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賯丿丨丞 丕賱賳丕乇 .. 丿賵乇 丕賱胤賴賷 賮賷 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳
賷胤賲丨 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 廿賱賶 鬲賯丿賷賲 賳馗乇賷丞 噩丿賷丿丞 兀孬丕乇鬲 丕賴鬲賲丕賲丕賸 賰亘賷乇丕賸貙 鬲爻賲賶 "賮乇囟賷丞 丕賱胤賴賷"貙 賵賴賵 賷丐爻爻 亘賴丕 賱賮賰乇鬲賷賳 兀爻丕爻賷鬲賷賳: 丕賱兀賵賱賶 兀賳 丕賱胤賴賷 賵丕賱丕賳鬲賯丕賱 賲賳 鬲賳丕賵賱 丕賱胤毓丕賲 丕賱賳賷亍 廿賱賶 丕賱胤毓丕賲 丕賱賲胤亘賵禺 賴賵 丕賱爻亘亘 賮賷 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賲賳 丨丕賱丞 丕賱乇卅賷爻丕鬲 賲賳 睾賷乇 丕賱亘卮乇 廿賱賶 賲乇丨賱丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱毓丕賯賱貙 賵丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 兀賳 丕賱胤賴賷 兀胤賱賯 賮賷 丕賱胤毓丕賲 胤丕賯丞 廿囟丕賮賷丞 爻丕毓丿鬲 毓賱賶 鬲賯賱賷氐 丨噩賲 丕賱噩賴丕夭 丕賱賴囟賲賷貙 賵夭賷丕丿丞 賳賲賵 丕賱丿賲丕睾貙 賵兀鬲丕丨鬲 賱賱廿賳爻丕賳 賵賯鬲丕賸 廿囟丕賮賷丕賸 賷賰乇爻賴 賱賱氐賷丿貙 賵亘賳丕亍 毓賱丕賯丕鬲 噩丿賷丿丞貙 賵賷乇丿 乇丕賳睾賴丕賲 亘賴匕賴 丕賱賳馗乇賷丞 毓賱賶 賳馗乇賷丞 丿丕乇賵賳 賮賷 丕賱賳卮賵亍 賵丕賱鬲胤賵乇貙 賵毓賱賶 丕賱賲賮賴賵賲 丕賱匕賷 胤乇丨賴 賰賱賵丿 賱賷賮賷 卮鬲乇丕賵爻 毓賳 丕賱賳賷亍 賵丕賱賲胤亘賵禺.
366 pages, Hardcover
First published May 26, 2009
294 people are currently reading
7,937 people want to read
About the author
Richard W. Wrangham
15听books165听followersRichard Wrangham (born 1948, PhD, Cambridge University, 1975) is Ruth B. Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University and founded the Kibale Chimpanzee Project in 1987. He has conducted extensive research on primate ecology, nutrition, and social behaviour. He is best known for his work on the evolution of human warfare, described in the book Demonic Males, and on the role of cooking in human evolution, described in the book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Together with Elizabeth Ross, he co-founded the Kasiisi Project in 1997, and serves as a patron of the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP).
Wrangham began his career as a researcher at Jane Goodall's long-term common chimpanzee field study in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. He befriended fellow primatologist Dian Fossey and assisted her in setting up her nonprofit mountain gorilla conservation organization, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (originally the Digit Fund)
Wrangham's latest work focuses on the role cooking has played in human evolution. He has argued that cooking food is obligatory for humans as a result of biological adaptations and that cooking, in particular, the consumption of cooked tubers, might explain the increase in hominid brain sizes, smaller teeth and jaws, and the decrease in sexual dimorphism that occurred roughly 1.8 million years ago.
Wrangham began his career as a researcher at Jane Goodall's long-term common chimpanzee field study in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. He befriended fellow primatologist Dian Fossey and assisted her in setting up her nonprofit mountain gorilla conservation organization, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (originally the Digit Fund)
Wrangham's latest work focuses on the role cooking has played in human evolution. He has argued that cooking food is obligatory for humans as a result of biological adaptations and that cooking, in particular, the consumption of cooked tubers, might explain the increase in hominid brain sizes, smaller teeth and jaws, and the decrease in sexual dimorphism that occurred roughly 1.8 million years ago.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 518 reviews
January 6, 2025
I did not enjoy this book.
The main premise was that cooking makes food easier to consume as well as easier to digest. This advancement allowed humans to consume more energy to support a bigger brain.
Now you do not have to read this book.
The main premise was that cooking makes food easier to consume as well as easier to digest. This advancement allowed humans to consume more energy to support a bigger brain.
Now you do not have to read this book.
June 25, 2009
From the first page I liked the writing style. I found it easy to follow and understand, although a good knowledge of either nutrition or anthropology will make it a faster and more comprehensible read.
According to Wrangham, there are no raw food cultures ever recorded in human history. Yes, people eat foods raw but no culture has ever done this exclusively. Using this and other points, he provides an interesting critique to the raw movement.
Throughout the book Wrangham impressed me with the quality of the studies he selected to back up his theorizing. His theories were well supported and well argued. He first shows that the evolution of humans was directly linked first to the use of fire and second to using fire to cook food. Perhaps because he is a primatologist, he draws frequent parallels between humans and animals throughout the book. He uses the comparisons as a way to understanding how we as humans ended up in the unique position of being the only animal that cooks and how this has affected and changed us. In particular, he argues that the process of cooking created a fascinating shift in our anatomy that led to bigger brains and smaller digestive systems.
Wrangham also offers an interesting critique of our current method of caloric analysis of foods. In his writing he discusses the actual differences in nutritional values in cooked versus raw food. He also takes into account the amount of work our bodies have to do in order to digest various macromolecules such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Fat is the easiest to digest. Protein takes more work to digest if eaten with high fiber foods. Softer food makes you gain weight easier. Harder food takes more work and you will not gain weight as easily. He cites an interesting study in which rats were given the same amount of calories per day. One group of rats had their food pellets 鈥榩uffed鈥� to soften them, while the other group just ate regular pellets. At the end of the study, the rats that ate the softer pellets weighed more than the rats that ate the harder pellets. The rats that ate hard pellets literally had to burn more calories in order to digest the harder food. Because the puffed pellets were softer, the nutrition and energy from them was incorporated and digested with ease.
He had a few random judgments that stood out to me as unnecessary and unprofessional. His comment 鈥淟ife can be unfair鈥� in regards to how two people can eat the same amount of calories and if your digestive tract works harder (as is the case with most lean people) then you will gain less weight. And vice versa. This flippant and unpleasant side note should have been left out.
He also made the statement that you rarely find amenorrhea in women who eat primarily cooked food. Amenorrhea is a pathology where a women stops having her period, which is linked to osteoporosis. He says that it is common among women on a predominantly raw-food diet. I believe these statements to be completely unfounded. I have worked with a number of women with amenorrhea and they are not raw-foodists. I have a hard time believing I have found the very rare ones. From everything I have read, it is not a rare condition in women.
All in all, I really thought this was a great read. It got me thinking and his anthropological prospective was a welcome shift from the nutrition centric books I鈥檓 usually pouring over. I enjoyed the historical and evolutionary approach to understanding our relationship to food. I also enjoyed learning about the evolution of human anatomy in direct correlation with the foods we eat.
I鈥檇 like to take a moment to expound upon my own theories on the subject of cooking and raw food inspired by the topics of this book. Keep reading if you are interested in hearing how some of my thoughts shifted from Wrangham鈥檚 work....
I think all health counselors should read this book to gain a more well-rounded perspective on the history of cooked food and how cooking effects the nutritional value of food. I appreciate the shift in my viewpoint. It filled in a lot of blanks for me with regard to the raw food movement. I love eating raw, but have never quite gotten into it as a full-time dietary change other than a few month-long cleanses. Currently, I eat at least 75% of my food raw and this is fabulous for me. And I also notice that I enjoy the option of eating warm foods regularly. I like how grounded I feel after soup or grains.
What if the raw food movement is another dietary fad that is the answer to the high consumption of refined, chemicalized, pesticide-ridden, homogenized, and heavily processed foods. The Standard American Diet laden with meat and animal products left the United States feeling clogged and sluggish. Our country is host to millions of people who have a lot of gunk to cleanse from their intestines and the raw food diet offers this in a great way that doesn鈥檛 require you totally fast from food. You are cleansing and eating at the same time, which allows you to cleanse while working or doing your other day to day tasks. I think it is important to eat raw foods, but I also think it is important to stay balanced and build digestive fire. Sometimes a continual diet of raw foods can dampen digestive fire. If you already experience compromised digestive function eating 100% raw foods may be very difficult because it can further impair digestion. When I read raw food books, I seldom see this important issue being addressed.
I also get concerned for my clients who experience alienation from their families from eating a healing diet while overcoming health concerns. People connect and come together around food. This builds community and defines culture. For this reason it is important to find common ground within your family and eat food together. This strengthens family and community and creates a place to connect. This has been happening for thousands upon thousands of years. The nurturing of family and community is very important in holistic health. It strengthens our relationships, which are one of the main facets of primary food.
According to Wrangham, there are no raw food cultures ever recorded in human history. Yes, people eat foods raw but no culture has ever done this exclusively. Using this and other points, he provides an interesting critique to the raw movement.
Throughout the book Wrangham impressed me with the quality of the studies he selected to back up his theorizing. His theories were well supported and well argued. He first shows that the evolution of humans was directly linked first to the use of fire and second to using fire to cook food. Perhaps because he is a primatologist, he draws frequent parallels between humans and animals throughout the book. He uses the comparisons as a way to understanding how we as humans ended up in the unique position of being the only animal that cooks and how this has affected and changed us. In particular, he argues that the process of cooking created a fascinating shift in our anatomy that led to bigger brains and smaller digestive systems.
Wrangham also offers an interesting critique of our current method of caloric analysis of foods. In his writing he discusses the actual differences in nutritional values in cooked versus raw food. He also takes into account the amount of work our bodies have to do in order to digest various macromolecules such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Fat is the easiest to digest. Protein takes more work to digest if eaten with high fiber foods. Softer food makes you gain weight easier. Harder food takes more work and you will not gain weight as easily. He cites an interesting study in which rats were given the same amount of calories per day. One group of rats had their food pellets 鈥榩uffed鈥� to soften them, while the other group just ate regular pellets. At the end of the study, the rats that ate the softer pellets weighed more than the rats that ate the harder pellets. The rats that ate hard pellets literally had to burn more calories in order to digest the harder food. Because the puffed pellets were softer, the nutrition and energy from them was incorporated and digested with ease.
He had a few random judgments that stood out to me as unnecessary and unprofessional. His comment 鈥淟ife can be unfair鈥� in regards to how two people can eat the same amount of calories and if your digestive tract works harder (as is the case with most lean people) then you will gain less weight. And vice versa. This flippant and unpleasant side note should have been left out.
He also made the statement that you rarely find amenorrhea in women who eat primarily cooked food. Amenorrhea is a pathology where a women stops having her period, which is linked to osteoporosis. He says that it is common among women on a predominantly raw-food diet. I believe these statements to be completely unfounded. I have worked with a number of women with amenorrhea and they are not raw-foodists. I have a hard time believing I have found the very rare ones. From everything I have read, it is not a rare condition in women.
All in all, I really thought this was a great read. It got me thinking and his anthropological prospective was a welcome shift from the nutrition centric books I鈥檓 usually pouring over. I enjoyed the historical and evolutionary approach to understanding our relationship to food. I also enjoyed learning about the evolution of human anatomy in direct correlation with the foods we eat.
I鈥檇 like to take a moment to expound upon my own theories on the subject of cooking and raw food inspired by the topics of this book. Keep reading if you are interested in hearing how some of my thoughts shifted from Wrangham鈥檚 work....
