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The American Way of Eating

Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields, and the Dinner Table
ksoles
Sep 08, 2012ksoles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This first person account of an undercover journey into the food industry reads like a novel. Through remarkable storytelling, Tracie McMillan shows the reader portraits of the working poor: those who harvest grapes, work at Walmart and serve at Applebee's. She endures gruelling work, suffers heat stroke, experiences identity theft and is even sexually assaulted. Ultimately, the reader truly empathizes with those trapped in low-paying jobs and understands how hard it can become to escape such jobs. But "The American Way of Eating" also reads like a social commentary. It asks the profound questions: "What would it take for us all to eat well?" "What are the realities of food and eating in America, especially for the working poor?" "Why should we care about immigrant workers? Definitely food for thought.