Product Description

The handbook for cultural resistance for a new generation of monkey-wrenching food activists. Food in America is cheap and abundant, yet the vast majority of it is diminished in terms of flavor and nutrition, anonymous and mysterious after being shipped thousands of miles and passing through inscrutable supply chains, and controlled by multinational corporations. In our system of globalized food commodities, convenience replaces quality and a connection to the source of our food. Most of us know almost nothing about how our food is grown or produced, where it comes from, and what health value it really has. It is food as pure corporate commodity. We all deserve much better than that. In The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, author Sandor Ellix Katz (Wild Fermentation, Chelsea Green 2003) profiles grassroots activists who are taking on Big Food, creating meaningful alternatives, and challenging the way many Americans think about food. From community-supported local farmers, community gardeners, and seed saving activists, to underground distribution networks of contraband foods and food resources rescued from the waste stream, this book shows how ordinary people can resist the dominant system, revive community-based food production, and take direct responsibility for their own health and nutrition. Chapter Topics Include:

* Local and Seasonal Food versus Constant Convenience Consumerism

* Seed Saving as a Political Act

* Holding Our Ground: Land and Labor Struggles

* Slow Food for Cultural Survival

* The Raw Underground

* Beware the Nutraceutical: Food and Healing

* Plant Prohibitions: Laws Against Nature

* Vegetarian Ethics and Humane Meat

* Feral Foragers: Scavenging and Recycling Food Resources

* Water: The Source of All Life

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50617 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Katz (Wild Fermentations) strives for total inclusiveness by writing about every challenge to the "chemical-driven agricultural mainstream" he can think of from the protests against genetically modified plants to the fight to legalize unpasteurized milk, with slow food, veganism and supermarket dumpster diving thrown in for good measure. But he addresses the issues in simplistic, agitprop terms, describing a world where the government collaborates with profit-driven corporations to flood the market with unnatural foods that are killing people. Even the criminalization of marijuana is characterized as an act of agricultural hegemony comparable to the Inquisition. Katz wants to challenge this state of affairs with a multicultural agrarian uprising, and writes with moving sincerity about how his own experiences on a queer-friendly commune in Tennessee have shaped his politics. He ends each chapter with a list of organizations to contact for more information, as well as several recipes that exemplify his low-tech, all-natural approach—his pesto, for example, is made from chickweed picked in the wild. At times, the calls to re-embrace mother earth and "cherish the biota in all its glorious diversity" become hyperbolic, but Katz's comprehensive reporting is sure to mobilize any reader on at least one issue. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"...a refreshing, wholesome, wise book on something that affects all our lives...I hope it is widely read." -- Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

"A perfect introduction for the eager eater aiming to blend a dose of conscientiousness into his or her daily soup and bread, this book is thorough, instructional, and encouraging. It’s a friendly manifesto of one man’s commitment to keeping his mind where his mouth is… In his informal narrative Katz manages to convey a vast amount of complex information in an accessible way. By sharing his personal journey (including his own share of contradictions and hypocrisies) Katz allows readers to identify with him as a food lover trying his best to grapple with the responsibility of conscientious eating, while delighting in its pleasures." Slow Food Snail

"Don't miss this remarkable manifesto." -- Sally Fallon, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of Nourishing Traditions

"If you wish to reclaim a connection to the food you eat, consider Sandor Katz' (author of Wild Fermentation) newest book. The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved champions various causes against our modern food supply. From seed-saving as a political act to the role of food in healing, it's an invaluable handbook.

A passionate crusader, Katz is also funny, quirky and eminently likable. Each chapter contains one of his low-tech recipes and ends with multiple resources pages including supportive books, films and organizations."

- Mail Tribune review by Rebecca Wood, November 22, 2006

"Sandor Ellix Katz?s book The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved introduces us to people who moving the field closer to the table. The people we meet in this book are reclaiming their right to not only eat healthy, wholesome food but are asserting their right to grow and produce what they eat for themselves and offer for sale.

If your friends and family refer to you as a ?foodie? then when you read Katz?s book you will meet people who are journeying along a similar path.

From road kill gourmets to bread club members, the people you encounter while reading Katz?s book have rejected the mass industrial food complex that dominates North American food choices. Katz introduces us to people who know there are choices and who are willing to act upon that knowledge. Taking charge of your food supply, even in a small way, is a liberating and healthy act."

- Permaculture Kitchen, November 25, 2006

"The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved is a deeply nutritious book." -- Deborah Madison, author of Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets

"This is the story of the consumer revolution against globally industrialized agriculture and corporate domination of food production, processing, and distribution systems. Katz (Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods) asserts that there are alternatives to the dead, unhealthy, homogenized food commodities this system provides. He visited farmers' markets, food cooperatives, and communities in search of local initiatives that restore traditional food production and distribution methods and revive local economies. Katz found a broad movement of people and organizations involved in preserving native varieties, practicing humane and sustainable treatment of land and animals, supporting local producers and marketers, and using food to improve health. Of particular note is the rapidly growing 'slow food' movement, which rejects standardized fare and focuses instead on cuisine that has served ethnic and cultural preferences in the past. Each chapter cites references for further reading and organizations involved in keeping the programs active. This work is sure to enlighten readers and motivate many to join the revolution. Recommended."

