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Reviews
Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by J.B. MacKinnon, Alisa Smith
chessakat's review
4.0
Quick read about a couple from Vancouver, B.C. who decide to conduct a one-year experiment in local eating. They draw their boundaries with a 100-mile radius of Vancouver and there their adventures begin.
Similar in themes to Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, this book is neither so broad in scope (in terms of increasing the reader's knowledge of industrial food systems) nor narrow in menus - they didn't talk toooo much about what they ate on a daily basis, which I for one missed. I really would have liked to have heard more about their day-to-day diets. Instead you get a look into how the experiment affected their lives as a couple - kind of interesting tangentially, but not what I was really after as a whole.
Great read though! I love memoirs, and this one combined that with my zest for local-ism, so I am inspired all over again to eat out of my big back yard.
Similar in themes to Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, this book is neither so broad in scope (in terms of increasing the reader's knowledge of industrial food systems) nor narrow in menus - they didn't talk toooo much about what they ate on a daily basis, which I for one missed. I really would have liked to have heard more about their day-to-day diets. Instead you get a look into how the experiment affected their lives as a couple - kind of interesting tangentially, but not what I was really after as a whole.
Great read though! I love memoirs, and this one combined that with my zest for local-ism, so I am inspired all over again to eat out of my big back yard.
satyridae's review
3.0
I enjoyed this local diet memoir, though I have a few quibbles. Near the end, the authors begin to talk about trouble in their relationship but do not resolve it at all. I think they should have either given us a denouement or left it out entirely.
The 100-Mile diet concept is intriguing. Overall, the book is well-written. The authors alternate chapters and each has a distinct voice, which is a pleasant touch.
The book touches on the ways in which humanity has mucked up the environment as well as the unnatural distances our food must travel. Either I'm reading in a very narrow channel or this particular issue has become more apparent lately- but I'm troubled by it either way.
The 100-Mile diet concept is intriguing. Overall, the book is well-written. The authors alternate chapters and each has a distinct voice, which is a pleasant touch.
The book touches on the ways in which humanity has mucked up the environment as well as the unnatural distances our food must travel. Either I'm reading in a very narrow channel or this particular issue has become more apparent lately- but I'm troubled by it either way.
cassiewalek's review
2.0
Honestly I got about halfway through and gave up. The book started off interesting and informative, but then just got progressively worse. The stories and statistics are seemingly random and boring. The concept of eating local is not bad, per se, but I think the authors take a pompous approach. First of all, average families don't have the time or money to put this into action. I for one, don't have $128/meal to feed my family. I think the industrialized agribusinesses has destroyed our environment and virtually eliminated family farms and being able to truly live off the land. That is a shame, and I would like to do my part in reducing waste/carbon through gardening, frequenting my local farmers market, eating a vegetarian diet, and reusing materials.
Anyway, I just didn't find this book practical or entertaining. I found Michael Polland's books and others on the food industry, much more enjoyable.
Anyway, I just didn't find this book practical or entertaining. I found Michael Polland's books and others on the food industry, much more enjoyable.
beckyjenson's review
4.0
I first read this in 2008, when a good friend gave it to me on vacation. I was really moved, but wasn't able to gain much traction. I've since put forth a number of changes to our food habits and wanted to revisit the journey of a year of eating within 100 miles.
wictory's review
3.0
This memoir of this couple's experience eating only foods grown within 100 miles of their home did a great job explaining the challenges and the rewards of their decision.
I couldn't imagine this 100-mile diet being very easy to accomplish and I was glad to read that at times, the practicioners didn't either. Their epic struggle to locate local wheat, for example, or the potato-closet-ajar crisis seemed like easily unforeseen issues. It was nice that they lived their lives as much as normal as they could, that they noticed and noted when their diet changed their normal habits so that at the end, there wasn't a big "TA-DA! See? There's nothing to it! Jump on board!"
Both of the authors are journalists and I liked that they alternated writing chapters. It was refreshing to see things from both sides, one gung-ho, the other craving pineapple, etc and to watch those alternate viewpoints progress.
This was an easy read that definitely piques one's curiosity of making a local food commitment.
I couldn't imagine this 100-mile diet being very easy to accomplish and I was glad to read that at times, the practicioners didn't either. Their epic struggle to locate local wheat, for example, or the potato-closet-ajar crisis seemed like easily unforeseen issues. It was nice that they lived their lives as much as normal as they could, that they noticed and noted when their diet changed their normal habits so that at the end, there wasn't a big "TA-DA! See? There's nothing to it! Jump on board!"
Both of the authors are journalists and I liked that they alternated writing chapters. It was refreshing to see things from both sides, one gung-ho, the other craving pineapple, etc and to watch those alternate viewpoints progress.
This was an easy read that definitely piques one's curiosity of making a local food commitment.
purlewe's review
5.0
Stayed up last nite to finish my book from the library. It is due today and has about a billion holds on it so I have to return it. Plenty by Smith and MacKinnon. It was the people who started the whole 100 mile diet thing. They did it on a whim and it became a tidal wave. It was enjoyable to read.. even if some of the statistics make me miserable. I like how they really decided to go with the whole plan.. and even though they gave themselves plenty of contingency plans (say if invited to a house for dinner they would not turn down the food, or if they were on vacation they would not try to stict to the diet) They seemed to stick it through even when they were far from home.. Which is something I do quite a bit. When visiting my aunt I pick walnuts out of her yard.. when visiting Sue's folks we bring out squash. I don't consider it out of the zone of our local eating b'c it is part of our family and is therefore part of our world. Even in the olden days there were folks who travelled great distances and brought things with them. That is why they were considered special treats.
But it was depressing when I think about my grandfather's farm. Seriously so. And I sometimes really get into a funk about it reading the stats about how much of the land is gone JUST IN MY GENERATION. I want to weep. Where has the victory garden gone? Why do people only rely on 3 vegetables for their entire diet? How much of this is the gov't running our lives without our knowledge? It frightens the hell out of me.
But it was depressing when I think about my grandfather's farm. Seriously so. And I sometimes really get into a funk about it reading the stats about how much of the land is gone JUST IN MY GENERATION. I want to weep. Where has the victory garden gone? Why do people only rely on 3 vegetables for their entire diet? How much of this is the gov't running our lives without our knowledge? It frightens the hell out of me.
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