I think all health counselors should read this book to gain a more well-rounded perspective on the history of cooked food and how cooking effects the nutritional value of food. I appreciate the shift in my viewpoint. It filled in a lot of blanks for me with regard to the raw food movement. I love eating raw, but have never quite gotten into it as a full-time dietary change other than a few month-long cleanses. Currently, I eat at least 75% of my food raw and this is fabulous for me. And I also notice that I enjoy the option of eating warm foods regularly. I like how grounded I feel after soup or grains.
What if the raw food movement is another dietary fad that is the answer to the high consumption of refined, chemicalized, pesticide-ridden, homogenized, and heavily processed foods. The Standard American Diet laden with meat and animal products left the United States feeling clogged and sluggish. Our country is host to millions of people who have a lot of gunk to cleanse from their intestines and the raw food diet offers this in a great way that doesn鈥檛 require you totally fast from food. You are cleansing and eating at the same time, which allows you to cleanse while working or doing your other day to day tasks. I think it is important to eat raw foods, but I also think it is important to stay balanced and build digestive fire. Sometimes a continual diet of raw foods can dampen digestive fire. If you already experience compromised digestive function eating 100% raw foods may be very difficult because it can further impair digestion. When I read raw food books, I seldom see this important issue being addressed.
I also get concerned for my clients who experience alienation from their families from eating a healing diet while overcoming health concerns. People connect and come together around food. This builds community and defines culture. For this reason it is important to find common ground within your family and eat food together. This strengthens family and community and creates a place to connect. This has been happening for thousands upon thousands of years. The nurturing of family and community is very important in holistic health. It strengthens our relationships, which are one of the main facets of primary food.
June 23, 2012
I learned so many random facts in the first chapter, including the little-touted fact that raw foodism is unhealthy鈥� eating completely raw doesn't provide the amount of energy necessary, despite the fact that calorie intake is sufficient. Basically, the amount of energy required to digest the fruits and vegetables isn't enough to keep someone alive for a long period of time. This was very good to know, as I'd been thinking of going raw when we got back home (merely to see what it was like). Now, of course, knowing what I do, I'll be staying well away from that鈥� I'm thin enough as it is.
In case you don't have time to read the whole book:
- Cooking gelatinizes starch, denatures proteins, melts fat, and makes meat easier to chew, all contributing to the extraordinarily short amount of time humans spend chewing and digesting.
- This shorter digestion time shortened the gut, allowing more energy to be directed to brain size and growth.
- Cooking wouldn't have evolved to the extent it has now if men and women hadn't formed a partnership. Women provide the staples in most cultures, as well as the cooking, while men spend hours away hunting. They come home to a cooked meal, sometimes bringing meat and/or honey. The trade-off for women is that men who aren't their close kin or husbands don't dare steal their food.
A few more interesting notes:
- A wife is more important for her hearth-side care than sex favors in hunter-gatherer societies. A woman could give out sexual favors to practically anyone鈥� but feeding anyone other than her husband? Absolutely not.
- Inuits, who send their men out to hunt for all food, still need women. To cook and make clothes, without which men wouldn't be able to hunt.
- The advent of cooking also brought about the sexual inequality that is pervasive in most not-completely-modern cultures nowadays.
- People in rich Western cultures now have to find a way to make eating their cooked food healthier.
So, in sum, it's a fascinating book which explained to me what damper is (ground grass seed flour made into bread), different cultures, different methods of food preparation, all of which are very helpful for writing. It definitely offers a different way of looking at evolution鈥� and like most theories鈥� it makes sense.
In case you don't have time to read the whole book:
- Cooking gelatinizes starch, denatures proteins, melts fat, and makes meat easier to chew, all contributing to the extraordinarily short amount of time humans spend chewing and digesting.
- This shorter digestion time shortened the gut, allowing more energy to be directed to brain size and growth.
- Cooking wouldn't have evolved to the extent it has now if men and women hadn't formed a partnership. Women provide the staples in most cultures, as well as the cooking, while men spend hours away hunting. They come home to a cooked meal, sometimes bringing meat and/or honey. The trade-off for women is that men who aren't their close kin or husbands don't dare steal their food.
A few more interesting notes:
- A wife is more important for her hearth-side care than sex favors in hunter-gatherer societies. A woman could give out sexual favors to practically anyone鈥� but feeding anyone other than her husband? Absolutely not.
- Inuits, who send their men out to hunt for all food, still need women. To cook and make clothes, without which men wouldn't be able to hunt.
- The advent of cooking also brought about the sexual inequality that is pervasive in most not-completely-modern cultures nowadays.
- People in rich Western cultures now have to find a way to make eating their cooked food healthier.
So, in sum, it's a fascinating book which explained to me what damper is (ground grass seed flour made into bread), different cultures, different methods of food preparation, all of which are very helpful for writing. It definitely offers a different way of looking at evolution鈥� and like most theories鈥� it makes sense.
March 22, 2015
I'm feeling especially lazy at the moment and not wanting to think enough to write even my standard lazy review, so I'll just say that I thought parts of this were very interesting, and other parts of it were stretching a bit to make things fit the theory.
It was well-read though, and I would recommend it, so that's a plus.
It was well-read though, and I would recommend it, so that's a plus.
November 19, 2017
賯丿丨丞 丕賱賳丕乇: 丿賵乇 丕賱胤賴賷 賮賷 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賱乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 乇丕賳噩丕賲
賱丕 賷禺鬲賱賮 丕賱毓賱賲丕亍 丨賵賱 廿匕丕 賲丕 賰丕賳 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賯丿 鬲胤賵乇 賲賳 爻賱賮 賲卮鬲乇賰 賲毓 亘賯賷丞 丕賱賰丕卅賳丕鬲 丕賱丨賷丞貙 賮丕賱兀丿賱丞 毓賱賶 匕賱賰 賵丕賮乇丞 賵賯賵賷丞 賱丕 鬲丿毓 賲噩丕賱賸丕 賱賱卮賰. 賵賱賰賳賴賲 賷禺鬲賱賮賵賳 丨賵賱 丕賱毓賵丕賲賱 丕賱鬲賷 兀丿鬲 賱賴匕丕 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賲爻丕乇 亘丕賱鬲丨丿賷丿.
賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷胤乇丨 乇丕賳噩丕賲貙 丕賱賲鬲禺氐氐 賮賷 丕賱亘賷賵賱賵噩賷丕 丕賱兀賳孬乇賵亘賵賱賵噩賷丞貙 賮乇囟賷鬲賴 丕賱禺丕氐丞 丨賵賱 匕賱賰. 賷購丨爻亘 賱賴 兀賳賴 賷賯丿賲 丕賱賮賰乇丞 亘卮賰賱 氐丕丿賯貙 賮賴賷 賱賷爻鬲 丨賯賷賯丞 賲丐賰丿丞貙 亘賱 賱丕 鬲夭丕賱 賮乇囟賷丞貙 乇睾賲 賴匕丕 賮廿賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賷賯丿賲 胤乇丨賸丕 賯賵賷賸丕貙 亘鬲丿乇噩 噩賲賷賱 噩丿賸丕 賮賷 丕賱賮氐賵賱 賷賴賷賾亍 丕賱賯丕乇賶 賱鬲賯亘賱 丕賱賳鬲賷噩丞貙 禺氐賵氐賸丕 賲毓 賲乇丕賰賲鬲賴 賱賱兀丿賱丞 賵鬲賯丿賷賲賴丕 亘卮賰賱 賲賯賳毓 賵賯賵賷.
賷賰賲賾賱 賴匕丕 丕賱胤乇丨 兀胤乇賵丨丕鬲 兀禺乇賶 丨賵賱 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱毓賯賱貙 賮丨鬲賶 賲毓 賵噩賵丿 賲賷夭丕鬲 賵丿賵丕賮毓 鬲胤賵乇賷丞 賰鬲賱賰 丕賱賲匕賰賵乇丞 賮賷 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱賲賱賰丞 丕賱丨賲乇丕亍 (匕丕 乇賷丿 賰賵賷賳)貙 賮廿賳 賴賳丕賰 鬲睾賷乇丕鬲 囟乇賵乇賷丞 賮賷 鬲賵夭賷毓 丕賱胤丕賯丞 賮賷 丕賱噩爻賲 賰丕賳 賱丕 亘丿 賱賴丕 兀賳 鬲丨氐賱貙 賵賴賳丕 賷兀鬲賷 丿賵乇 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 丨賷孬 賷亘賷賳 賰賷賮 兀賳 胤亘禺 丕賱胤毓丕賲 賴賵 賲丕 賷噩毓賱 丕賱噩爻賲 賷爻鬲禺賱氐 賲賳賴 賰賲賷丞 兀賰亘乇 亘賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱胤丕賯丞 賲賯丕乇賳丞 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱賲爻鬲禺賱氐丞 賲賳 丕賱睾匕丕亍 睾賷乇 丕賱賲胤賴賷貙 乇睾賲 丕丨鬲賵丕卅賴賲丕 毓賱賶 賳賮爻 丕賱賲賯丿丕乇 賲賳 丕賱爻毓乇丕鬲 丕賱丨乇丕乇賷丞 鬲賯乇賷亘賸丕.
廿賳 胤賴賷 丕賱胤毓丕賲 賷毓賳賷 兀賳 丕賱噩爻賲 賷亘匕賱 噩賴丿賸丕 兀賯賱 賮賷 毓賲賱賷丞 丕賱丕賲鬲氐丕氐貙 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷賴賷亍 丕賱馗乇賵賮 賱賰賷 鬲氐睾乇 丕賱兀賲毓丕亍 賵賷賰亘乇 丕賱丿賲丕睾. 亘賱 賵賷賲鬲丿 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲兀孬賷乇 丨鬲賶 毓賱賶 兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱丨賷丕丞貙 賮賱賲 鬲毓丿 賴賳丕賰 丨丕噩丞 賱賲囟睾 丕賱胤毓丕賲 睾賷乇 丕賱賲胤賴賷 賱爻丕毓丕鬲 胤賵賷賱丞貙 亘賱 賷賲賰賳 禺賱丕賱 賵賯鬲 亘爻賷胤 丕賱丨氐賵賱 毓賱賶 賰賲賷丞 賰亘賷乇丞 賲賳 丕賱胤丕賯丞 賲賳 丕賱睾匕丕亍 丕賱賲胤賴賷貙 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷毓賳賷 賵噩賵丿 賵賯鬲 兀胤賵賱 賱賱賯賷丕賲 亘兀賲賵乇 丕禺乇賶 賰丕賱氐賷丿. 賵賷毓鬲賯丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 兀賳 鬲賯爻賷賲 丕賱賵馗丕卅賮 亘賷賳 丕賱乇噩賱 賵丕賱賲乇兀丞 賯丿 賷賰賵賳 亘丿兀 賴賳丕貙 賲毓 丕賱胤亘禺.
亘丕賱廿囟丕賮丞 賱賴匕丕 賮廿賳 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丕賱賳丕乇 賮賷 丨丿 匕丕鬲賴丕 賱賴 賲賷夭丕鬲 賰孬賷乇丞貙 賮賴賷 鬲賵賮乇 丕賱丿賮亍貙 賲丕 賷毓賳賷 毓丿賲 丕賱丨丕噩丞 賱賵噩賵丿 丕賱卮毓乇 丕賱賰孬賷賮貙 賲丕 賷賮鬲丨 丕賱賲噩丕賱 賱賰賷 賷鬲賰賷賮 丕賱噩爻賲 賲毓 丕賱丨乇丕乇丞貙 賵賱賴匕丕 賳噩丿 兀賳 噩爻賲 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 亘賴 卮毓乇 賯賱賷賱貙 賵賱丿賷賴 禺丕氐賷丞 丕賱鬲毓乇賯 丕賱鬲賷 鬲爻賲丨 賱賴 亘丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳 丕賱丨乇丕乇丞. 賵賰匕賱賰 爻賲丨鬲 賱賴 丕賱賳丕乇 亘丕賱賳賵賲 毓賱賶 丕賱兀乇囟 亘丿賱 丕賱兀卮噩丕乇貙 賱兀賳賴丕 亘丕鬲鬲 爻賱丕丨賸丕 丿賮丕毓賷賸丕 噩賷丿賸丕 賵賴賵 賲丕 兀毓丿 丕賱馗乇賵賮 賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賱丕賳鬲氐丕亘 毓賱賶 賯丿賲賷賳 亘丿賱 兀乇亘毓.
