a change in their eating habits. I try one new meal a week. They will try it, sometimes like it. One meal a week is a slow transition to better eating habits for the family.
Thank you for the entry,
Nikki
I follow Houghton Mifflin on twitter, nikkidavis05.
Thank you,
Nikki
A lot of times I purchase seasonally and locally unless I’m trying a new recipe and need to purchase specific ingredients for that recipe.
We have a list of favorite food and plan our meals based on that roating weekly. We also buy food when they are on sale and try to buy healthy food too.
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follow Houghton Mifflin via twitter susan1215
my daughter is a picky eater, she gets this from my husband.. But I get creative, so she can get shat she needs.. I bake veggies in things she likes like mac and cheese!
[...] Foodie here; you can find Momma Blogs A Lot here, and her review of the book is also here, at Mommasreview; Words to Eat By (which has a subtitle I love: “because parents need to eat too”) is [...]