Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal
Melanie Warner had heard the rumors that Twinkies would never spoil, so she decided to test that theory. Using different processed foods (cookies, burgers, chicken nuggets), Warner started a little laboratory in her home. She left the food undisturbed and unrefrigerated, and cataloged the results.
From mildly amusing (huh, those Oreos haven't really even gone stale) to downright repulsive (completely liquefied frozen organic chicken nuggets), the results spoke for themselves. Truly unprocessed food would succumb to the normal process of decomposition via bacteria or molds, just like any other organic life-form. But the highly processed foods did not culture anything that could break them down. Very unnatural.
Warner treads a lot of the same ground that Michael Moss covered in Salt, Sugar, Fat, and even references some of the same stories. What I found interesting was her description of the chemical processes involved in creating the flavors and textures that we have come to expect in convenience foods. While I agree with Warner's conclusion that it is within our own power to change what kinds of food we insist upon eating, I still think that too many people will say it's too difficult and inconvenient to select and purchase fresh food, and then cook it. Again, I think books like these preach to the choir.