賴賱 賷亘丿賵 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲賯丿賷賲 爻胤丨賷賸丕 亘毓囟 丕賱卮賷亍責 賳毓賲 賴賵 賰匕賱賰貙 賮賴匕丕 賱賷爻 爻賵賶 鬲賱禺賷氐 亘爻賷胤 賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賱賷亍 亘丕賱兀賮賰丕乇 賵丕賱丕爻鬲丿賱丕賱丕鬲. 兀丿毓賵賰賲 賱賯乇丕亍鬲賴 賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱貙 賮賴賵 賷爻鬲丨賯 匕賱賰.
賱丕 賷禺鬲賱賮 丕賱毓賱賲丕亍 丨賵賱 廿匕丕 賲丕 賰丕賳 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賯丿 鬲胤賵乇 賲賳 爻賱賮 賲卮鬲乇賰 賲毓 亘賯賷丞 丕賱賰丕卅賳丕鬲 丕賱丨賷丞貙 賮丕賱兀丿賱丞 毓賱賶 匕賱賰 賵丕賮乇丞 賵賯賵賷丞 賱丕 鬲丿毓 賲噩丕賱賸丕 賱賱卮賰. 賵賱賰賳賴賲 賷禺鬲賱賮賵賳 丨賵賱 丕賱毓賵丕賲賱 丕賱鬲賷 兀丿鬲 賱賴匕丕 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賲爻丕乇 亘丕賱鬲丨丿賷丿.
賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷胤乇丨 乇丕賳噩丕賲貙 丕賱賲鬲禺氐氐 賮賷 丕賱亘賷賵賱賵噩賷丕 丕賱兀賳孬乇賵亘賵賱賵噩賷丞貙 賮乇囟賷鬲賴 丕賱禺丕氐丞 丨賵賱 匕賱賰. 賷購丨爻亘 賱賴 兀賳賴 賷賯丿賲 丕賱賮賰乇丞 亘卮賰賱 氐丕丿賯貙 賮賴賷 賱賷爻鬲 丨賯賷賯丞 賲丐賰丿丞貙 亘賱 賱丕 鬲夭丕賱 賮乇囟賷丞貙 乇睾賲 賴匕丕 賮廿賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賷賯丿賲 胤乇丨賸丕 賯賵賷賸丕貙 亘鬲丿乇噩 噩賲賷賱 噩丿賸丕 賮賷 丕賱賮氐賵賱 賷賴賷賾亍 丕賱賯丕乇賶 賱鬲賯亘賱 丕賱賳鬲賷噩丞貙 禺氐賵氐賸丕 賲毓 賲乇丕賰賲鬲賴 賱賱兀丿賱丞 賵鬲賯丿賷賲賴丕 亘卮賰賱 賲賯賳毓 賵賯賵賷.
賷賰賲賾賱 賴匕丕 丕賱胤乇丨 兀胤乇賵丨丕鬲 兀禺乇賶 丨賵賱 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱毓賯賱貙 賮丨鬲賶 賲毓 賵噩賵丿 賲賷夭丕鬲 賵丿賵丕賮毓 鬲胤賵乇賷丞 賰鬲賱賰 丕賱賲匕賰賵乇丞 賮賷 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱賲賱賰丞 丕賱丨賲乇丕亍 (匕丕 乇賷丿 賰賵賷賳)貙 賮廿賳 賴賳丕賰 鬲睾賷乇丕鬲 囟乇賵乇賷丞 賮賷 鬲賵夭賷毓 丕賱胤丕賯丞 賮賷 丕賱噩爻賲 賰丕賳 賱丕 亘丿 賱賴丕 兀賳 鬲丨氐賱貙 賵賴賳丕 賷兀鬲賷 丿賵乇 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 丨賷孬 賷亘賷賳 賰賷賮 兀賳 胤亘禺 丕賱胤毓丕賲 賴賵 賲丕 賷噩毓賱 丕賱噩爻賲 賷爻鬲禺賱氐 賲賳賴 賰賲賷丞 兀賰亘乇 亘賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱胤丕賯丞 賲賯丕乇賳丞 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱賲爻鬲禺賱氐丞 賲賳 丕賱睾匕丕亍 睾賷乇 丕賱賲胤賴賷貙 乇睾賲 丕丨鬲賵丕卅賴賲丕 毓賱賶 賳賮爻 丕賱賲賯丿丕乇 賲賳 丕賱爻毓乇丕鬲 丕賱丨乇丕乇賷丞 鬲賯乇賷亘賸丕.
廿賳 胤賴賷 丕賱胤毓丕賲 賷毓賳賷 兀賳 丕賱噩爻賲 賷亘匕賱 噩賴丿賸丕 兀賯賱 賮賷 毓賲賱賷丞 丕賱丕賲鬲氐丕氐貙 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷賴賷亍 丕賱馗乇賵賮 賱賰賷 鬲氐睾乇 丕賱兀賲毓丕亍 賵賷賰亘乇 丕賱丿賲丕睾. 亘賱 賵賷賲鬲丿 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲兀孬賷乇 丨鬲賶 毓賱賶 兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱丨賷丕丞貙 賮賱賲 鬲毓丿 賴賳丕賰 丨丕噩丞 賱賲囟睾 丕賱胤毓丕賲 睾賷乇 丕賱賲胤賴賷 賱爻丕毓丕鬲 胤賵賷賱丞貙 亘賱 賷賲賰賳 禺賱丕賱 賵賯鬲 亘爻賷胤 丕賱丨氐賵賱 毓賱賶 賰賲賷丞 賰亘賷乇丞 賲賳 丕賱胤丕賯丞 賲賳 丕賱睾匕丕亍 丕賱賲胤賴賷貙 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷毓賳賷 賵噩賵丿 賵賯鬲 兀胤賵賱 賱賱賯賷丕賲 亘兀賲賵乇 丕禺乇賶 賰丕賱氐賷丿. 賵賷毓鬲賯丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 兀賳 鬲賯爻賷賲 丕賱賵馗丕卅賮 亘賷賳 丕賱乇噩賱 賵丕賱賲乇兀丞 賯丿 賷賰賵賳 亘丿兀 賴賳丕貙 賲毓 丕賱胤亘禺.
亘丕賱廿囟丕賮丞 賱賴匕丕 賮廿賳 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丕賱賳丕乇 賮賷 丨丿 匕丕鬲賴丕 賱賴 賲賷夭丕鬲 賰孬賷乇丞貙 賮賴賷 鬲賵賮乇 丕賱丿賮亍貙 賲丕 賷毓賳賷 毓丿賲 丕賱丨丕噩丞 賱賵噩賵丿 丕賱卮毓乇 丕賱賰孬賷賮貙 賲丕 賷賮鬲丨 丕賱賲噩丕賱 賱賰賷 賷鬲賰賷賮 丕賱噩爻賲 賲毓 丕賱丨乇丕乇丞貙 賵賱賴匕丕 賳噩丿 兀賳 噩爻賲 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 亘賴 卮毓乇 賯賱賷賱貙 賵賱丿賷賴 禺丕氐賷丞 丕賱鬲毓乇賯 丕賱鬲賷 鬲爻賲丨 賱賴 亘丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳 丕賱丨乇丕乇丞. 賵賰匕賱賰 爻賲丨鬲 賱賴 丕賱賳丕乇 亘丕賱賳賵賲 毓賱賶 丕賱兀乇囟 亘丿賱 丕賱兀卮噩丕乇貙 賱兀賳賴丕 亘丕鬲鬲 爻賱丕丨賸丕 丿賮丕毓賷賸丕 噩賷丿賸丕 賵賴賵 賲丕 兀毓丿 丕賱馗乇賵賮 賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賱丕賳鬲氐丕亘 毓賱賶 賯丿賲賷賳 亘丿賱 兀乇亘毓.
賴賱 賷亘丿賵 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲賯丿賷賲 爻胤丨賷賸丕 亘毓囟 丕賱卮賷亍責 賳毓賲 賴賵 賰匕賱賰貙 賮賴匕丕 賱賷爻 爻賵賶 鬲賱禺賷氐 亘爻賷胤 賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賱賷亍 亘丕賱兀賮賰丕乇 賵丕賱丕爻鬲丿賱丕賱丕鬲. 兀丿毓賵賰賲 賱賯乇丕亍鬲賴 賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱貙 賮賴賵 賷爻鬲丨賯 匕賱賰.
March 30, 2014
Any time you see the phrase "How _____ made us human" you know you're going to see a whole lot of over-selling of an idea. Bipedality, language, cooperation, tool use, cooking of food, and many other factors went in to making us the species we are today.
How the cooking of food shaped our evolution is an interesting topic but I did not find this a particularly interesting book. Wrangham starts out by spending an inordinate amount of time bashing people who eat raw food diets. It went way beyond presenting evidence that eating an exclusively raw diet is not healthy for humans into bringing up ridiculous crackpot ideas that individuals have had about the benefits of raw food.
Every idea he discusses is beat to death as he tries to stretch out his thesis into book length. He barely manages that as the book contains just over 200 pages of text with another 100 as notes. This could have been an excellent long article in a magazine but as a book, it's a fail. The most interesting part for me came at the very end as he discusses flaws in the way we calculate nutritional content information. Sadly, it was too little, too late.
How the cooking of food shaped our evolution is an interesting topic but I did not find this a particularly interesting book. Wrangham starts out by spending an inordinate amount of time bashing people who eat raw food diets. It went way beyond presenting evidence that eating an exclusively raw diet is not healthy for humans into bringing up ridiculous crackpot ideas that individuals have had about the benefits of raw food.
Every idea he discusses is beat to death as he tries to stretch out his thesis into book length. He barely manages that as the book contains just over 200 pages of text with another 100 as notes. This could have been an excellent long article in a magazine but as a book, it's a fail. The most interesting part for me came at the very end as he discusses flaws in the way we calculate nutritional content information. Sadly, it was too little, too late.
December 6, 2022
I've seen reviews rating this book 1 star, saying that is either "sexist" because it states that "women cook for men and yabba dabba doo", and another idiot resumed the book in one paragraph, proudly saying that he "saved us all the time". Kudos, to these geniuses.
These kind of reviews come from people that do not engage in critical thinking, nor have any experience on evolutionary psychology. Richard Wrangham has contributed a lot when it comes in human behavior through the evolutionary lens, releasing interesting books such as "Demonic Males" and "The goodness paradox".
To respond to the first observation, im gonna quote the author "Gathering can be just as critical as hunting because men sometimes return with nothing, in which case the family must rely entirely on gathered foods." Let me translate this quote: it says that both activities are complementary, they are both a necessity, both of them required equally. Women do not gather because of patriarchy, not because men gathered together deliberately to exploit women. That's absurd and can only be explained by the Social Justice Scholarship (postmodernism) failing to explain any other thing and denying science.
To respond to the second critique, let me state this: evolutionary psychology is actual science. It was born in the early 90's, and used elements from biochemistry, neurology, cognitive psychology, biology and neurobiology, and im actually just mentioning a few. So, even though the title is simple, "Catching fire", the content is not. To people that perceive this as repetitive, unfortunately, science consists on explanations from many disciplines. That's why in this book we mention neurotransmitters, food contents, basic chemistry, anthropology, ethology, paleontology, public health and other disciplines ON "cooking". That's why the word "cooking" is so important to this book.
