The Third Plate by Dan Barber

I give this book 9 out of 10 acorns.

The only reason I docked one point is because I wanted more. And because some times, in order to tell a good story, there were side tracks, or meanderings that had me wanting the author to follow a more linear track.

Though when you are evaluating ALL aspects of our food choices, and food systems, it's not very linear. High-end food trends drive food "fashion" as it were. As a responsible, influential chef, how do you wield that power? What's involved in doing so...educating the consumers/customers? And yet the go-between is the waitstaff, so they need educating too. This is just one tiny example of how Dan leaves no stone unturned in this seminal work.

I was oohhing and aaahhing with almost every paragraph. And wanting to say to someone, anyone - 'hey, read this part!!' (Well, really, 'listen to this!' because I listened to the audiobook that Dan Barber reads himself.) There were just that many good, deep, mind-blowing revelations about and examples of farmers, fishermen, seed savers, bread and grain researchers, and all the people and systems in between and at either end. Many of the food systems Barber describes in the book could be called permaculture systems. They really are some of the most excellent examples of sustainable, resilient, polyculture and systems-feeding-systems operations out there. Holy moley.

I think The Third Plate is a must read for anyone wanting a healthier food system and healthier, tastier food. Because I'm convinced they really do go hand-in-hand.

Subbing so I can add this to my goodreads later

I give this book 7 out of 10 Acorns

I started a miniature journey after watching a Ted talk inspired by the events described in this book. I was fascinated by the idea of something like Foie Gras with minimal human intervention. I know there can be a lot of heated feelings regarding the substance, but for me I just enjoy the idea of the animals doing everything themselves as a natural expression of their ‘gooseness’.

I picked up the book, but honestly wasn’t sure what I was expecting. The book itself flickers between various stories of culinary events in the author’s life experience and the ongoing narrative regarding his exploration of naturally derived Foie Gras and the man who produces it. You need to know that going into it. This isn’t a how to book. It isn’t a concise exploration of a topic. It’s a casual journey along with the author as he weaves in and out of events, exploring it from various angles and relaying events as he experienced them.

That being said, at least once in the book I had to stop and reflect on some of my existing beliefs. I had to question what I believed to be true, but not in the way I might have expected. In fact, it had nothing to do with the focal topic of the book, but instead on a small side-story. I’m still wrestling the idea if I am going to be honest.

I think that above all is what makes this a good read. It lets you learn about the deep beliefs and philosophies of those involved, but also forces you to look at your own. If I am going to complain, it is that the book often doubles back on itself making it hard to read as quickly as I do with other books. It’s best taken in small segments and you might at times feel like you’re reading something you already read. Still, it’s a good book to have in my collection.

I shouldn't attempt a formal review because I read the book several years ago from the library and can't refresh my memory now, but I want to add my two cents. It was exactly the kind of book I was looking for after reading The Soil Will Save Us by Kristin Ohlson and Cows Save the Planet by Judith D. Schwartz. It took the ideas I formed from those books about how farming and ranching can sequester soil carbon, and expanded my understanding to include other food systems...other ecosystems. I found it deeply exciting to learn about both traditional whole-systems approaches that have existed for centuries and new ones that are being developed today. I'd love to read it again.

In this book, Dan Barber goes into mind-blowing details about the WSU Bread Lab and the wheat growing and baking experiments by Dr. Stephen Jones.

Here's a brief press release Chef praises WSU wheat breeder in New York Times bestseller about this connection.

A little over a week ago, I had the honor of teaching in the same strip of buildings as this celebrated Bread Lab (more in my post about that here). The Bread Lab was not open for tours, but I just had to snap some pics of their wood fired bread ovens out front.





How cool, right?