You and I Eat the Same: On the Countless Ways Food and Cooking Connect Us to One Another (MAD Dispatches, Volume 1)

I am not at all surprised that this book was named one of the Best Food Books of the Year by The New Yorker, Smithsonian, etc. I absolutely loved it. Yes, I’m predisposed to love foodie books but this one was brilliant. In the introduction by Chris Ying there’s a line stating that this essay collection can be dipped in and out of, but I blew this this book from cover to cover in two days even while savoring the gorgeous photography, the intelligent paragraphs, and the rabbit holes of thought it led me through. I loved every single contribution it contained and dog-eared so many pages to come back to that it has grown twice as thick.Most food books are about differences, but this one breaks the mold and celebrates the similarities while seeped in history, science (just wait until you read the essay titled Your Fire and My Fire Burn the Same), anthropology, socio-economics, straight-up economics, and so much more.A few selects from the ‘too many to mention’ dog-eared pages:Much Depends on How You Hold Your Fork: “I’ve been robbed and sexually harassed. But I could not think of a single instance of witnessing someone behaving really badly while eating – grabbing food, burping, shoveling food into their mouth with their hands, yelling for more. Eating etiquette is apparently more strongly ingrained than religion or morality.”Culinary Differences Make A Difference: “In American and other predominantly white countries, a discussion about culinary appropriation has erupted in recent years. Fierce debate has arisen over what it means to eat food originally imagined by one race or ethnicity but cooked by another – such as, say, tacos being prepared by a white chef and sold to predominantly white customers in a fine dining setting. This debate is important because it engages with the question of power in the making of a culture.”There is No Such Thing as an Ethnic Restaurant: “German food was not only accepted, but certain items became sufficiently popular to regard as American… something that never happened with chop suey, tacos, or even pizza.”

This collection is incredible, I cannot wait for the next drop. So much knowledge in these pages, and the last essay blew me away. I brought it to work, and it’s currently making its way through everyone in the kitchen. Each essay is full of fascinating information that can change the way you think. The last essay was written by a gentleman that works for Starbucks, which I had originally thought was just a corporate power grab kind of thing before reading it, and it turned out to be one of the heaviest, most inspiring things I had read in a long time.

Really awesome perspective on how everyone is connected by the foods they eat. Food plays a significant role in all of our lives and surprisingly there are a lot of similar habits and tendencies across various cultures. It celebrates our differences and highlights our connectedness.

Each chapter is written by a different author, however their storytelling styles are similar which really ties the articles together. Each article is fairly short making this very easy to read; it reads more like a magazine with it's article length and fantastic large pictures. I loved how each article made be want to delve further into the topics mentioned. The second chapter really set off a whole reading list for be and piqued my interest! I loved how each article really felt like it was just a different facet of the same topic. LOVED this! Looking forward to the next one!

A great subject in this time of political divide. Shows that even we all have different politics, religion, customs, tradition and races, the one thing that binds us is our love of good food. The ingredients in the food transcends racial, and national boundaries.Book is easy to read, very informative. Finally got a better understanding and knowledge where the origin of some of the food that I have only heard of but didn’t know where they came from.

Es una serie de ensayos muy buena si le gusta la gastronomia

My friend and I read this as part of a book club. There were so many complex topics to chew on. I loved the collection of essays about relevant and topical issues regarding food and culture. Easily my favorite book I've read this year.

This was an assigned book for a food co-op book club. Some of the essays were quite good, insightful and interesting. Others, not so much. The quality was uneven. What would have helped is having an introduction setting out the purpose of the book and giving a bit of information on the essayists (all were chefs or people in the food world but that wasn't apparent at first). Lacking that, the book felt like a sauce where all the ingredients just didn't come together.

Heard great reviews on this book. A little disappointed on some physical damage to the bottom and spine (dirt marks and bent pages - see photo); otherwise, shipped fairly quick. Looking forward to reading.

For those who love to learn and see through the eyes of others via food, also brilliant as a reference piece for thos looking to get into any kind of descriptive journalism

Colorida e bastante heterogênea em sua abordagem, a publicação reúne 19 artigos para inspirar o leitor a ter uma nova visão sobre a temática da imigração e, principalmente da comida como elemento que conecta pessoas e rompe barreiras reais e imaginárias para nos integrar como seres humanos. Os meios de inclusão são múltiplos, por isso o livro se propõe a revelar alguns destes vínculos sutis – e os não tão sutis – criados pela maneira como comemos.

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