This title could be complemented by Richard L. Currier's "Unbound", which is one the most amazing books that explain the Homo Sapiens species. It is not a surprise that the book is a journey to millions years ago, and that there's a lot of paleontology on it. It may sound hypothetical at times, but that can be explained by the nature of the book, is divulgative, not academic. However, the annex of "notes" is really, really long, also the references. The use of fire probably started as a defense against predators, but, as any other thing, through time, another species in our past managed to use it for another reason. Another fact: the fact that women cook, is documented the majority of cultures worldwide. Stating that "patriarchy" did it to enslave women, is just repeating a concept that Simone de Beauvoir made mainstream in the 50's; almost 50 years before evolutionary psychology was born. (note: I'm not saying she was wrong, what I think is wrong, is the idea that "men deliberately enslave women", and repeating this only using philosophy, and the act of thinking, with no objective experimentation at all is not science.). So, there's actually a lot on the book concerning cooking and its benefits, not to mention what cooked food did to our brains.
Anyways, I hope that at least I managed to explain something concerning this book, which I think could also explain nowadays obese epidemic, that unfortunately postmodernism encourages.
These kind of reviews come from people that do not engage in critical thinking, nor have any experience on evolutionary psychology. Richard Wrangham has contributed a lot when it comes in human behavior through the evolutionary lens, releasing interesting books such as "Demonic Males" and "The goodness paradox".
To respond to the first observation, im gonna quote the author "Gathering can be just as critical as hunting because men sometimes return with nothing, in which case the family must rely entirely on gathered foods." Let me translate this quote: it says that both activities are complementary, they are both a necessity, both of them required equally. Women do not gather because of patriarchy, not because men gathered together deliberately to exploit women. That's absurd and can only be explained by the Social Justice Scholarship (postmodernism) failing to explain any other thing and denying science.
To respond to the second critique, let me state this: evolutionary psychology is actual science. It was born in the early 90's, and used elements from biochemistry, neurology, cognitive psychology, biology and neurobiology, and im actually just mentioning a few. So, even though the title is simple, "Catching fire", the content is not. To people that perceive this as repetitive, unfortunately, science consists on explanations from many disciplines. That's why in this book we mention neurotransmitters, food contents, basic chemistry, anthropology, ethology, paleontology, public health and other disciplines ON "cooking". That's why the word "cooking" is so important to this book.
This title could be complemented by Richard L. Currier's "Unbound", which is one the most amazing books that explain the Homo Sapiens species. It is not a surprise that the book is a journey to millions years ago, and that there's a lot of paleontology on it. It may sound hypothetical at times, but that can be explained by the nature of the book, is divulgative, not academic. However, the annex of "notes" is really, really long, also the references. The use of fire probably started as a defense against predators, but, as any other thing, through time, another species in our past managed to use it for another reason. Another fact: the fact that women cook, is documented the majority of cultures worldwide. Stating that "patriarchy" did it to enslave women, is just repeating a concept that Simone de Beauvoir made mainstream in the 50's; almost 50 years before evolutionary psychology was born. (note: I'm not saying she was wrong, what I think is wrong, is the idea that "men deliberately enslave women", and repeating this only using philosophy, and the act of thinking, with no objective experimentation at all is not science.). So, there's actually a lot on the book concerning cooking and its benefits, not to mention what cooked food did to our brains.
Anyways, I hope that at least I managed to explain something concerning this book, which I think could also explain nowadays obese epidemic, that unfortunately postmodernism encourages.
March 28, 2014
This is a fascinating book! Just so you know, it is NOT the Hunger Games sequel! This is an anthropology/evolutionary biology book that posits the theory that what made us human--that is, what allowed us to develop bigger brains and many of the unique aspects of human culture--was not hunting, but the use of fire to cook our food. And that the acquisition of fire happened much earlier than is generally assumed, at the time of homo erectus, not homo sapiens.
There is a really interesting discussion in this book about raw foods and whether humans can survive on them (answer: under normal conditions, no). Every other animal can thrive on raw food, but when humans are restricted to a raw food diet, we lose weight. This also means that our estimates for counting calories are wrong because an apple is considered to be about 120 calories whether cooked or raw, but our digestive system extracts more calories from cooked food than from raw food. We also extract more calories from foods that are highly processed (e.g., ground up). But I've never seen any calorie counter that accounted for these differences.
The second half of the book goes into some of the ways that cooking shaped human society in ways that benefited men more than women. In short, the roots of pair bonding and of patriarchy, particularly male exploitation of female labor, go back earlier than homo sapiens, all the way back to homo erectus. This is a rather disturbing chapter of the book. But it explains a great deal.
There is a really interesting discussion in this book about raw foods and whether humans can survive on them (answer: under normal conditions, no). Every other animal can thrive on raw food, but when humans are restricted to a raw food diet, we lose weight. This also means that our estimates for counting calories are wrong because an apple is considered to be about 120 calories whether cooked or raw, but our digestive system extracts more calories from cooked food than from raw food. We also extract more calories from foods that are highly processed (e.g., ground up). But I've never seen any calorie counter that accounted for these differences.
The second half of the book goes into some of the ways that cooking shaped human society in ways that benefited men more than women. In short, the roots of pair bonding and of patriarchy, particularly male exploitation of female labor, go back earlier than homo sapiens, all the way back to homo erectus. This is a rather disturbing chapter of the book. But it explains a great deal.
May 1, 2022
漠domi 寞tikinanti teorija, kaip terminis maisto apdorojimas mus padar臈 啪mon臈mis.
艩alutinis poveikis: knyga skatina kitokiu 啪vilgsniu pa啪i奴r臈ti 寞 maisto gaminim膮. Va, sukam臈s virtuv臈je, verdame, kepame - b奴tent tai ir skiria mus nuo kit懦 gyv奴n懦. Mums nereikia daug laiko praleisti ie拧kant valgio. Nereikia kelias valandas per dien膮 kramtyti ir vir拧kinti 啪alio maisto. Galime dalintis darbus. Pasak knygos autoriaus, Harvardo universiteto antropologijos profesoriaus, b奴tent tod臈l ir tapome 啪mon臈mis. O jis i拧mano savo srit寞. I拧 300 puslapi懦 knygos beveik 80 sudaro pastabos ir literat奴ros s膮ra拧as.
Truput寞 kliuvo knygos stilius. Nesu tikra, ar d臈l vertimo, ar tiesiog 'klampokai' para拧yta.
艩alutinis poveikis: knyga skatina kitokiu 啪vilgsniu pa啪i奴r臈ti 寞 maisto gaminim膮. Va, sukam臈s virtuv臈je, verdame, kepame - b奴tent tai ir skiria mus nuo kit懦 gyv奴n懦. Mums nereikia daug laiko praleisti ie拧kant valgio. Nereikia kelias valandas per dien膮 kramtyti ir vir拧kinti 啪alio maisto. Galime dalintis darbus. Pasak knygos autoriaus, Harvardo universiteto antropologijos profesoriaus, b奴tent tod臈l ir tapome 啪mon臈mis. O jis i拧mano savo srit寞. I拧 300 puslapi懦 knygos beveik 80 sudaro pastabos ir literat奴ros s膮ra拧as.
Truput寞 kliuvo knygos stilius. Nesu tikra, ar d臈l vertimo, ar tiesiog 'klampokai' para拧yta.
January 23, 2019
鬲賯賷賷賲 毓丕賱賷貙 賱兀賳賷 兀馗賳賴 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱毓乇亘賷 丕賱賵丨賷丿 毓賳 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓貙 賮卮賰乇丕賸 賱賲賳 毓賲賱 毓賱賶 鬲乇噩賲鬲賴貙 賵丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 賲賲鬲夭丕丞 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞貙 賵賱賰賳 鬲賲賳賷鬲 賱賵 兀賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 鬲賵爻毓 賮賷 賳賯丕卮 丕賱噩丕賳亘 丕賱亘賷賵賱賵噩賷 賱賱胤亘禺 賵丕賱賴囟賲貙 賵賱賷爻 丕賱噩丕賳亘 丕賱廿噩鬲賲丕毓賷.. 兀乇噩賵 鬲乇噩賲丞 賰鬲亘 毓賳 丿賵乇 丕賱賳丕乇 賮賷 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱賮賰乇 丕賱丿賷賳賷 賵丕賱廿噩鬲賲丕毓賷 賵丕賱賮賰乇 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷
March 8, 2012
I've been waiting since around page 50 to write this: For a book about cooking, this thing is half-baked.
October 7, 2021
Rather good but rather drawn out. Some wonderful connections made but I got the feeling the last few chapters were just there to move it from a newspaper article to a book.
Worth a read though.
Worth a read though.
April 4, 2010
How did australopithecines develop into Homo erectus? The traditional answer has been that the use of tools allowed them to hunt, and that the increased protein in the diet allowed the developmental spurt toward a bigger brain. But there are two, not one, major jumps in development along this road toward Homo sapiens. Richard Wrangham argues that the first, as has been established, resulted from hunting and eating more meat (and not just consuming scavenged meat), but that the second came from cooking food, which implies controlling fire.
I almost put the book down after the first chapter, 鈥淭he Quest for Raw Foodists.鈥� The author denigrates vegetarians and raw foodists in such a way that I wondered whether he had had a relationship with a salad lover that had gone south, which might account for his contemptuous tone. That aside, he uses anecdotal and indirect evidence to suggest that cooked food allowed homo erectus to evolve, and that the species can not longer thrive on a raw food diet for any extended length of time.
Fascinating was the report of the Evo Diet, an experiment conducted in 2006 in the UK with patients suffering from life-threateningly high blood pressure. They submitted to a raw food diet for 2 weeks, consisting of 50 kinds of raw fruits, veg and nuts in huge quantities (except for one man, who snuck chocolate in week 2). The all brought their blood pressure down to less dangerous levels, but the diet had an unintended side effect: they all lost weight, about a pound each day.
The rest of the book argues that cooked food releases more energy (calories) than the same food would release if it were raw. This is true for both meat and plant-based foods. And the implications of this fact/argument are surprising.
1. Cooking softens food, and soft food is more easily digested and requires less energy to utilize than hard food. Among rats that were given hard pellets and the same pellets 鈥減uffed鈥� like children鈥檚 cereal, the soft-food rats became obese in a matter of months, even through they were consuming the same number of calories as the hard pellet rats.
2. Soft food allowed homo erectus to develop smaller digestive organs. Because of the 鈥渃onservation of total bodily organ mass,鈥� this allowed h.e. to develop much larger brains.
3. In all hunter-gatherer societies, women gather and men hunt. Cooking food further differentiated the gendered division of labor, so that women also became the keepers of the fire and the cooks. This also made women vulnerable, since smoke from a cooking fire can be seen from a mile away. Women received protection and occasional meat from men, and men received a cooked meal from women, and voila, marriage was born. My question though: if men are off hunting, how can they be protecting the hearth at the same time?
4. This model challenges the convention, as anthropologists usually see marriage as 鈥渁n exchange in which women get resources and men get a guarantee of paternity.鈥� In this model, however, men marry so that they are guaranteed a hot meal.
I鈥檓 not a specialist in this field and would have to do much more reading to evaluate this properly, but I wonder just how many of the ideas presented in this book are Richard Wrangham鈥檚. Ailello and Wheeler had (by Wrangham鈥檚 own description) attributted the increase in brain size to the invention of cooking. Furthermore, we鈥檝e known for a long time that large-grain whole wheat bread is less fattening than highly milled white bread (because the whole grain bread costs us more energy to digest, and we eliminate many indigestible particles), and that cooked carrots have a much higher glycemic index than raw carrots (which is why some people choose a raw food diet to lost weight).
Richard Wrangham鈥檚 greatest contribution might be telling these facts in a series of anecdotes. You鈥檒l have to read about the snake experiments yourself, but I鈥檒l tell you about the Inuit diet. It won鈥檛 be too much of a spoiler. The sub-arctic Puiplirmiuts eat frozen caribou dropping like berries (thus raw), whereas most other neighboring tribes find this a waste of good food and take the partially digested lichen pellets (=euphemism) and boil them in blood soup. Maybe the most valuable contribution of this book is that it explains why there are no Inuit restaurants in London.
