Eat The City
Robin Shulman
Broadway Paperbacks (2012)
Imagine a book in which the least-interesting chapter is the one about beer. Yes, that’s right – the least interesting chapter.

Actually, I should have asked you to imagine you were a beer geek first. That would make sense – can’t presume everyone reading this is a beer geek. Yeah, I know it’s a beer blog, but some people arrive here to check out the photos of the Skinny Blonde label where the bikini girl nudes up (if you must look, that’s here).

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I bought this book because it has a chapter on beer. And I was very surprised to find the other chapters far more fascinating. What Shulman has done is write a series of chapters on people in New York City who are making food – from growing vegetables, to collecting honey from rooftop hives to butchering and preparing your own meat. And yes, even brewing your own beer.

Each chapter focuses on a person who does this – such as the former numbers man who started growing vegetables in vacant lots – and then gives the history of that foodstuff as it pertains to New York City.

If you’re a fan of the whole locavore thing or want to see just how far you can go ‘‘growing your own’’ in the middle of the city. Or even if you just want to read some excellent journalism, go buy this book.