Market in Ecuador
As the weather gets colder and soup cravings begin, one book stares out from the shelf after years of enticing me with nurturing meals — May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World by John Robbins. Since a pivotal point on my lifelong veggie adventure was contributing to the Healthy School Lunch Action Guide at EarthSave, my copy of May All Be Fed autographed by John Robbins has accompanied me through numerous lifetimes. The book review below, written when working at Amazon.com in the late 90s, still rings true today.
With a more personal style than Diet For a New America, John Robbins teaches us about the production and consumption of meat, chicken, fish, dairy and eggs. What I like about this book is how he comes from a spiritual rather than statistics-only perspective. Robbins encourages us to remember the simple health-nourishing habits like giving thanks and chewing your food slowly, those simple things we can easily forget in our modern ironic eat-quick-so-you-can-make-it-to-yoga-class lifestyles. I especially like the “What You Can Do” section, inspiring readers to educate themselves and others, giving tips on shopping/ cooking healthy foods and a listing of resources.
Jia Patton’s recipes make the book for me. I had the privilege of taking some of her cooking classes with gourmet vegan food which melts your taste buds in its richness and diversity of flavor. In May All Be Fed, Jia abolishes stereotypes of vegan food being bland. Every time I have made the “Cream of Broccoli Soup” for friends they ask for the recipe and love it, deservedly so, with its creamy cashew base. The “Spinach Tofu Quiche” is wonderful too (people don’t seem to miss the dairy); the “Plum Cobbler” feels healthy yet satisfies the sweet tooth going down. I recommend this book for anyone who is open to learning about the vegan diet, and who enjoys cooking and eating fulfilling and jazzy meals.