I almost put the book down after the first chapter, 鈥淭he Quest for Raw Foodists.鈥� The author denigrates vegetarians and raw foodists in such a way that I wondered whether he had had a relationship with a salad lover that had gone south, which might account for his contemptuous tone. That aside, he uses anecdotal and indirect evidence to suggest that cooked food allowed homo erectus to evolve, and that the species can not longer thrive on a raw food diet for any extended length of time.
Fascinating was the report of the Evo Diet, an experiment conducted in 2006 in the UK with patients suffering from life-threateningly high blood pressure. They submitted to a raw food diet for 2 weeks, consisting of 50 kinds of raw fruits, veg and nuts in huge quantities (except for one man, who snuck chocolate in week 2). The all brought their blood pressure down to less dangerous levels, but the diet had an unintended side effect: they all lost weight, about a pound each day.
The rest of the book argues that cooked food releases more energy (calories) than the same food would release if it were raw. This is true for both meat and plant-based foods. And the implications of this fact/argument are surprising.
1. Cooking softens food, and soft food is more easily digested and requires less energy to utilize than hard food. Among rats that were given hard pellets and the same pellets 鈥減uffed鈥� like children鈥檚 cereal, the soft-food rats became obese in a matter of months, even through they were consuming the same number of calories as the hard pellet rats.
2. Soft food allowed homo erectus to develop smaller digestive organs. Because of the 鈥渃onservation of total bodily organ mass,鈥� this allowed h.e. to develop much larger brains.
3. In all hunter-gatherer societies, women gather and men hunt. Cooking food further differentiated the gendered division of labor, so that women also became the keepers of the fire and the cooks. This also made women vulnerable, since smoke from a cooking fire can be seen from a mile away. Women received protection and occasional meat from men, and men received a cooked meal from women, and voila, marriage was born. My question though: if men are off hunting, how can they be protecting the hearth at the same time?
4. This model challenges the convention, as anthropologists usually see marriage as 鈥渁n exchange in which women get resources and men get a guarantee of paternity.鈥� In this model, however, men marry so that they are guaranteed a hot meal.
I鈥檓 not a specialist in this field and would have to do much more reading to evaluate this properly, but I wonder just how many of the ideas presented in this book are Richard Wrangham鈥檚. Ailello and Wheeler had (by Wrangham鈥檚 own description) attributted the increase in brain size to the invention of cooking. Furthermore, we鈥檝e known for a long time that large-grain whole wheat bread is less fattening than highly milled white bread (because the whole grain bread costs us more energy to digest, and we eliminate many indigestible particles), and that cooked carrots have a much higher glycemic index than raw carrots (which is why some people choose a raw food diet to lost weight).
Richard Wrangham鈥檚 greatest contribution might be telling these facts in a series of anecdotes. You鈥檒l have to read about the snake experiments yourself, but I鈥檒l tell you about the Inuit diet. It won鈥檛 be too much of a spoiler. The sub-arctic Puiplirmiuts eat frozen caribou dropping like berries (thus raw), whereas most other neighboring tribes find this a waste of good food and take the partially digested lichen pellets (=euphemism) and boil them in blood soup. Maybe the most valuable contribution of this book is that it explains why there are no Inuit restaurants in London.
May 4, 2017
I know I鈥檝e been reading and reviewing a lot of non-fiction lately, but this is probably one of the more entertaining and accessible of the bunch in style. It鈥檚 a convincing idea: what caused humans to be able to evolve such big brains and short digestive tracts, compared to other species? The answer, according to Wrangham: first the ability to hunt and eat raw meat, then control of fire for cooking meat.
It鈥檚 a very readable book, making all the science and history easy to follow. For me, it was an enjoyable read, though not exactly revolutionary; I was aware of most of the ideas already, since I鈥檓 fascinated by human evolution. It pulls together various different threads of the story, bringing together evidence from different ways of understanding human evolution.
(Oh, but if you don鈥檛 believe in evolution, this鈥� will not be the book for you. That鈥檚 definitely an assumption of the book.)
It鈥檚 a very readable book, making all the science and history easy to follow. For me, it was an enjoyable read, though not exactly revolutionary; I was aware of most of the ideas already, since I鈥檓 fascinated by human evolution. It pulls together various different threads of the story, bringing together evidence from different ways of understanding human evolution.
(Oh, but if you don鈥檛 believe in evolution, this鈥� will not be the book for you. That鈥檚 definitely an assumption of the book.)
August 27, 2024
丨賯賷賯丞賸 賰賳鬲 兀馗賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓賳 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱胤亘賷毓賷 賱賱賳丕乇 賵鬲胤賵乇 丕賱胤賴賷 毓亘乇 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺貙 賵賰賷賮 丕爻鬲胤丕毓 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱鬲丨賰賲 賮賷 丕賱賳丕乇貙 賵丿賵乇 丕賱胤賴賷 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵禺丕氐丞 兀賳 毓賳賵丕賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘丕賱廿賳噩賱賷夭賷丞:
Catching fire: How cooking made us human
賱賰賳 賮賰乇丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰丕賳鬲 鬲丿賵乇 丨賵賱 丕賱鬲胤賵乇貙 賵賰賷賮 賯丿 賷賰賵賳 丕賱胤賴賷 賴賵 賲丕 爻丕毓丿 兀爻賱丕賮 丕賱亘卮乇 賮賷 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 廿賱賶 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱丨丕賱賷.
賮囟賻賾賱 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲 兀賳 賷囟賷賮 賰賱賲丞 "鬲胤賵乇" 賮賷 丕賱毓賳賵丕賳貙 賵賴賷 廿囟丕賮丞 賲賵賮賯丞貙 賱賰賳賳賷 賱賲 兀賮賴賲 兀賳 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賱丿丕乇賵賷賳賷 賴賵 丕賱賲賯氐賵丿. 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 賲賲鬲丕夭丞貙 賰賳鬲 兀賮囟賱 賮賯胤 賱賵 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱賴賵丕賲卮 賮賷 賯賱亘 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱兀賳賳賷 賯賱賲丕 賰賳鬲 兀爻鬲毓賷賳 亘賴丕.
乇睾賲 兀賳賷 賱丕 兀賵丕賮賯 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱兀賮賰丕乇貙 賱賰賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓乇囟 兀賮賰丕乇 兀禺乇賶 兀毓噩亘鬲賳賷貙 賵賱賲 鬲禺胤乇 賱賷 賲賳 賯亘賱
Catching fire: How cooking made us human
賱賰賳 賮賰乇丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰丕賳鬲 鬲丿賵乇 丨賵賱 丕賱鬲胤賵乇貙 賵賰賷賮 賯丿 賷賰賵賳 丕賱胤賴賷 賴賵 賲丕 爻丕毓丿 兀爻賱丕賮 丕賱亘卮乇 賮賷 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 廿賱賶 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱丨丕賱賷.
賮囟賻賾賱 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲 兀賳 賷囟賷賮 賰賱賲丞 "鬲胤賵乇" 賮賷 丕賱毓賳賵丕賳貙 賵賴賷 廿囟丕賮丞 賲賵賮賯丞貙 賱賰賳賳賷 賱賲 兀賮賴賲 兀賳 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賱丿丕乇賵賷賳賷 賴賵 丕賱賲賯氐賵丿. 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 賲賲鬲丕夭丞貙 賰賳鬲 兀賮囟賱 賮賯胤 賱賵 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱賴賵丕賲卮 賮賷 賯賱亘 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱兀賳賳賷 賯賱賲丕 賰賳鬲 兀爻鬲毓賷賳 亘賴丕.
乇睾賲 兀賳賷 賱丕 兀賵丕賮賯 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱兀賮賰丕乇貙 賱賰賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓乇囟 兀賮賰丕乇 兀禺乇賶 兀毓噩亘鬲賳賷貙 賵賱賲 鬲禺胤乇 賱賷 賲賳 賯亘賱
August 31, 2010
Great review of the possibilities of our origins with a persuasive argument about cooking being a driving force for human evolution. Cross species comparisons make a lot of sense as Wrangham develops his argument.
Essential read, especially when he addresses gender issues. He sidesteps the challenge of the origins of language but nonetheless locates humans in the context of changing and challenging environments.
Essential read, especially when he addresses gender issues. He sidesteps the challenge of the origins of language but nonetheless locates humans in the context of changing and challenging environments.
