First of all, it's published by Running Press Book Publishers, a small publishing company based in Philadelphia, PA. From January 2010 to September 2010, I interned there. And loved every second of it. I worked primarily in the children's department, assisting one of the smartest, savviest, most inventive editors I've had the privilege to work for. While the job was, at first, initiation-by-fire, I grew to love my work there. I always knew that I loved books, but I didn't know how much I'd love this industry.
After eight months there, I was convinced that publishing was the right career for me. So, this book represents one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.
But there's more.
Skinny Bitch single-handedly launched my first vegetarian experience. I bought this book for my mom as a birthday present in June. She read it, then left in on my dresser one day.
"I think you should read this," she said. "It might change how you look at food."
I shrugged, picking it up with no hesitation. I wasn't particularly worried that this little book was going to change eating habits 21 years in the making. I was Italian, and therefore a carnivore. I couldn't imagine life without meat. The idea was almost laughable.
Until I read this book. From the second I closed the back cover, I'd sworn off all animal fat. I think I was living under an "ignorance is bliss" veil, knowing there was something wrong with the meat industry, but refusing to look into it further for fear of what that knowledge would bring.
Now I know what I was so afraid of.
I don't think, after reading this book, anyone could run out and eat a hamburger. It's an in-your-face commentary on not only the problems in the meat industry, but the toll eating too much animal fat can have on your health. I'd never even attempted to cut out meat and animal products from my diet before, but this book gave me the motivation to try it.
I couldn't stomach the idea of eating flesh. And that's what the book referred to meat as: flesh. Nothing will turn your insides quite as well as that image. Hearing what these animals go through, how they're treated, is more than enough to stop eating meat out of sheer protest for the cruelty involved in the process. Plus, a diet based more closely on greens and organic products is just healthier.
I was convinced. And I stayed convinced for two months.
I did eventually begin to re-introduce meat into my diet, mainly chicken. I did feel healthier, and I was sleeping better than I had in a while. Like Michael Pollan said in his book The Omnivore's Dilemma, it's not the practice of eating meat that's wrong, but the process. And there are plenty of healthy dishes that include meat.
What did I learn? Well, I have a new appreciation for soy, which I used to substitute meat in a number of dishes that summer. I'm also still very wary of beef. I haven't touched a hot dog in months, and I don't think I will ever again. Even though I love hamburgers and meatballs, I'm still trying to find healthier alternatives, because even though my vegetarian venture is over, what I learned is still fresh in my mind. I'd love to be a vegetarian 24/7, but I don't think I'm cut out to be so strict. Having some meat every now and then isn't bad for me, but I will continue to strive to make it a secondary addition to my diet.
The Skinny Bitch Cookbook is on shelves now--check it out and pick it up! It's on my Christmas list!
Photo courtesy of Google Images.
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