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The Way We… Eat

With invigorating zest for life and words, this eclectic foursome dishes out stories about the food that has shaped their worlds. From family ties around meal planning and learning to eat with gusto to the insidious nature of the food industry and a very, very bad dinner-date, Uzma Jalaluddin, Michael Moss, Lisa Ray and Alex Wood remind us to eat what we love, with the people we love — and to make cinnamon buns when COVID-ennui looms large.

Uzma Jalaluddin

Throughout her childhood, high-school teacher, Toronto Star columnist, and novelist Uzma Jalaluddin overheard her parents’ daily conversation about what to make for dinner. When that domestic love ritual ended, her mother gave in to her first-generation Canadian childrens’ plea to trade dal for nachos. Ultimately, however, her parents’ devotion to food and family made her the tasty writer and bon vivant she became.

Owl’s Nest Books | Shelf Life Books | Calgary Public Library

Alex Wood

Alex Wood doesn’t drink, smoke, gossip or eat red meat. And yet the comedian, writer and podcaster behind Alex Wood Quits Everything manages to live an enviably rich life. Wood shares an anecdote of a romantic evening-gone-wrong that calls for a strong stomach and an open heart (stick with us). Here, he tells host Pam Rocker how and why he learned to love himself — and find comfort in moderation.

Owl’s Nest Books | Shelf Life Books | Calgary Public Library

Michael Moss

Whose fault is it that we’re addicted to Oreos and potato chips? In his new book Hooked, Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Moss calls out food companies for exploiting our evolutionary instincts to get us hooked on food that is killing us. He might seem like a daunting dinner guest (is there sugar in your pasta sauce?), but he’s a food-lover and a spectacular conversationalist.

Owl’s Nest Books | Shelf Life Books | Calgary Public Library

Lisa Ray

Actor, model, TV host, activist, and writer Lisa Ray “eats the clouds, the sky, and life.” Where she once pushed away food to define herself in response to a tempestuous relationship with her mother and to achieve a Vogue-magazine figure, she’s now deeply in touch with her bountiful shakti energy — and embraces food with joy and health.

Owl’s Nest Books | Shelf Life Books | Calgary Public Library