Premium Bread Wine Chocolate Gift Set - Artisan Baked Goods, Fine Wine & Gourmet Chocolate for Holidays, Parties & Special Occasions

Good food does more than just nourish our bodies. It also delights our senses.In this wonderfully captivating book, Simran Sethi explores five of our favorite foods--bread, wine, chocolate, beer and coffee--in a globetrotting pursuit of the stories behind them and what can be learned from our love of them. Her journey takes her from Ecuador to Ethiopia (and beautiful points between). We meet some of engaging and colorful characters who are integrally parts of the stories behind our food (who are usually almost always anonymous), while being fed an appetizing mix of biology, botany, history, public policy as well as the author's personal reflections on her journey. A talented writer, Ms. Sethi's book is a mouth-watering and eye-opening gift to eaters, especially those whose appreciation of good food goes beyond merely a desire for personal pleasure (while not neglecting the importance of it).The damage done by industrial food system's destruction of naturally beautiful biodiversity in food isn't just ecological and nutritional. We are also deeply impoverished by the loss of the joy that is produced by the exquisite range of tastes of truly good food--a loss that is more profound than we might usually imagine. Aware of this, the author is not content to stop at merely identifying and describing the physical effects of a loss of biodiversity in our favorite foods; she delves into the spiritual significance of it as well, and it was then that the book most resonated with me. Food is not just a vehicle for transporting nutrients into our body. Biodiversity in food is not just important so we can savor a variety of tastes. Rather, the value of biodiversity in food reflects the value in diversity generally. There is reflected in the stories behind our food a universal interconnecteness. There is, for example, a fascinating and beautiful web of stories behind the satisfaction (joy, even) that we get when sipping a fine cup of coffee in the morning. In the author's words, it is "a manifestation of deeper human connection," a source not only of joy, but even transcendence.And the appreciation of good food creates opportunities far beyond merely increasing our own personal pleasure. It helps create an instrument for changing the world, and fixing the brokenness of our food system."Taste," the author writes, "is the gateway through which we will transform food...By demanding what is delicious we can transform what is grown and sold. It is the first step in reclaiming what we love." As a vegetable farmer trying desperately to convince people not to settle for what is cheap and convenient, I offer a hearty amen to that sentiment.The "sensory guides" designed for tasting the foods were a little over the top for my more plebeian palate but should delight the epicures. Who knew one could savor bread with the same careful attention a connoisseur would give to wine, for example?I give Bread Wine Chocolate an enthusiastic two thumbs up. Bravo to Simran Sethi. May her tribe increase.