Synopses & Reviews
A deeply human-centered perspective on the origins of America's foodWhere Am I Eating? bridges the gap between global food producers and the American consumer, providing an insightful look at how our eating habits affect farmers and fishermen around the world. Follow the author on his global quest to meet the workers that nurture, harvest, and hunt our food, as he works alongside them—loading lobster diving boats in Nicaragua, harvesting bananas in Costa Rica, lugging cocoa beans in Ivory Coast with a modern-day slave, picking coffee beans in Colombia and hauling tomatoes in Indiana. This new edition includes a study guide, a deeper explanation of the "glocal" concept, and advice for students looking to become engaged as both local and global citizens. Arguing neither for nor against globalization, this book simply explores the lives of those who feed us.
Imports account for eighty-six percent of America's seafood, fifty percent of its fresh fruit, and eighteen percent of its fresh vegetables. Where Am I Eating? examines the effects of this reliance on those who supply the global food economy.
- Learn more about the global producers that feed our nation, and learn from their worldviews intensely connected to people and planet
- Discover how food preferences and trends affect the lives of farmers and fishermen
- Catch a boots-on-the-ground glimpse of the daily lives of food producers on four continents
- Meet a modern-day slave and explore the blurred line between exploitation and opportunity
- Observe how the poorest producers fare in the global food economy
This book takes a human-centered approach to food, investigating the lives of the people at the other end of the global food economy, observing the hope and opportunity—or lack thereof—that results from our reliance on imports. Where Am I Eating? is a touching, insightful, informative look at the origins of our food.
Synopsis
In 2010 imports accounted for 86% of America’s seafood, 50% of its fresh fruit, and 18% of its fresh vegetables. Americans are now importing twice as much food as we were a decade ago. But what does this increased reliance on imported food mean for the people around the globe that produce our food – the people that feed us?
In the vein of the author’s first book Where am I Wearing?, Where Am I Eating? will bridge the gap between global farmers and fisherman and American consumers. Not only will Timmerman set out on a global quest to meet the workers that nurture, harvest, and hunt our food, he will work alongside them: diving for lobster in Nicaragua, harvesting bananas in Costa Rica, lugging sacks of cocoa beans in Cote d’Ivoire, picking coffee beans in Colombia and tomatoes in Indiana. Through their lives he will explore the global food economy and the issues surrounding it such as globalization, workers and human rights, the global food crisis, fair trade, and immigration.
Most books on the food industry, from Fast Food Nation to Omnivore’s Dilemma, have focused on the environmental, political, and health aspects of what we eat. Where Am I Eating? shows the producers who anchor the opposite end of the global food economy. How does what we eat affect them? It will neither argue for or against the globalization of food, but simply personalize it by observing the hope and opportunity, and the lack of both, which the global food economy gives to the world’s poorest producers.