During the 1950s, 60s, and early 70s, California's coast seemed awash in abalone. From San Diego to Crescent City, people feasted on abalone steaks and glimmering shells were sold in trinket shops. Abalones' remarkable abundance and appeal made them icons of California's easy-living, laid-back beach culture. But just a few decades later, many younger Californians had never seen the legendary mollusk. In the past twenty years, two of California's seven abalone species have joined the U.S. Endangered Species list, and even the hardiest now faces the ecological collapse of its home habitat in Northern California - long regarded as a sure stronghold. After more than 70 million years of gripping tenaciously to North America's western shoreline, how - in our time - did the fate of the delicious, wondrous, and once abundant abalone become so precarious?

Ask children where food comes from, and they'll probably answer: 'the supermarket'. Ask most adults, and their replies may not be much different. Where our foods are raised and what happens to them between farm and supermarket shelf have become mysteries. How did we become so disconnected from the sources of our breads, beef, cheeses, cereal, apples, and countless other foods that nourish us every day? Ann Vileisis' answer is a sensory-rich journey through the history of making dinner. "Kitchen Literacy" takes us from an eighteenth-century garden to today's sleek supermarket aisles, and eventually to farmer's markets that are now enjoying a resurgence. Vileisis chronicles profound changes in how American cooks have considered their foods over two centuries and delivers a powerful statement: what we don't know could hurt us. As the distance between farm and table grew, we went from knowing particular places and specific stories behind our foods' origins to instead relying on advertisers' claims. The woman who raised, plucked, and cooked her own chicken knew its entire life history while today most of us have no idea whether hormones were fed to our poultry.Industrialized eating is undeniably convenient, but it has also created health and environmental problems, including food-borne pathogens, toxic pesticides, and pollution from factory farms. Though the hidden costs of modern meals can be high, Vileisis shows that greater understanding can lead consumers to healthier and more sustainable choices. Revealing how knowledge of our food has been lost and how it might now be regained, "Kitchen Literacy" promises to make us think differently about what we eat.

During the 1950s, 60s, and early 70s, California's coast seemed awash in abalone. From San Diego to Crescent City, people feasted on abalone steaks and glimmering shells were sold in trinket shops. Abalones' remarkable abundance and appeal made them icons of California's easy-living, laid-back beach culture. But just a few decades later, many younger Californians had never seen the legendary mollusk. In the past twenty years, two of California's seven abalone species have joined the U.S. Endangered Species list, and even the hardiest now faces the ecological collapse of its home habitat in Northern California - long regarded as a sure stronghold. After more than 70 million years of gripping tenaciously to North America's western shoreline, how - in our time - did the fate of the delicious, wondrous, and once abundant abalone become so precarious?

Ask children where food comes from, and they'll probably answer: 'the supermarket'. Ask most adults, and their replies may not be much different. Where our foods are raised and what happens to them between farm and supermarket shelf have become mysteries. How did we become so disconnected from the sources of our breads, beef, cheeses, cereal, apples, and countless other foods that nourish us every day? Ann Vileisis' answer is a sensory-rich journey through the history of making dinner. "Kitchen Literacy" takes us from an eighteenth-century garden to today's sleek supermarket aisles, and eventually to farmer's markets that are now enjoying a resurgence. Vileisis chronicles profound changes in how American cooks have considered their foods over two centuries and delivers a powerful statement: what we don't know could hurt us. As the distance between farm and table grew, we went from knowing particular places and specific stories behind our foods' origins to instead relying on advertisers' claims. The woman who raised, plucked, and cooked her own chicken knew its entire life history while today most of us have no idea whether hormones were fed to our poultry.Industrialized eating is undeniably convenient, but it has also created health and environmental problems, including food-borne pathogens, toxic pesticides, and pollution from factory farms. Though the hidden costs of modern meals can be high, Vileisis shows that greater understanding can lead consumers to healthier and more sustainable choices. Revealing how knowledge of our food has been lost and how it might now be regained, "Kitchen Literacy" promises to make us think differently about what we eat.