In The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food, author and chef Dan Barber shares his insights into the global food ecosystem. Barber’s compelling stories are rich in history and read somewhat like a mystery, as he takes the reader on various treks searching for rich food traditions around the world. So many of these traditions are being lost in our modern, fast-paced, push-button society and Barber shows how this is such a shame and how these traditions can be restored and nurtured. From fish to pork to grain to kitchen to table, this book has something to interest everyone – whether amateur gardener, budding chef, soil scientist, sociologist, economist, or anyone up for a fascinating story.
Unfortunately, the narrative also has more than a dash of profanity, including the speech of Barber himself. It’s unnecessary and ruins the book. He should have left that out and this book would get a full five stars from me. Though the author admiringly wants to restore traditional food, he unfortunately contributes to the vulgarity and crudity of modern society by propogating profanity. If the author cooks half as well as he writes, his meal must be truly wonderful! But I would skip the meal time conversation seasoned with four letter words.
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