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The Food Explorer
- The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats
- Narrated by: Daniel Stone
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 02-20-18
- Language: English
- Publisher: Penguin Audio
Regular price: $28.00
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The Third Plate is chef Dan Barber’s extraordinary vision for a new future of American eating. After more than a decade spent investigating farming communities around the world in pursuit of singular flavor, Barber finally concluded that - for the sake of our food, our health, and the future of the land - America’s cuisine required a radical transformation.
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This is what a paradigm shift feels like.
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In Mycophilia, accomplished food writer and cookbook author Eugenia Bone examines the role of fungi as exotic delicacy, curative, poison, and hallucinogen, and ultimately discovers that a greater understanding of fungi is key to facing many challenges of the 21st century.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Lots of interesting stories
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When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction, and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A delightful trip
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Publisher's Summary
The true adventures of David Fairchild, a late 19th-century food explorer who traveled the globe and introduced diverse crops like avocados, mangoes, seedless grapes - and thousands more - to the American plate
In the 19th century, American meals were about subsistence, not enjoyment. But as a new century approached, appetites broadened, and David Fairchild, a young botanist with an insatiable lust to explore and experience the world, set out in search of foods that would enrich the American farmer and enchant the American eater.
Kale from Croatia, mangoes from India, and hops from Bavaria. Peaches from China, avocados from Chile, and pomegranates from Malta. Fairchild's finds weren't just limited to food: From Egypt he sent back a variety of cotton that revolutionized an industry, and via Japan he introduced the cherry blossom tree, forever brightening America's capital. Along the way, he was arrested, caught diseases, and bargained with island tribes. But his culinary ambition came during a formative era, and through him, America transformed into the most diverse food system ever created.
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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4 Stars43
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars105
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4 Stars39
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gennady Gelman
- 04-15-18
Captivating
A thrilling story of a great explorer. spiced with fascinating tidbits and stories. highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andy
- Westport, CT, United States
- 03-27-18
what you eat probably came from someplace else
This is a great story about the efforts of a few key people that resulted in the bounty of fruits and vegetables we enjoy today. These people included scientists, travelers, politicians and strangers in faraway lands. Daniel Stone does a great job bringing it all to life.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Robert Brummett
- 02-25-18
Good book, but would like more detail.
I enjoyed the book, but would have liked more detail about Fairchild's life and education. Also wanted to hear about how what he collected was propagated, maintained, and distributed by the USDA as well as how he got farmers and consumers to adopt them.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MrsMustard
- 10-22-18
Packed full of facts about plant history!
I loved the author's enthusiasm. This book has so many interesting facts in it that I'll have to listen to it a second time. The story is well laid out in terms of the chronology of Fairchild's life. Definitely worth reading or listening to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jessica
- 08-22-18
so interesting! and such a great find!
I'm so glad I found this book! it's full of facts and anecdotes and keeps your attention to the very end. definitely recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Byron
- 08-19-18
Perfectly Written - Amazing Perspective
Stone did a fantastic job putting into perspective the lifestyle, difficulties, and change that set forth after the “transportation” of the foods that we eat today. This book isn’t just about that! It’s a history lesson told as a non-fiction story. Stone makes you feel, wonder, and appreciate what it took to get the foods that we eat today into our major department stores.
Well done.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JD
- California
- 08-10-18
Fascinating true story of, arguably, our countries' best botanist. The scope of his expeditions and volume of fruits and vegetables that he brought here (despite opposition in some cases), including cherry trees in Washington DC is eye opening.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tanya M. Spiegel
- Miami, Florida
- 07-24-18
Excellent
What an unexpected treat! Our book club chose this book and I thought it would be boring. But surprisingly it is packed full of interesting information on numerous facts. Great surprise.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Breana
- 07-18-18
AMAZING!!!!
So well researched and a facinating tale! so many interesting tidbits about an American hero you may never have heard of.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joyce D Friedenberg
- 07-12-18
Fascinating
wish my high school history teacher had read this to spice up class a bit