Even if we think we know a lot about good and healthy food—buying organic, subscribing to slow food, reading Eater—we likely don't know much about how our food gets to the table. What happens between the farm and the kitchen? Why are all avocados from Mexico? Why does a restaurant in Maine order lamb from New Zealand? In Food Routes, food historian and food futurist Robyn Metcalfe explores an oftenoverlooked aspect of the global food system: how food moves from producer to consumer. A lecturer and research scholar at the University of Texas at Austin and director of Food+City, who earned her PhD in history at Boston University, Metcalfe finds that the food supply chain is adapting to our increasingly complex demands for both personalization and convenience—but, she says, it won't be an easy ride. |