Title: Grocery : the buying and selling of food in America /
Authors: Ruhlman, Michael, 1963-
Year: 2017
Subjects: Heinen's (Grocery store); Grocery trade United States; Supermarkets United States.; Food Social aspects United States.; Food supply United States
Abstract: Michael Ruhlman offers incisive commentary on America’s relationship with its food and investigates the overlooked source of so much of it--the grocery store. In a culture obsessed with food--how it looks, what it tastes like, where it comes from, what is good for us--there are often more questions than answers. Ruhlman proposes that the best practices for consuming wisely could be hiding in plain sight--in the aisles of your local supermarket. Using the human story of the family-run Midwestern chain Heinen’s as an anchor to this journalistic narrative, he dives into the mysterious world of supermarkets and the ways in which we produce, consume, and distribute food. Grocery examines how rapidly supermarkets--and our food and culture--have changed since the days of your friendly neighborhood grocer. But rather than waxing nostalgic for the age of mom-and-pop shops, Ruhlman seeks to understand how our food needs have shifted since the mid-twentieth century, and how these needs mirror our cultural ones.
Contents: Introduction: The invisible behemoth on Main Street -- Part I: How we got here -- My father's grocery store Jones -- How the A&P changed the western world -- Growing up -- The visionary Cleveland grocer and the one-stop shop -- "Nea, I think I want to move to Cleveland-- I think I want to work for these grocers" -- How to save a locomotive that has jumped the rails -- Part II: How to think about food -- She bought the fat-free half-and-half -- Breakfast: the most dangerous meal of the day -- No food is healthy -- Shopping with my doctor -- The nefarious practices of the modern-day grocer -- Interlude: Checkout -- Part III: The center aisles -- A few of the twenty thousand new products for your consideration -- Better living through organic turmeric, ashwagandha extract, and hemp seed milk -- A walk in the medicine cabinet -- Part IV: The perimeter -- The farmer who can't find his animals -- Thirty-two thousand pounds of carrots, every week -- "Nobody knows how to cook-- it's mind-boggling" -- The cooking animal -- Frozen -- Part V: Where we are headed -- America's culinary heritage -- The Cleveland Trust -- Cathedral.