- Library Journal, December 2006

"What's for dinner? Zesty politics, delicious democracy, and satisfying grassroots action. Devour this book." -- Jim Hightower, radio commentator and author

Review
"This work is sure to enlighten readers and motivate many to join the revolution. Recommended."

- Library Journal

"What's for dinner? Zesty politics, delicious democracy, and satisfying grassroots action. Devour this book." -Jim Hightower, radio commentator and author

"The politics and ethics of food production and consumption touch all of our lives, and there are too few books on the subject. The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved is packed with good information and ideas. I already buy my milk fresh from the farm next door, but after reading this, I'm ready to be a card-carrying member of the raw milk underground. Read it before you go shopping again!"

- Eric Robbins, Apple Valley Books, Winthrop, ME

"Don't miss this remarkable manifesto."

- Sally Fallon, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of Nourishing Traditions

"Sandor Katz has given us a refreshing, wholesome, wise book on something that affects all our lives. It points us not only to eating in a new way, but thinking in a new way. I hope it will be widely read."

-Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

"The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved is a deeply nutritious book."

- Deborah Madison, author of Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets

"Most importantly, in teaching us about these movements, Katz inspires us to take it a step further, whatever our food persuasions may be. You may end up setting up an underground food market, where people can sell bread that they bake in their own ovens and milk that isn't tampered with by government regulations. You'll gather dandelion leaves, chickweed, mushrooms, prickly pear or whatever else grows in your own backyard. You'll school yourself in herbal healing, live in raw food decadence, get involved in a grassroots land-rights movement or finally take more than five minutes to savor a meal with friends."

- Sopaipilla, Earth First! Samhain/Yule 2006

Customer Reviews

Thoughtful, non-hysterical, and comprehensive guide to EATING today
From the title and cover, I was expecting a lot more hysteria and a lot more to disagree with in this book than I actually found, which was a readable, enjoyable, even laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly touching book.

For someone who spends much of his life outside of mainstream society (Katz is a long-term resident of an "intentional community" with no municipal water hookup), Katz's outlook is exceptionally balanced.

His take on Western medicine, for example, which advocates taking the most helpful of the Western and "alternative" traditions, is well-thought-out and sensitive. I was also pleased at his outlook towards eating meat and the discussion of vegans, vegetarians, and those who are, like him, "post-vegetarian" yet who still think long and hard about the meat they consume.

Few issues are purely black and white for Katz. The reason the book is probably so thick is because he's not afraid to take on the shades of grey, telling it like he sees it, with exceptional humility and tons and tons of research to back him up. If you have the patience to read along with him, and a little humility of your own, you'll probably find you have a lot to learn.

This isn't strictly a book about food, and the topics do wander a bit (food, plants, water, etc), but Katz's earnest interest makes for fascinating reading nevertheless.

You may not agree with everything he has to say, but despite the cover and its rather trivial-looking illustration, I do consider this an important book for anyone who wants to start seriously rethinking how sustainable our entire society's lifestyle really is - without getting lambasted or bored to tears with a sombre treatise.

A Powerful Tool for Inquisitive Readers

"The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved" by Sandor Katz is created to be used by its readers, not merely consumed. He has clearly laid out as comprehensive and inclusive an agenda as any I have seen, covering industrial food production, dumpster diving, fermenting, foraging, vegetarianism and many other topics. His writing style is humble, clear and flows well -- while he incorporates plenty of information about his and his own experiences, the first person narrative is neatly integrated into the overall message. Each chapter is written as a standalone article and ends with recipes and resources for futher research.

Katz's approach is truly one of conservation and relativity -- he constantly notes that each individual's particular body chemistry, culture and food preferences mean that a diet that works for him (now) may not work for you. He encourages exploration, examination and critical thought.

Sadly, but perhaps not surprisingly, the negative reviews of his books on Amazon are largely from homophobes. While he mentions he's fighting AIDS with diet and medication, and that he lives in a queer community - he's not hamfisted about his sexual orientation or lifestyle. He's clear and up front about it but in no sense does he ever offer judgement about the relative merits of his orientation to the mainstream (nor is the book in anyway about sex). Katz provides details about his life as they are relevant to his experiences and experiments with food -- but he's clearly not out to recruit people to the "Gay Nation" nor to challenge their assumptions on homosexuality.

It's very clear that his mission is to provide a catalyst for his readers (whom he assumes are intelligent, inquisitive folks) to scrutinize their diets and food sources and to arm them with tools for making the best choices based on their own particular situations.

just read it, truely inspiring
This is a great book. A really insightful, inspiring, honest and empowering account of somebody who cares about the planet, its people and its food.
I've shown my friends this book as it traveled with me. If I could I'd borrow you mine. Just get it!