July 3, 2022
喔溹浮喔涪喔侧竵喔箞喔侧笝喔笝喔编竾喔阜喔箑喔ム箞喔∴笝喔掂箟喔勦福喔编箟喔囙箒喔｀竵喔曕腑喔權竵喔赤弗喔编竾喔箞喔侧笝 The Viral Storm 喔傕腑喔� Nathan Wolfe 喔溹箞喔侧笝喙勦笡喙勦浮喙堗竵喔掂箞喙€喔斷阜喔笝 喔佮箛喔∴覆喙€喔堗腑喔笝喔编竾喔阜喔箒喔涏弗 喙勦笩喙冟笝喔涏福喔班抚喔编笗喔脆辅喔侧釜喔曕福喙屶浮喔權父喔┼涪喙� (Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human) 喔傕腑喔囙浮喔曕复喔娻笝喔炧腑喔斷傅 喔溹腹喙夃箑喔傕傅喔⑧笝喔笝喔编竾喔阜喔箑喔ム箞喔∴笝喔掂箟 Richard Wrangham 喙€喔涏箛喔權腑喔侧笀喔侧福喔⑧箤喔傕腑喔� Wolfe 喔權赋喙€喔笝喔竸喔о覆喔∴竸喔脆笖喔椸傅喙堗抚喙堗覆喔覆喔⑧笧喔编笝喔樴父喙屶競喔竾喙€喔｀覆喙€喔涏箛喔權腑喔⑧箞喔侧竾喔椸傅喙堗箑喔｀覆喙€喔涏箛喔權笚喔膏竵喔о副喔權笝喔掂箟 喔椸副喙夃竾喙冟笝喙€喔娻复喔囙竵喔侧涪喔犩覆喔� 喔福喔掂福喔� 喔副喔囙竸喔� 喔о副喔掄笝喔樴福喔｀浮 喔佮箛喙€喔炧福喔侧赴喔氞福喔｀笧喔氞父喔｀父喔┼釜喔侧涪喔炧副喔權笜喔膏箤喔佮箞喔笝喔笝喙夃覆喔｀腹喙夃笀喔编竵喔佮覆喔｀箖喔娻箟喙勦笩喙冟笝喔佮覆喔｀笚喔赤腑喔侧斧喔侧福喙冟斧喙夃釜喔膏竵 喔佮覆喔｀福喔灌箟喔堗副喔佮笚喔赤腑喔侧斧喔侧福喔堗付喔囙箑喔涏箛喔權箑喔笗喔膏竵喔侧福喔撪箤喔椸傅喙堗釜喙堗竾喔溹弗喔佮福喔班笚喔氞釜喔赤竸喔编笉喔涪喙堗覆喔囙涪喔脆箞喔囙涪喔о笖 喔栢付喔囙競喔编箟喔權笟喔｀福喔炧笟喔膏福喔膏俯喔о复喔о副喔掄笝喔侧竵喔侧福喔∴覆喙€喔涏箛喔權浮喔權父喔┼涪喙屶笡喔编笀喔堗父喔氞副喔� 喙勦浮喙堗抚喙堗覆喔堗赴喔椸赋喙冟斧喙夃釜喔∴腑喔囙箖喔笉喙堗競喔多箟喔� 喔ム赋喙勦釜喙夃箑喔ム箛喔佮弗喔� 喔佮覆喔｀釜喔｀箟喔侧竾喔勦福喔笟喔勦福喔编抚喙佮笟喔氞笢喔编抚喙€喔∴傅喔� (喙佮涪喙夃竾喔佮副喔氞斧喔ム覆喔⑧笚喔む俯喔庎傅喔椸傅喙堗笂喔灌箑喔｀阜喙堗腑喔囙箑喔炧辅喔權赋喔笝喙夃覆喙€喔｀阜喙堗腑喔囙竵喔脆笝) 喔佮覆喔｀福喔о浮喔佮弗喔膏箞喔∴釜喔编竾喔勦浮 喔佮覆喔｀箒喔氞箞喔囙竾喔侧笝喔佮副喔權笚喔赤笗喔侧浮喙€喔炧辅 喙佮弗喔班抚喔脆抚喔编笒喔權覆喔佮覆喔｀笚喔侧竾喔犩覆喔┼覆 喔椸副喙夃竾喔權傅喙� 喔溹腹喙夃箑喔傕傅喔⑧笝喙勦笖喙夃竵喔ム箞喔侧抚喔栢付喔囙箖喔權笟喔椸箒喔｀竵 喙� 喔о箞喔� 喔斷箟喔о涪喙€喔笗喔膏笚喔掂箞喔覆喔覆喔｀釜喔膏竵喙冟斧喙夃笧喔ム副喔囙竾喔侧笝喔∴覆喔佮竵喔о箞喔侧腑喔侧斧喔侧福喔斷复喔� 喙冟笝喙佮竾喙堗競喔竾喔曕副喔о腑喔侧斧喔侧福喙€喔竾 喔炧福喙夃腑喔� 喙� 喔佮副喔氞笚喔掂箞喔佮覆喔｀笟喔｀复喙傕笭喔勦腑喔侧斧喔侧福喔父喔� 喔娻箞喔о涪喔ム笖喔炧弗喔编竾喔囙覆喔權笚喔掂箞喔曕箟喔竾喙冟笂喙� 喔椸副喙夃竾喔佮覆喔｀箑喔勦傅喙夃涪喔� 喔佮覆喔｀涪喙堗腑喔� 喔佮覆喔｀笖喔灌笖喔嬥付喔∴笖喔灌笖喔嬥副喔氞釜喔侧福喔覆喔覆喔� 喙佮弗喔班腑喔粪箞喔� 喙� 喔傅喔佮浮喔侧竵喔∴覆喔� 喔椸赋喙冟斧喙夃笧喔ム副喔囙竾喔侧笝喔箞喔о笝喔曕箞喔侧竾喔權赋喙勦笡喙冟笂喙夃竵喔编笟喔佮复喔堗竵喔｀福喔∴笚喔侧竾喔浮喔竾喙勦笖喙夃浮喔侧竵喔傕付喙夃笝 喔弗喔� 喔笝喔编竾喔阜喔箑喔ム箞喔∴笝喔掂箟 喔溹腹喙夃箑喔傕傅喔⑧笝喔權赋喙€喔笝喔竵喔侧福喔椸笖喔ム腑喔囙笚喔侧竾喔о复喔椸涪喔侧辅喔侧釜喔曕福喙� 喙€喔勦傅喔⑧竾喔勦腹喙堗竵喔编笟喔弗喔编竵喔愢覆喔權笚喔侧竾喔∴覆喔權父喔┼涪喔о复喔椸涪喔� 喔娻傅喔о抚喔脆笚喔⑧覆喔о复喔о副喔掄笝喔侧竵喔侧福 喙佮弗喔班笟喔编笝喔椸付喔佮競喙夃腑喔副喔囙箑喔佮笗喔佮覆喔｀笓喙屶笀喔侧竵喔佮弗喔膏箞喔∴笂喔權箑喔溹箞喔� 喙佮弗喔班釜喔编笗喔о箤喙勦笧喔｀箑喔∴笗喔氞覆喔囙釜喔侧涪喔炧副喔權笜喔膏箤喙冟笝喔涏副喔堗笀喔膏笟喔编笝喙勦笖喙夃腑喔⑧箞喔侧竾喔權箞喔侧笗喔脆笖喔曕覆喔� 喙冟竸喔｀笂喔笟喔笝喔编竾喔阜喔抚喔脆笚喔⑧覆喔ㄠ覆喔笗喔｀箤 (喔溹浮喔∴腑喔囙抚喙堗覆喔∴副喔權箑喔涏箛喔權斧喔權副喔囙釜喔粪腑喔о复喔椸涪喔侧辅喔侧釜喔曕福喙屶笝喔班竸喔｀副喔� 喙佮笗喙堗浮喔曕复喔娻笝喔堗副喔斷腑喔⑧腹喙堗箖喔權竵喔ム父喙堗浮喔笝喔编竾喔阜喔笡喔｀赴喔о副喔曕复喔ㄠ覆喔笗喔｀箤) 喙佮笝喔о抚喔脆抚喔编笒喔權覆喔佮覆喔｀釜喔侧涪喔炧副喔權笜喔膏箤喔∴笝喔膏俯喔⑧箤喔椸傅喙堗腑喔樴复喔氞覆喔⑧笢喙堗覆喔權浮喔膏浮喔∴腑喔� (喔浮喔∴笗喔脆笎喔侧笝) 喔勦抚喔侧浮喔赋喔勦副喔嵿競喔竾喔佮覆喔｀笚喔赤腑喔侧斧喔侧福喔斷箟喔о涪喙勦笩 喔∴覆喔佮竵喔о箞喔侧竸喔о覆喔∴釜喔赤竸喔编笉喔傕腑喔囙箘喔� 喙冟笝喔愢覆喔權赴喙€喔勦福喔粪箞喔竾喙冟斧喙夃竸喔о覆喔∴腑喔氞腑喔膏箞喔權福喙堗覆喔囙竵喔侧涪 喔佮箛喔ム腑喔囙斧喔侧浮喔侧腑喙堗覆喔權竵喔编笝喔勦福喔编笟
May 30, 2017
螤慰位蠉 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 尾喂尾位委慰, 蟺维伪伪伪蟻伪 蟺慰位蠉 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 胃苇渭伪, 蟻蔚蠀蟽蟿萎 纬位蠋蟽蟽伪, random facts 蟺慰蠀 蟿伪 位伪蟿蟻蔚蠉蠅, 伪位位维 慰 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼 伪蟺苇蠂蔚喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 蟺蟻蠈蟿蠀蟺慰 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪 蔚蟺喂蟽蟿畏渭慰谓喂魏慰蠉 蟽蠀纬纬蟻维渭渭伪蟿慰蟼 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂蠅 蟽蟿慰 渭蠀伪位蠈 渭慰蠀. 韦慰 魏蠉蟻喂慰 蟺蟻蠈尾位畏渭伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蠈蟿喂 畏 纬蟻伪蠁萎 蟿慰蠀 未蔚谓 慰未畏纬蔚委蟿伪喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 魏位伪蟽蟽喂魏萎 蟽蔚喂蟻喂伪魏萎 蟽魏苇蠄畏 蟿蠅谓 蔚蟺喂蟽蟿畏渭蠈谓蠅谓 (伪+尾=纬==>未), 伪位位维 渭慰喂维味蔚喂 魏伪蟿伪魏蔚蟻渭伪蟿喂蟽渭苇谓畏 蟽蔚 蟽魏苇蠄蔚喂蟼 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 蟽伪蠁萎 蟽蔚喂蟻维, 蟺蟻维纬渭伪 蟺慰蠀 蟺慰位位苇蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼 渭' 苇魏伪谓蔚 谓伪 未喂伪尾维蟽蠅 渭喂伪 蠁蟻维蟽畏 未蠉慰 魏伪喂 蟿蟻蔚喂蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼.
螛蔚蠅蟻蠋 蠈蟿喂 蟽蟺伪蟿维位畏蟽伪 蟺慰位位萎 蔚谓苇蟻纬蔚喂伪 纬喂伪 谓伪 渭蟺慰蟻苇蟽蠅 谓伪 魏伪蟿伪位维尾蠅 苇谓伪 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 蟿蔚位喂魏维 未蔚 渭慰蠀 蟺蟻慰蟽苇蠁蔚蟻蔚 魏伪喂 蟿蠈蟽伪 蠈蟽伪 胃伪 萎胃蔚位伪. 韦慰 谓蟿慰魏喂渭伪谓蟿苇蟻 蟺慰蠀 纬蠀蟻委蟽蟿畏魏蔚 蟺蟻喂谓 渭蔚蟻喂魏维 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪 蟺伪蟿蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蟺维谓蠅 蟽蔚 伪蠀蟿蠈, 萎蟿伪谓 蟺慰位蠉, 蟺慰位蠉 蟺喂慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 魏伪喂 蟽蠀谓蔚魏蟿喂魏蠈.
螛蔚蠅蟻蠋 蠈蟿喂 蟽蟺伪蟿维位畏蟽伪 蟺慰位位萎 蔚谓苇蟻纬蔚喂伪 纬喂伪 谓伪 渭蟺慰蟻苇蟽蠅 谓伪 魏伪蟿伪位维尾蠅 苇谓伪 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 蟿蔚位喂魏维 未蔚 渭慰蠀 蟺蟻慰蟽苇蠁蔚蟻蔚 魏伪喂 蟿蠈蟽伪 蠈蟽伪 胃伪 萎胃蔚位伪. 韦慰 谓蟿慰魏喂渭伪谓蟿苇蟻 蟺慰蠀 纬蠀蟻委蟽蟿畏魏蔚 蟺蟻喂谓 渭蔚蟻喂魏维 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪 蟺伪蟿蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蟺维谓蠅 蟽蔚 伪蠀蟿蠈, 萎蟿伪谓 蟺慰位蠉, 蟺慰位蠉 蟺喂慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 魏伪喂 蟽蠀谓蔚魏蟿喂魏蠈.
January 11, 2011
Wrangham's thesis is that fire is what made modern humans. We didn't just learn to use fire because we were so smart: using fire actually gave us an evolutionary advantage which led to our being smart. In a nutshell: cooked food is more nutritious and easier to eat, thus allowing our evolutionary ancestors to acquire more calories for less effort, increasing their survival and also freeing up more time for things like inventing the wheel.
At first this may seem counter-intuitive, but Wrangham makes a convincing case, talking about the speed of evolution and how it's plausible that humans could indeed have evolved as a result of our control of fire, which Wrangham dates back to (possibly) up to a quarter of a million years ago. He talks about the physiology of chewing and digestion, how our australopithicene ancestors differed from us in how they ate, and crucial differences between human diets and monkey diets. Lots of talk about how the body handles cooked meat and vegetables differently than raw meat and vegetables. All of this is fascinating and convincing.
I think the second part of the book is weaker, as Wrangham goes into evolutionary psychology, which as usual involves a lot of speculation but without much evidence. Many of the later chapters felt a bit padded, like he had an obligation to bring in a social and cultural dimension to the argument. This I found less convincing -- we get a lot of talk about how cooking and food preparation shakes out in "primitive" societies, but this is all dealing with homo sapiens in our modern state. It's somewhat interesting but I don't think it really contributes much to his central thesis, which is supported strongly enough by the physical evidence.
Overall, a good food science and physical anthropology book.
Recommended for: Fans of evolution, monkeys, and cooked food.
Not recommended for: Creationists, vegans, or raw foodists.
At first this may seem counter-intuitive, but Wrangham makes a convincing case, talking about the speed of evolution and how it's plausible that humans could indeed have evolved as a result of our control of fire, which Wrangham dates back to (possibly) up to a quarter of a million years ago. He talks about the physiology of chewing and digestion, how our australopithicene ancestors differed from us in how they ate, and crucial differences between human diets and monkey diets. Lots of talk about how the body handles cooked meat and vegetables differently than raw meat and vegetables. All of this is fascinating and convincing.
I think the second part of the book is weaker, as Wrangham goes into evolutionary psychology, which as usual involves a lot of speculation but without much evidence. Many of the later chapters felt a bit padded, like he had an obligation to bring in a social and cultural dimension to the argument. This I found less convincing -- we get a lot of talk about how cooking and food preparation shakes out in "primitive" societies, but this is all dealing with homo sapiens in our modern state. It's somewhat interesting but I don't think it really contributes much to his central thesis, which is supported strongly enough by the physical evidence.
