7 Books that Analyze Food: Politics, Memories, and Possibilities
Still Life with a Basket of Fruit and a Bunch of Asparagus by Louise Moillon
Currently, nebulous and over-simplified statements about “real” food, the encouragement of disordered eating on social media, unaffordable grocery prices, and what seems like a campaign to confine women to the kitchen have caused conversations about food to feel especially fraught with misinformation, fear-mongering, and intentional guilt stoking. Conversely, the books on this list consider food—alongside nutrition, body image, trauma, memory, farming, culture, and politics from nuanced, well-researched perspectives. These titles recenter connection, critical thought, and curiosity in conversations about food, considering where it comes from, how we relate to it, and how it can unite and divide us.
The Raging Skillet by Chef Rossi
Encapsulating a range of life’s flavors, this is a deliciously hilarious and heartfelt memoir about the ways cooking can be used to connect with others and express oneself. Throughout the book, Rossi’s culinary creativity and capability enchant, uplift, and inspire, demonstrating the pure joy that comes with embracing food and ourselves.
Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho
Fusing food memoir with sociological analysis, Tastes Like War is a hybrid text that analyzes identity, history, and family. As her mother struggled with the onset of schizophrenia, Cho used childhood foods to build an understanding of her experiences. Discussions of shared meals anchor the book’s framing of food as a source of life, reflection, and connection.
Two Whole Cakes by Lesley Kinzel
In Two Whole Cakes, Lesley Kinzel reminds readers that our bodies are not tragedies or mistakes to be absolved by dieting or starvation. Kinzel rejects the idea that what and how we eat are not indications of our moral value, and urges readers to critically consider the impact of diet culture on our perceptions of ourselves and others.
A Taste of Molecules by Diane Fresquez
A Taste of Molecules blends personal anecdotes and scientific facts to lead readers on a sumptuous exploration of flavor. Food journalist Diane Fresquez employs exciting, delectable descriptions of delicious meals in this study that encourages gastronomic curiosity, as well as celebration and enjoyment of eating.
The Milk of Almonds edited by Louise DeSalvo and Edvige Giunta
In The Milk of Almonds, over 50 Italian-American female writers explore and analyze memories associated with cooking and eating. This insightful collection replaces simplistic, stereotypical images of Italian-American women as little more than nurturers with a diverse spread of poetry, stories, and memoir.
You Have the Right to Remain Fat by Virgie Tovar
You Have the Right to Remain Fat is a searing critique of diet culture as a tool used to promote an unfounded fear of fatness. Tovar’s writing demonstrates the freedom and liberation from diet culture and self-hatred that becomes possible when we embrace the power of non-conformity.
Mega Milk by Megan Milks
While considering facets of the dairy industry, queer intimacy, family, fluidity, whiteness, and cows, Mega Milk is a collection of essays that deftly dissects the roots of milk as a classic American beverage. Throughout the book, Megan Milks demonstrates the inherent political and personal natures of nutrition, factory farming, and our relationships to the animals that feed us.
