Jonathan KauffmanRecensioni

I did not grow up in a family that ate this kind of food--my mother and grandmother were, for the most part, traditional cooks. But I was generally aware of of "hippie food" or health food--brown rice, lentils, tofu, carob. This is an interesting, though not super in depth, history of the rise of health food in the US and how different products found their way onto our shelves.

I moved to the Twin Cities in the late 70s and found work at North Country Co-op as a produce buyer. I procured fruits and veggies from the farmers' market, Fruits and Roots, and the People's Warehouse. I ate meals at Seward and Riverside Cafes. Bikes came from Freewheel Co-op, clothing and sewing patterns from a general store co-op on Riverside Boulevard, spices from Red Star Co-op, and cheese from the Cheese Rustlers. We went to the free clinic for health care and listened to Fresh Air Radio (where I later worked). The co-operative economy was robust and I gloried in keeping our small funds local and doing good.

Nevertheless, I learned a lot from the new book by Jonathan Kauffman "Hippie Food". As his subtitle declares: "how back-to-the-landers, longhairs and revolutionaries changed the way we eat". One might add "and WHAT we eat" as well, since so much of what you may now take for granted at your local restaurant, Trader Joe's and the behemoth Whole Foods (which gobbled up the far superior Wild Oats and Bread and Chocolate, among others). Kauffman brings a journalist's eye and a historian's approach to tracing the roots of whole-grain diets, yogurt, fiber, tofu and much more. He illuminated for me why the Austin-to-Minneapolis network existed and some of the history of macrobiotics in the US that I never knew.

Whether you lived through those generative days or not, you will find this account fascinating and sure to be relevant to more than one item in your pantry or fridge!

Hippie Food by Jonathan Kauffman is a 2018 William Morrow publication.

Informative and educational!!

This well- researched book delves into the way the sixties counterculture raised awareness and concerns about preservatives and other food additives, and changed our eating habits, incorporating brown rice, wheat bread, tofu, and organics into mainstream consciousness, and into supermarkets. These foods now grace our tables as everyday staples, a far cry from the white rice, white flour, and packaged white bread frequently used in households up to that point.
“Health in America is controlled by the refined food industrialists who support a multi-million- dollar business.” Adelle Davis
Why did the counterculture start eating foods like brown rice, tofu, granola, and whole-wheat bread in the 1960’s and 1970’s?
Tracing just how these fringe ideas and ingredients spread to so many communities felt like an impossible task, fifty years later. When I would ask former hippies why they thought natural foods had taken off all over the country at the same time, swear to God, half a dozen of them answered, “Magic”. Then I would start talking to them about what they themselves were during those years and the read answer emerged: travel.
As a child, I remember my parent buying that brick style block of Sunbeam white bread. It really wasn’t until much later- in the 1980’s that wheat bread became more commonplace, at least in my neck of the woods. Now, I simply can’t imagine ever buying white bread again. I haven’t eaten white bread in decades. I never gave much thought as to how or when these changes began to take hold, but once I started reading this book, I was surprised by the humble beginnings of organic and brown rice farming, and the history of wheat bread.
‘Gypsy Boots feel so fine, I feel so great. So, let me go open that gate. I just have a had tremendous date with a glass of milk and a soy bean cake. All my muscles are strong and loose, because I drink lots of mango juice. For scorns and frowns I have no use, cause I feel wild as a goose. Life is a game of take and give. The world is my brother and I love to live. So, what’s this living really worth if there isn’t any peace on earth.’
For the foodie, this is a fun and fascinating journey, written with a little wit and humor, and loaded with interesting trivia. Be aware, though, that if you are looking for a recipe book, this is not one. However, if you are into organics and healthy foods you will this book to be very interesting.
I really enjoyed this book tremendously. It was a learning experience and I discovered so many things about whole foods, and the fun history behind the trends and how they eventually became our ‘new normal’.

Compact and excellently written. Leaves you wanting for more.

You will not believe how much I enjoyed this book. This is the book that all of us in the alt ag / alt food world have wanted to write. Finally Jonathan Kauffman did it. His research is exhaustive and his prose accurate and properly irreverent. A wealth of information and coherent portrait of a era that young people today can hardly believe existed.

I am a few years to young to have been in the thick of things, but I surely hang out with people who were. Many of my close friends dropped out of college to live on communes. Or followed rock bands sewing costumes! Or lived in the important towns – Ithaca!! Moosewood!! Everyone over the age of 60 should read this book if only for nostalgia.

Mr. Kauffman's enthusiasm communicates directly with my brain and limbic system. I wonder, though, if you weren't there how much you will believe him. Trust me. This is how it was.

My only wish is that the cover had been in psychedelic pink and purple.

Buy this book for yourself and give a copy to your parents.

NB For full disclosure I should mention that one of my academic papers is cited. Yippee, I say, but be assured, my review is unbiased by this small glory.