Overall, a good food science and physical anthropology book.
Recommended for: Fans of evolution, monkeys, and cooked food.
Not recommended for: Creationists, vegans, or raw foodists.
September 5, 2013
賲賲丕 賷賲賷夭 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 毓賳 爻丕卅乇 兀亘賳丕亍 毓賲賵賲鬲賴 賲賳 丕賱賯乇丿丞 丕賱毓賱賷丕 賴賵 囟丌賱丞 噩賴丕夭賴 丕賱賴囟賲賷. 賮賲 氐睾賷乇貙 卮賮丕賴 乇賯賷賯丞貙 兀爻賳丕賳 賱丕 鬲賯賵賶 毓賱賶 丕賱賯囟賲 賵丕賱鬲賯胤賷毓 亘賮毓丕賱賷丞貙 賵兀丨卮丕亍 賲丿賱賱丞. 賳爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱廿爻鬲賳鬲丕噩 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱賲毓胤賷丕鬲 兀賳賳丕 鬲胤賵乇賳丕 -亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲丕- 賱賳兀賰賱 丕賱睾匕丕亍 丕賱賲胤亘賵禺.
賷乇賶 丕賱亘乇賵賮爻賵乇 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 乇丕賳睾丕賲貙 亘乇賵賮爻賵乇 丕賱兀賳孬乇賵亘賵賱賵噩賷丕 丕賱亘賷賵賱賵噩賷丞 賮賷 噩丕賲毓丞 賴丕乇賮丕乇丿貙 兀賳 丕賱賯丿乇丞 毓賱賶 胤賴賷 丕賱胤毓丕賲 賰丕賳鬲 毓丕賲賱丕賸 賲賴賲丕賸 賮賷 鬲胤賵乇賳丕 賰亘卮乇. 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丿乇丞 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞 噩毓賱鬲賳丕 賳兀禺匕 賲賳 丕賱兀乇囟 賲爻賰賳丕賸 亘丿賱 丕賱兀卮噩丕乇. 丕賱賳丕乇 丨乇乇鬲 兀爻賱丕賮賳丕 賲賳 丕賱胤亘賷毓丞 丕賱鬲賷 賰丕賳鬲 鬲賯賷丿賴賲 賲賲丕 丌匕賳 亘賮噩乇 噩丿賷丿貙 毓氐乇 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱賲賳鬲氐亘 兀賵 賴賵賲賵 廿乇賷賰鬲賵爻.
賮賷 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷鬲丨丿孬 乇丕賳睾丕賲 毓賳 兀賴賲賷丞 丕賱胤賴賷 賮賷 丨賷丕鬲賳丕 賰亘卮乇 賵毓賳 鬲賳丕爻賯 噩賴丕夭賳丕 丕賱賴囟賲賷 賲毓 毓丕丿丕鬲 睾匕丕卅賷丞 鬲毓鬲賲丿 毓賱賶 丕賱兀賰賱 丕賱賲胤賴賵貙 賵毓賳 毓丿賲 賯丿乇鬲賳丕 毓賱賶 丕賱毓賷卮 賵賮賯 賳馗丕賲 睾匕丕卅賷 賷毓鬲賲丿 賮賯胤 毓賱賶 丕賱賲兀賰賵賱丕鬲 丕賱賳賷丞. 賮賷 丕賱賮氐賵賱 丕賱鬲丕賱賷丞 賷賯賵賲 亘丕賱丨丿賷孬 毓賳 丕賱噩賴丕夭 丕賱賴囟賲賷 賱丿賶 丕賱亘卮乇 賵毓賳 丕賱賮乇賵賯 丕賱賴丕卅賱丞 亘賷賳賴 賵亘賷賳 丕賱兀噩賴夭丞 丕賱賴囟賲賷丞 賱丿賶 亘丕賯賷 丕賱賯乇丿丞 丕賱毓賱賷丕. 孬賲 賷賯賵賲 亘毓丿賴丕 亘卮乇丨 賳馗乇賷丞 丕賱胤丕賯丞 賲賳 丕賱胤亘禺貙 賵賴賷 亘亘爻丕胤丞 賲鬲毓賱賯丞 亘賰賲賷丞 丕賱胤丕賯丞 丕賱賲爻鬲賴賱賰丞 賮賷 毓賲賱賷丞 賴囟賲 丕賱睾匕丕亍. 賮丕賱胤毓丕賲 丕賱賲胤亘賵禺 賲孬賱丕 賷爻鬲賴賱賰 胤丕賯丞 兀賯賱 賲賳 丕賱噩爻賲 賮賷 毓賲賱賷丞 丕賱賴囟賲 賲賯丕乇賳丞 亘丕賱胤毓丕賲 睾賷乇 丕賱賲胤亘賵禺. 賵賮賷 丕賱賮氐賱 丕賱兀禺賷乇 賷鬲丨丿孬 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 毓賳 丕賱鬲兀孬賷乇丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 兀丨丿孬鬲賴丕 賴匕賴 丕賱毓丕丿丞 丕賱睾匕丕卅賷丞 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞 毓賱賶 胤亘賷毓丞 毓賱丕賯鬲賳丕 賲毓 亘毓囟賳丕 丕賱亘毓囟 賰亘卮乇貙 賵丕賱鬲賷 賲賳賴丕 胤亘賷毓丞 毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱噩賳爻賷賷賳 亘亘毓囟賴賲丕.
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 乇丕卅毓 賵睾乇賷夭 亘丕賱賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲.
賷乇賶 丕賱亘乇賵賮爻賵乇 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 乇丕賳睾丕賲貙 亘乇賵賮爻賵乇 丕賱兀賳孬乇賵亘賵賱賵噩賷丕 丕賱亘賷賵賱賵噩賷丞 賮賷 噩丕賲毓丞 賴丕乇賮丕乇丿貙 兀賳 丕賱賯丿乇丞 毓賱賶 胤賴賷 丕賱胤毓丕賲 賰丕賳鬲 毓丕賲賱丕賸 賲賴賲丕賸 賮賷 鬲胤賵乇賳丕 賰亘卮乇. 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丿乇丞 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞 噩毓賱鬲賳丕 賳兀禺匕 賲賳 丕賱兀乇囟 賲爻賰賳丕賸 亘丿賱 丕賱兀卮噩丕乇. 丕賱賳丕乇 丨乇乇鬲 兀爻賱丕賮賳丕 賲賳 丕賱胤亘賷毓丞 丕賱鬲賷 賰丕賳鬲 鬲賯賷丿賴賲 賲賲丕 丌匕賳 亘賮噩乇 噩丿賷丿貙 毓氐乇 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱賲賳鬲氐亘 兀賵 賴賵賲賵 廿乇賷賰鬲賵爻.
賮賷 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷鬲丨丿孬 乇丕賳睾丕賲 毓賳 兀賴賲賷丞 丕賱胤賴賷 賮賷 丨賷丕鬲賳丕 賰亘卮乇 賵毓賳 鬲賳丕爻賯 噩賴丕夭賳丕 丕賱賴囟賲賷 賲毓 毓丕丿丕鬲 睾匕丕卅賷丞 鬲毓鬲賲丿 毓賱賶 丕賱兀賰賱 丕賱賲胤賴賵貙 賵毓賳 毓丿賲 賯丿乇鬲賳丕 毓賱賶 丕賱毓賷卮 賵賮賯 賳馗丕賲 睾匕丕卅賷 賷毓鬲賲丿 賮賯胤 毓賱賶 丕賱賲兀賰賵賱丕鬲 丕賱賳賷丞. 賮賷 丕賱賮氐賵賱 丕賱鬲丕賱賷丞 賷賯賵賲 亘丕賱丨丿賷孬 毓賳 丕賱噩賴丕夭 丕賱賴囟賲賷 賱丿賶 丕賱亘卮乇 賵毓賳 丕賱賮乇賵賯 丕賱賴丕卅賱丞 亘賷賳賴 賵亘賷賳 丕賱兀噩賴夭丞 丕賱賴囟賲賷丞 賱丿賶 亘丕賯賷 丕賱賯乇丿丞 丕賱毓賱賷丕. 孬賲 賷賯賵賲 亘毓丿賴丕 亘卮乇丨 賳馗乇賷丞 丕賱胤丕賯丞 賲賳 丕賱胤亘禺貙 賵賴賷 亘亘爻丕胤丞 賲鬲毓賱賯丞 亘賰賲賷丞 丕賱胤丕賯丞 丕賱賲爻鬲賴賱賰丞 賮賷 毓賲賱賷丞 賴囟賲 丕賱睾匕丕亍. 賮丕賱胤毓丕賲 丕賱賲胤亘賵禺 賲孬賱丕 賷爻鬲賴賱賰 胤丕賯丞 兀賯賱 賲賳 丕賱噩爻賲 賮賷 毓賲賱賷丞 丕賱賴囟賲 賲賯丕乇賳丞 亘丕賱胤毓丕賲 睾賷乇 丕賱賲胤亘賵禺. 賵賮賷 丕賱賮氐賱 丕賱兀禺賷乇 賷鬲丨丿孬 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 毓賳 丕賱鬲兀孬賷乇丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 兀丨丿孬鬲賴丕 賴匕賴 丕賱毓丕丿丞 丕賱睾匕丕卅賷丞 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞 毓賱賶 胤亘賷毓丞 毓賱丕賯鬲賳丕 賲毓 亘毓囟賳丕 丕賱亘毓囟 賰亘卮乇貙 賵丕賱鬲賷 賲賳賴丕 胤亘賷毓丞 毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱噩賳爻賷賷賳 亘亘毓囟賴賲丕.
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 乇丕卅毓 賵睾乇賷夭 亘丕賱賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲.
January 2, 2013
Before reading this book, I was leery of the raw food movement, but now I know why. Wrangham exposes the pseudoscientific justifications for the movement, some of which are unbelievably ridiculous (such as that the cessation of a woman's menstrual period is a good thing because it means that the raw foodist no longer has any toxins to clear out of the body). Apparently, a strict raw-food diet would not give a person enough energy to meet his/ her needs. I don't have to feel any guilt for my mostly-cooked vegan diet!
Wrangham explains why all human cultures have relegated cooking to the female sex without justifying it. He seems to be saying that although many features of human society are inherited from our distant human and prehuman past, we should not feel bound to perpetuate harmful practices, such as the patriarchal assignment of gender roles or the eating of too much cooked, highly processed foods. We need to cook most foods in order to make the nutrients available to us to fuel our large human brains, but we should incorporate some raw foods into our diet. We should avoid a lot of refined, fibre-poor foods (which our evolutionary history has caused us to crave), since we tend to grow fat on a diet in which glucose is too readily available to us.
Wrangham explains why all human cultures have relegated cooking to the female sex without justifying it. He seems to be saying that although many features of human society are inherited from our distant human and prehuman past, we should not feel bound to perpetuate harmful practices, such as the patriarchal assignment of gender roles or the eating of too much cooked, highly processed foods. We need to cook most foods in order to make the nutrients available to us to fuel our large human brains, but we should incorporate some raw foods into our diet. We should avoid a lot of refined, fibre-poor foods (which our evolutionary history has caused us to crave), since we tend to grow fat on a diet in which glucose is too readily available to us.
January 12, 2016
This author makes a convincing case for consumption of cooked food and nocturnal fires being the spur to humans developing the physiological characteristics that made them properly human: slow to mature, large of brain and free of fur (n.b. hipsters are not properly human). Wrangham refutes other hypotheses effectively and goes into riveting detail about the consequences of cooking on the evolution of the human body.
His theories about how food affected social behaviour, however, are largely supposition and much less convincing. He paints a lovely picture of humans sitting around the camp fire learning to make social chitchat and not annoy one another, skills that weren't needed when they were busy gnawing uncooked roots and grinding their teeth to dust chewing raw bison straight off the carcass. he suggests that older early women cooked up extra food for sisters who were busy nursing. I'm not convinced, given that for most of recorded human society the ones doing the cooking have always been subordinate to the ones doing moist of the eating.
