Dan Barber’s The Third Plate is one of our favorite books of all time.
It is a witty and heartfelt indictment of the “local food movement”.
He notes that despite the good intentions of this movement it hasn’t delivered a substantial change in the way we eat and how that impacts on the world.
Who’s Dan Barber, you ask? Dan is an award-winning chef based in New York City.
He’s picked up multiple James Beard awards and was even named one of the 100 most inflential people in the world by Time magazine in 2009.
The Farm To Table Movement
Dan’s main argument is that when you take the climate crisis and you marry it to an agricultural system which is designed to reap maximum rewards for big business but at the expense of food diversity and your health – it cannot be sustainable.
He and others like him promote a “farm to table” approach.
This is a way to cook and create the food you love to eat with a full insight into the food chain.
You know where your food is grown, how it is grown and that it supports your overall community.
It supports the ideas of safer food, fresher food, seasonable eating, and the economics of making small farms effective competitors to the agri-business giants which dominate the food chain of today.
Fast Casual Movement
It goes in hand-in-hand with the “Fast Casual” style of eating where restaurateurs do the hard work for you and get deep into the food chain so that you can eat with confidence.
Dan Barber’s message is powerful and positive and if you want to treat your body like the temple it is – you need to read The Third Plate.
“Dan Barber’s new book, The Third Plate, is an eloquent and thoughtful look at the current state of our nation’s food system and how it must evolve. Barber’s wide range of experiences, both in and out of the kitchen, provide him with a rare perspective on this pressing issue. A must read.”
AL GORE, former Vice President of the United States
You can check out The Third Plate: Field Notes On The Future Of Food online here.
Are you a book lover? Check out all our book reviews.
