Tag Archives: food and drink

Eating on Mars, Cap’n Mal, and organic gardening on steroids

Posted on January 25, 2023 by smellincoffee

Since twelve men left their mark on the Moon,  humanity has wondered about the prospects of venturing further out, to the Red Planet.  It’s a daunting undertaking, from the journey itself to the prospects for sustaining life on a planet … Continue reading →

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America Walks into a Bar

Posted on October 25, 2022 by smellincoffee

America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops© 2014 Christine Sismondo336 pages Welcome, friend. Pull up a stool.    You’ve come in at the tail end of a story, but it’s one … Continue reading →

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The Hacking of the American Mind

Posted on August 26, 2022 by smellincoffee

The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains © 2017 Robert Lustig352 pages Robert Lustig is an endocrinologist who gained public recognition when he delivered a lecture entitled “Sugar: the Bitter … Continue reading →

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The Secret Life of Groceries

Posted on January 31, 2022 by smellincoffee

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket © 2020 Benjamin Lorr336 pages The Secret Life of Groceries opens at a fish counter and invites the reader to consider how much labor, creativity, money, pain, and … Continue reading →

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For all the Tea in China

Posted on October 28, 2021 by smellincoffee

For all the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Made History© 2010 Sarah Rose272 pages A love of tea is one of the great English stereotypes, at least in the United States, so I thought … Continue reading →

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Whole Earth Disicpline

Posted on November 8, 2020 by smellincoffee

Whole Earth Disicpline: An Ecopragmatist Approach © 2010 Stewart Brand344 pages Sustainability is context, not a gadget or a single technology. From Stewart Brand, a lifelong environmentalist and creator-editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, comes this fascinating argument that the … Continue reading →

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The Best Cook in the World

Posted on January 3, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Best Cook in the World: Tales from my Momma’s Table © 2018 Rick Bragg 512 pages “Good stuff always has a story,” she said.  One of my New Years resolutions is to cook more, and that has unexpectedly introduced … Continue reading →

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Year of No Sugar

Posted on September 8, 2019 by smellincoffee

Year of No Sugar pub. 2014 Eve O. Schaub 320 pages Eva Schaub’s life was changed at a birthday party for children, when a conversation with a fellow mom  made her aware of something called “corn syrup”,  Being the curious … Continue reading →

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Grocery

Posted on January 10, 2018 by smellincoffee

Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America© 2017 Michel Ruhlman324 pages Let’s go shopping! There’s a few errands to take care of first — an homage to dad, a quick review of the history of grocery stores — … Continue reading →

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