The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved

I just read a great book called The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved. It is by Sandor Katz - the author of Wild Fermentation. This post is part of Fight Back Fridays.  How appropriate!

This book is about food activism.  Some of it more radical than others, but virtually all of it taking place away from grocery stores stocked with cans and boxes full of food.  This book is about real food - whole ingredients, unadulterated ingredients, grown in a way that is traditional and sustainable.  Increasingly, eating outside of the industrialized food chain is becoming an act of defiance.

The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved shows us how disconnected we are from our food and profiles several movements that in their own way are changing that and returning the connection between people and the food they eat.  And this book touched on everything.  From local foods vs packaged foods; the fight to save farmland and traditional hunting grounds; seed saving and GMOs; to raw foods such as unpasteurized fruit juice, almonds, and milk; the book covered it all.  It even dealt with issues of vegetarianism, people who butcher their own animals, and freegans.

Each topic was well researched and passionately discussed.  The author included many footnotes for each chapter, and each chapter ended with a list of books, periodicals, films, organizations and other resources.  That aspect is one of the best parts of the book and worth the price right there, if you are interested in any of the things he discussed.  There were also several recipes for each chapter.  I loved reading the recipes.  They were written in a highly narrative style, which made for entertaining reading even if you aren’t the type of person who reads cookbooks for fun!

Overall, the theme of the book was how these food movements are working to restore our eating habits to real food, in whatever form that takes.  A very noble cause indeed.  I can’t help feel alternately discouraged by how low we’ve sunk and energized by the work other pioneers have done.  I can’t help myself; I want to join them in whatever way I  can.

The great thing is, when I buy my produce from the farmer’s markets, CSAs, co-ops, and farm delivery services, I am fighting.  When I cook with whole ingredients instead of boxed ready-to-eat ingredients and help others do the same, I am fighting.  When you plant a garden and use non GMO seeds, you are fighting.  The small things do matter.  And there is more to be done if you can.

Get Involved

For more on food activism, visit this post from Agricultural Society I also recommend Food Renegade’s weekly Fight Back Fridays.  People share inspiring stories and recipes, all focused on real food.  For information on bill H.R. 2749 which is being promoted as a food safety bill, visit Natural Bias and learn about true food safety.  Write to your government representatives and let them know real food is important to you.  For information on NAIS and how it will harm small farms without even protecting the public, visit No NAIS.

Also by Sandor Katz:

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods

Tags: Basics, topics