`At no point in history have edible items been so easy to obtain. Humans have always gone out and gathered food, but never before has it been so simple for us to gather anything we want, whenever and wherever we want it, from sachets of squid ink to strawberries in winter.'
`It's now becoming clear that the way that most people currently eat is not sustainable - either for the planet or for human health. If we want to stop getting swallowed up by our own food and to re-establish eating as something that gives us both joy and health, it makes sense to find out where we are right now, how we got here and what it is that we share.'
Why does it no longer seem odd that we're able to eat sushi in Italy and Neapolitan pizza in Dubai?
What has happened to the food we eat to make this possible, and how have these blurred boundaries influenced cultural development, as well as national appetites?
From bananas and grapes to ultra-processed snacks, we may not spend enough time thinking about the origins of the food we're eating, or how their ingredients might have altered over time. In The Way We Eat Now, award-winning food writer Bee Wilson examines the current food climate, exploring how we have found ourselves here, and at what potential cost.
The Way We Eat Now also introduces us to the countries and communities that are making revolutionary efforts towards improving their populations' relationship with food, and considers how we too might re-establish a more balanced connection with what, as well as how, we eat.
About the Author
Bee is an award-winning food writer, reviewer and journalist, currently author of 'The Kitchen Thinker' food column for
The Sunday Telegraph's
Stella magazine (for which she has been named food journalist of the year three times by the Guild of Food Writers). She is the author of four previous books, most notably
The Hive (John Murray),
Swindled (John Murray) and
Consider the Fork, published by Particular Books/Penguin Press and by Basic Books/Perseus in the US. Before she became a food writer, she was a Research Fellow in the History of ideas at St John’s College Cambridge. Many years ago, she was a Masterchef semi-finalist. She is married with three children and lives in Cambridge.
Industry Reviews
'Bee Wilson weaves staggering information and fascinating insights into a gripping and inspiring story that is both fairytale and horror story. A brilliant must-read about what touches us all' Claudia Roden
'Bee Wilson's fascinating book is a guide to the future of food and how we eat and will be eating. Meticulously researched and written brilliantly' Ken Hom
'As she wrestles with how and what we eat Bee Wilson is fearless, rigorous, compassionate and totally readable. Thank God we have her' Diana Henry
'Bee Wilson once again proves herself one of the world's most compelling voices in journalism ... This book should be required reading for everyone' Darra Goldstein
'This is urgent reading. Bee Wilson writes with a deep understanding of the problems posed by the way we eat today, but she never loses sight of her own love for the joy and promise and power of eating well. I always walk away from her writing feeling more hopeful than despondent, resolved to do better for myself, my family, and the planet' Chris Ying
