Page 71 - Summer2018

All Thumbs Book Reviews

Hippie Food: How Back-to-the-Landers, I want to know why so many other people did.”
Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed His work isn’t an endorsement or argument in
The Way We Eat favor of any particular dietary philosophy but
By Jonathan Kauffman instead an exploration of the brief but important
William Morrow and Company part of our nation's history that helps us under-
stand the health food movement today.
When my family take our normal Sunday Kauffman structures his exploration in
drive to and from town, my kids’ favorite post- three parts. The first three chapters cover pre-
church activity is listening to food shows on 1968 figures and forces that set the stage for
the radio. One Sunday, the radio announced the revolutionary period of 1968-1974. This
an interview for a new book on the history of latter period, while culturally important and
health food in the U.S. I was intrigued because, consequential, was brief and gave way to the rise
while there is plenty of material on the history of the post-1974 baby boomer lifestyle revolu-
of U.S. farming and nutrition over the past fifty tion. These three historical periods provide the
years, I hadn’t seen too many books about this overall structure to Kauffman’s story of our
aspect of history. nation’s eventual embrace of some aspects of
A few days later, I found myself sitting “hippie food.”
down to enjoy Jonathan Kauffman’s Hippie The first chapter alone is worth the price
Food, a briskly paced, beautifully written and of admission. Kauffman’s colorful but concise
bounteously researched book on the history of writing quickly moves the reader across a
the U.S. health food movement since the middle cadre of individuals whose health teachings,
of the twentieth century. It starts with a good almost seventy years later, still influence the
introductions, covering the rapid changes in American diet. He doesn’t waste words or time
Americans’ dietary habits that took place in the and in thirty-some pages provides an excellent
sixties and seventies, touching on farming, food overview of the antecedents of what would be-
and finances in a few pages. Kauffman brings come the alternative health movement. Almost
these data to life with historical examples from every page of this and subsequent chapters is Kauffman’s
primary sources. For example, the sudden drop full of useful information, helping fill in many work is an

in America’s spending on food—from around gaps in my understanding of how we ended up exploration
25 percent of income to about 15 percent—is with the food system we have today. From the
apparent in the cookbooks and convenience American fitness pioneer Gypsy Boots (born of the brief
stores of the time. Robert Bootzin) to “death by mucus,” the fifties, but important
Against this backdrop of a nation quickly sixties and early seventies marked a raucous part of our
moving to “the displacing foods of modern com- time culturally, economically and politically in
merce” (as Dr. Weston A. Price called them), the U.S.—and especially in southern California, nation’s
the countercultural forces of the sixties and where health food’s roots run deep. That period history that
seventies, along with increasing wealth, created also marked a time of increasing degenerative helps us
a window of resistance. From food co-ops to disease and desperation as people sought ways
the first organic farms, all sorts of people and to protect their health. understand
groups sought an alternative to the homogeniza- Some of the diets and teachings from this the health
tion of food and culture that was taking place. era would cause modern people to cringe. For food
Kauffman makes an important comment at the example, much of the early health food move-
book's beginning, stating, “I have no interest in ment was anti-meat and anti-fat, leaning toward movement
telling you why you should be eating it. Rather raw foodism and veganism—but at least these today.

SUMMER 2018 Wise Traditions 69