The notes are very detailed and comprise almost a quarter of the book which made the end feel oddly abrupt.
His theories about how food affected social behaviour, however, are largely supposition and much less convincing. He paints a lovely picture of humans sitting around the camp fire learning to make social chitchat and not annoy one another, skills that weren't needed when they were busy gnawing uncooked roots and grinding their teeth to dust chewing raw bison straight off the carcass. he suggests that older early women cooked up extra food for sisters who were busy nursing. I'm not convinced, given that for most of recorded human society the ones doing the cooking have always been subordinate to the ones doing moist of the eating.
The notes are very detailed and comprise almost a quarter of the book which made the end feel oddly abrupt.
July 25, 2011
"Cathing fire" is an interesting book. It presents some ideas that are original and thought-provoking about the phenomena that made us human. Some of them are perhaps too far-stretched and the author is too busy focusing on his main subject - processing the food - to notice the conglomerate of many other influences, not rooted in the food (pre)history. In short, the book offers interesting contents, but it is too biased.
It is also too repetitive - the same arguments appear dozens of times on its pages. There was a point when I felt almost bored and wanted to put the book aside - but then interesting things appeared, and hardly it became entertaining again, when it ended unexpectedly (I was reading it on Kindle, so that I didin't notice at the beginning that at 60% the book is finished and the rest is just endnotes - which, by the way, do not provide any particular additional entertainment or in-depth knowledge).
Overall - not a bad read, quite interesting, but definitely doesn't meet expectations.
It is also too repetitive - the same arguments appear dozens of times on its pages. There was a point when I felt almost bored and wanted to put the book aside - but then interesting things appeared, and hardly it became entertaining again, when it ended unexpectedly (I was reading it on Kindle, so that I didin't notice at the beginning that at 60% the book is finished and the rest is just endnotes - which, by the way, do not provide any particular additional entertainment or in-depth knowledge).
Overall - not a bad read, quite interesting, but definitely doesn't meet expectations.
August 6, 2015
This basically offered everything I wanted out of it. The book explored how fire affected human development, but went beyond humans, stating it likely that Erectus and maybe even Habilis began our love affair with cooked food. Wrangham didn't just conjecture, but used similar species as well as primitive societies still in existence in order to demonstrate natural inclinations. Sure, it went sort of gender history toward the end, but Wrangham's reasoning did seem rather believable, if slightly off topic in the way that we are human. I don't necessarily think that gender roles are key to what makes us human, but that's just my own view.
March 20, 2011
OK, forget the raw food movement. This book presents an interesting theory that a breakthrough moment in human evolution was when man began cooking his food. Cooking the food allowed more calories to be absorbed, changing the shape of primates from having large digestive tracts to large brains. Although the book is very technical, it is presented in a way such that people without a background in biology or anthropology can easily understand. I especially enjoyed the chapters on how social roles developed - males hunting and females cooking. Very informative!
January 17, 2016
賰鬲丕亘 噩賷賾丿 賷購賱賯賷 丕賱囟賵亍 毓賱賶 丿賵乇 丕賱胤賴賷 賮賷 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賵鬲睾賷賷乇 賲爻賷乇鬲賴貙 賵毓賳 兀賴賲賷賾丞 丕賱賳丕乇 賮賷 鬲睾賷賷乇 丨賷丕鬲賳丕 廿賱賶 丕賱兀亘丿. 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賴賵 賲賯丕乇亘丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賲賳 賲賳馗賵乇 胤賴賷 丕賱胤毓丕賲.
賲賳 丕賱賲賱丕丨馗丕鬲 毓賱賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賴賵 兀賳賴 賷丨鬲賵賷 毓賱賶 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 賵鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賱丕 鬲賴賲 賰孬賷乇丕賸 丕賱賯丕乇賶亍 丕賱毓丕丿賷 賵賯丿 賷賰賵賳 丕賱丕禺氐丕卅賷賵賳 賮賷 賲噩丕賱 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱亘卮乇賷 賲毓賳賷賷賳 亘賴丕 兀賰孬乇.
賲賳 丕賱賲賱丕丨馗丕鬲 毓賱賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賴賵 兀賳賴 賷丨鬲賵賷 毓賱賶 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 賵鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賱丕 鬲賴賲 賰孬賷乇丕賸 丕賱賯丕乇賶亍 丕賱毓丕丿賷 賵賯丿 賷賰賵賳 丕賱丕禺氐丕卅賷賵賳 賮賷 賲噩丕賱 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱亘卮乇賷 賲毓賳賷賷賳 亘賴丕 兀賰孬乇.
May 1, 2022
As a principle, I don鈥檛 review books that I DNF. However, the fact that this was required reading for a class and I could t finish it says a lot. This book makes some gross assumptions about domestic roles and women and basically implies that women are more evolutionary able to handle cooking and other domestic roles.
January 19, 2012
The best popular science books I read are the ones that I'm constantly reminded of while just living my ordinary life, which in a way helps make the point of the author that cooking is a fundamental part of human life and has been for a long time.
December 4, 2023
An excellent and compelling reinterpretation that brings together several disciplines to argue that a key to human evolution was the taming of fire and its use for cooking--which allowed us to get nutrition more efficiently, develop larger brains, lose the ability to climb trees, and develop a division of labor between men and women--with marriage based more on this economic division of labor than sexual relations and paternity. Note that this is cooking--not just "man as hunter" because cooking can make many foods more digestible (e.g., grains) and conversely meat with cooking is not nearly as efficiently nutritious.
At points the book is a bit too repetitive or takes longer than needed to make certain points (although it is still a relatively svelte 200 pages). And it is necessarily speculative, especially about the very early history of development of cooking, just how pivotal it was in human evolution, and also the ways in which it shaped gender. It would be nice if a wider array of evidence all lined up to support the speculation.
I would recommend Richard Wrangham's even more highly than this book, it is longer but the argument is more subtle and the evidence it marshals more impressive and counterintuitive.
What follows is a brief summary of the key points of the chapters:
Quest for Raw Foodists: A completely convincing account of how it is basically impossible for humans to survive on raw food. Even sophisticated, modern high quality food with blenders and even low temperature cooking leads to tremendous weight loss and often loss of the ability to reproduce. And no known human society has ever just eaten raw food.
The Cook's Body: We have much smaller mouths and teeth than other primates and our digestive system (particularly the colon) is much smaller than you would predict from our size. We're also much more susceptible to food bacteria.
The Energy Theory of Cooking: Goes through the biological ways in which cooking "pre-digests" food, breaking it down into more digestible morsels. And how we have evolved to like the taste of that cooking.
When Cooking Began: This felt more speculative to me given the lack (or weakness) of archeological evidence and some of the limitations of what you can learn from the fossil record of humans. But Wrangham argues that fire was domesticated around the same time the Homo Erectus emerged and was a key to that emergence.
Brain Foods: A super interesting chapter whose main point is that there is an inverse correlation among primates between how much energy they use in digesting food and how much energy their brains use. This leads to the convincing speculation that we reduced the energy used in the digestive process (see the smaller colon, among other evolutionary developments) and our brains grew in proportion. And the brain growth was, of course, key to humans as social learners.
How Cookings Frees Men: Cooking frees up men to hunt or possibly even engage in leisure by being more calorie-intensive and also by enabling cooking/eating after dark because of the light provided by fires so can get more done during the day.
The Married Cook: Wrangham argues that in every known society women do the cooking, even as other aspects of gender roles have varied widely. He also points out that in all of them women specialize in collecting different foods than men do. And that husbands and wives share food. All of this is unique to humans--other animals do not specialize in types of food collection by gender and don't share food between adults, in fact generally eating it where they find it rather than brining it "home".
The Cook's Journey: Speculative on how fire developed and spread.
Epilogue: The Well-informed Cook: A fascinating account of how the modern version of calories were developed in the early 19th century by assigning an amount of energy per gram to the three major macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat) and how this technique has been refined but in ways that change the numbers trivially since then. But that the amount of energy in food is very different than the amount of net energy your body gets from food because of the energy used in digesting it and because not all gets through. Wrangham advocates, or wishes, for a measure that would capture this but acknowledges the difficulties, including that it depends on how the food itself is prepared. But it left me wishing there was a simple summary statistic, like calories but more meaningful, we could label everything with.
At points the book is a bit too repetitive or takes longer than needed to make certain points (although it is still a relatively svelte 200 pages). And it is necessarily speculative, especially about the very early history of development of cooking, just how pivotal it was in human evolution, and also the ways in which it shaped gender. It would be nice if a wider array of evidence all lined up to support the speculation.
I would recommend Richard Wrangham's even more highly than this book, it is longer but the argument is more subtle and the evidence it marshals more impressive and counterintuitive.
What follows is a brief summary of the key points of the chapters:
Quest for Raw Foodists: A completely convincing account of how it is basically impossible for humans to survive on raw food. Even sophisticated, modern high quality food with blenders and even low temperature cooking leads to tremendous weight loss and often loss of the ability to reproduce. And no known human society has ever just eaten raw food.
The Cook's Body: We have much smaller mouths and teeth than other primates and our digestive system (particularly the colon) is much smaller than you would predict from our size. We're also much more susceptible to food bacteria.
The Energy Theory of Cooking: Goes through the biological ways in which cooking "pre-digests" food, breaking it down into more digestible morsels. And how we have evolved to like the taste of that cooking.
When Cooking Began: This felt more speculative to me given the lack (or weakness) of archeological evidence and some of the limitations of what you can learn from the fossil record of humans. But Wrangham argues that fire was domesticated around the same time the Homo Erectus emerged and was a key to that emergence.
Brain Foods: A super interesting chapter whose main point is that there is an inverse correlation among primates between how much energy they use in digesting food and how much energy their brains use. This leads to the convincing speculation that we reduced the energy used in the digestive process (see the smaller colon, among other evolutionary developments) and our brains grew in proportion. And the brain growth was, of course, key to humans as social learners.
How Cookings Frees Men: Cooking frees up men to hunt or possibly even engage in leisure by being more calorie-intensive and also by enabling cooking/eating after dark because of the light provided by fires so can get more done during the day.
The Married Cook: Wrangham argues that in every known society women do the cooking, even as other aspects of gender roles have varied widely. He also points out that in all of them women specialize in collecting different foods than men do. And that husbands and wives share food. All of this is unique to humans--other animals do not specialize in types of food collection by gender and don't share food between adults, in fact generally eating it where they find it rather than brining it "home".
The Cook's Journey: Speculative on how fire developed and spread.
Epilogue: The Well-informed Cook: A fascinating account of how the modern version of calories were developed in the early 19th century by assigning an amount of energy per gram to the three major macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat) and how this technique has been refined but in ways that change the numbers trivially since then. But that the amount of energy in food is very different than the amount of net energy your body gets from food because of the energy used in digesting it and because not all gets through. Wrangham advocates, or wishes, for a measure that would capture this but acknowledges the difficulties, including that it depends on how the food itself is prepared. But it left me wishing there was a simple summary statistic, like calories but more meaningful, we could label everything with.
October 30, 2022
It was a pretty good book! I wouldn't have picked it out for myself, but having to read it for class was pretty interesting! I appreciate how Wrangham supports his thesis and develops it really well, and then goes into the effects that his theory has. What I like even more is how he treated the sexual division of labor. Rather than stating it was all "sexism," there was some account that there is empowerment in this split of cooking. Unlike some other authors I know, it doesn't feel like domesticity is being blamed or shamed, as there are a lot of women who find homemaking their calling. I don't really like how he ended the book. Kinda feels preachy and out of place for a conclusion on a book like this. I wish it had been a reiteration and maybe some talk about weight gain and food awareness on the side, rather than a full chapter dedicated to the flaws of our modern food industries.
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