The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats by Daniel StoneMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
My stepmother gave this book to us (probably to my husband, but I read a lot more than he does).
This is a biography of David Fairchild, who I knew nothing about except that the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is named after him. I don't think I've ever been there, but my husband worked there for a summer before I met him. Though the botanic garden is basically an afterthought mentioned in the very final chapter, I feel more inspired to visit it next time we are in the area.
Learning about the process of introduction of various foods that are so readily available today was enlightening. I had never really thought about where the various names come from, like the Meyer lemon or the Haas avocado, but it certainly makes sense.
I feel like Marlatt is unnecessarily maligned in the book. I don't have any prior knowledge about either man, but there are definitely some serious tragedies of thoughtless introductions, and it felt unfair that Marlatt is portrayed as a paranoid alarmist.
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