Exploring the Future of Food: A Look Into Dan Barber's The Third Plate

E. C: Lovely, easy to read writing from a very knowledgeable chef who cares about the future of our food & environment.

United Kingdom on Oct 07, 2021

farmerX: An amazing odyssee that might give hope, that changes are possible in the sector of agriculture and food production. Dan Barber meets top producers, breeders, conservationists. I would love to visit Steve and his bread lab and I would love to try some of his breeds at home in Austria.

Germany on Jun 30, 2020

Laura Bombier: Everyone should read this book!

Canada on Apr 15, 2020

Amazon Customer: The Third Plate exceeded my expectations...I found it in a most unexpected bookstore in Whitehorse in the Yukon and read it all the way back to the interior of BC and then onto the west coast of Vancouver Island...on the way, I considered all Dan Barber had to say about food, people, the land, the past and the future of mankind and our behaviors...wow...along the way, I also purchased several copies to be sent to members of my family and friends...it is inspirational in terms of agriculture, on both large and small scales...and it is thought provoking about eating and health practises...I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Canada on Oct 04, 2016

Gustav M.: I've started reading this book after having read multiple others on the same topic - books about crop rotation, impact of mono-cultures on soil, impact of soil in the relationship between fertilizers and the lack of in organic farming. I've also read books about aquaculture, that explain why tuna catching is bad, why some fish are better for farming than other and why the ocean really is the perfect example of the tragedy of the commons - something everyone can use but you can never regulate it as it belongs to everyone.

Reading one negative review of this book (a 3 star review on Amazon) that depicted the book as a neo-hippie wishful thinking for rich people also put me in a different state of mind than I would have wanted. Truth be told, I think it was the perfect way to start the book - a bit skeptical, thinking I will fast forward through chapters.

I was taken aback multiple times on the amount of research that went into this book. The personal relationships that this book forged span over decades. I've learned a great new deal of things that the previous books I've read haven't captured:
• Dehesa - the acorn forests where the jamon iberico is farmed,...

United States on Sep 02, 2016

Emily: I truly hate to use the term "life changing" with books because it almost feels like a cop out. But there are no other simple phrases to describe this book other than just that. It changes your life.

Never have I read so stupendously researched material, been kept completely and fully engrossed in the subject and had so many conflicting and provoking thoughts in such a short period of time. The book is long, there's no getting around that, but Barber weaves his our personal autobiography into the book which personally kept me engaged. In reference to an earlier reviewer who said Barber's approach was "elitist" and too "top down", I must respectfully disagree. While it's true Barber is implying chefs hold many of the controls in this game, he has valid reason to feel that way. In our culture of fast food that we want quicker and quicker, we are not only looking to others to prepare our food, but we want more nutritious food that requires less work. Therefore, it is in fact chefs who will be calling the shots if this trend continues. And like with any environmental change, unfortunately (or fortunately, however you choose to see it) it begins at the top... with the top of the...

United States on Mar 14, 2016

Vlad Thelad: This book had been recommended to me mostly on the basis of me being a self-professed foodie. What I did not expect was such a well written book, one that was fun to read. Deep thoughts on food, its history and future, and the viability of a sustainable way forward driven by taste, are supported and framed in a light-humoured and very personal tone. Barber has a voice, and a lot to say. His book is a must read for anyone concerned about food, and his vision is clear and refreshingly non-dogmatic. Enjoy.

Canada on Sep 20, 2015

CMW: This book is about food, farming and ecology. I'm a plantsman training to be a farmer and I loved The Third Plate. I found Dan Barbers writing to be compelling, and this book to be highly informative. This book came highly recommended by a friend who is a fellow plantsman. I picked it up and took his advice to read it with a pen. I underlined this book to death. I was thrilled to see that the first section was titled Soil, because I'm a nerd. I was so relieved to find that Dan Barber isn't afraid to treat the subject of soil as a science. I've grown tired of writers changing it from a subject that is a science to one that is just kinda...sciencey. I don't think he gets so heavy with it that it will bore or escape less nerdy folk.

If you're waiting for Dan Barber to offer some wisdom as to how we bring healthful and sustainable food to poor people, or even still, the bulk of the middle class, don't. I see a lot of merit in what he has to say about the responsibility of chef's to make ecologically informed choices when developing their menus, but I don't buy into the notion of trickle down food culture. As a not-wealthy-but-well-intentioned-eater, I focused more on the notion...

United States on Jan 28, 2015