In honor of our Summer Reading theme, explore culture, history, science, health, and human connection through the lens of food. Summaries from Goodreads.
- Culture | Padma’s All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond by Padma Lakshmi
In this very personal book—the result of seven years of traveling and tasting, listening and observing for her award-winning Hulu show Taste the Nation—Padma Lakshmi compiles more than 100 recipes from the immigrant and Indigenous communities she visits, as well as many from her own family, showing us what really comprises American cuisine. - History | Tasting History: Explore the Past through 4,000 Years of Recipes by Max Miller
The Tasting History with Max Miller YouTube channel has thrilled food enthusiasts and history buffs alike as Miller recreates dishes from the past, often using historical recipes from vintage texts, but updated for modern kitchens as he tells stories behind the cuisine and culture. From ancient Rome to Ming China to medieval Europe and beyond, Miller has collected the best-loved recipes from around the world in his first book. - Science | How Can I Help? Saving Nature With Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy
Tallamy tackles the questions commonly asked at his popular lectures and shares compelling and actionable answers that will help gardeners and homeowners take the next step in their ecological journey. Topics range from ecology, evolution, biodiversity and conservation to restoration, native plants, invasive species, pest control, and supporting wildlife at home. - Health | The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories, this book is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological make up. - Human Connection | The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai*
Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Through ingenious investigations, Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare are able to recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories—dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness.
* Discuss this title at Thursday Evening Book Club.
