Protest Kitchen: Fight Injustice, Save the Planet, and Fuel Your Resistance One Meal at a Time by Carol J. Adams

Protest Kitchen: Fight Injustice, Save the Planet, and Fuel Your Resistance One Meal at a Time Reviews

• 
  Lisa Vegan

  recommended for: (almost) all human readers, adults and some older teens and even some younger teens, though see caveat at the bottom of this review
  
  I’m a huge fan of these two authors, as vegan & intersectional activists and as people. I’m so glad that this vegan book is not only vegan but also intersectional. It addresses how our food choices can address not only our own health and the rights of animals but also the environment/climate change, and human rights, and also issues such as misogyny, racism, food justice, and compassion.
  
  Normally, I can’t wait to read vegan theory books, but these days I’m more interested in fiction or maybe biography with a narrative, so I read through this book slowly, though I found it interesting and the further along I got the faster I read through it.
  
  This book is particularly good for those considering veganism or those wanting to move in that direction, and for newer vegans, but I’ve been vegan for over 3 decades and I found some recipes of interests and new things to think about/things to think about in a slightly different way.
  
  I love this book’s organization. I love how throughout the book, daily actions, 30 + 1 of them, are suggested. The chapter titles are How We Got Here, Eating to Combat Climate Change, Food Justice, Take Out Misogymy, Dreaming of an Inclusive Democracy, Cultivating Compassion, The Diet You Need Now. Feeding Your Resistance, Bonus Daily Action: Host a Communal Resistance Dinner. Each section how those proposed daily actions, and recipes. information, philosophical musings, and accuate nutrition information; it’s hard to describe without talking too much about the contents, but I appreciated the presentation. At the back there are also sections for Recommended Resources, Sources, Acknowledgments, and an index.
  
  I love the cover image. There are no photos in the book and it has a rather spare look about it, but I found it attractive with an easy to read layout.
  
  Given that the first 15+ years I was vegan I was an extremely active activist but in the last nearly 15 years I’ve slacked off quite a bit in my vegan outreach, and often feel guilty and sad that I do so relatively little compared to so many vegans I know (this goes for all sorts of activism for all the causes I believe in!) I very much appreciated the authors stressing how every time I eat (plants vs. animals) I am participating in an act of resistance. Every time I eat I am doing something. I am grateful for this reminder from the authors.
  
  4-1/2 stars. The half star off is because I’m afraid it will get quickly dated, in a way, because current events are discussed, including the current (2018) Presidential administration. The basic premise of the book is good forever but the cute names used for some of the recipes and much of the other content place this book very firmly in the 2016-2018 time period. I’m afraid people outside of the United States, people that disagree politically with me and with the authors, and readers not too, too many years in the future might find this book dated. That would be a shame because the gist of the book is timeless and will always be helpful for those seeking out this subject matter.
• 
  Jenny (Reading Envy)

  The title is great, but this is really just another vegan manifesto. If you've read enough about factory farms already, I'm not sure you need this book. It speaks extensively on using alternate milks, but includes almond milk, and when it gets to the water chapter never bothers mentioning the amount of water almonds take to produce. Environmentalists who are actually environmentalists know that the almond crops in California are having a
  direct and negative impact. So call me skeptical if a book touting itself as saving the planet wants to believe in its vegan diet so badly that it can't turn a critical eye at something like almonds! That's a warning sign to me.
  
  I was also concerned by some of the recipes, bound for blandness due to bad technique. One soup that contains onions and garlic tells you to boil broth and dump everything in to simmer. Woo boy that's gonna be a bad soup that will give vegans a bad name. So maybe this isn't really a decent cookbook either?
  
  Don't get me wrong, I thought the chapter on snacks for protests was a cute idea, and I appreciate one more version of the no bake power balls as much as the next sometimes activist, but I think the true core intent of this book is vegan proselytizing, and I've had enough of that approach from other directions to fill a hundred lives.
• 
  Peacegal

  Chances are, you know someone whose awareness of justice and environmental issues has been piqued by the current political climate. Maybe s/he is a radical retiree who is finding their protest sea-legs again, or a young person who has begun taking stock of how the current way of doing things might jeopardize their future.
  
  And while these folks are getting out the vote, mobilizing against climate change, and resisting the values of Trump, there’s a very good chance they’re supporting—and even defending—one of the
  worst industries on the planet at least three times per day.
  
  Of course, it’s much easier to rail against a fracking corporation or a President than to honestly appraise our own lives and habits. But if we sincerely care about issues like the environment, unjust working conditions, and animal welfare, we will need to start putting our money where our mouths are—and it doesn’t have to be stressful or difficult, as Adams explains. PROTEST KITCHEN takes a tone of empowerment and exploration as it invites readers one day at a time to try a new plant-based food item and be more attentive to the choices we make.
  
  As was recently pointed out in
  this interview, activists from other causes can learn from vegans…who know a thing or two about taking the long view, celebrating incremental change, and finding common ground with those whose values and opinions are quite different from one’s own. And Adams reminds us that vegans need to keep learning, too—for example, are you unwittingly supporting slavery chocolate? PROTEST KITCHEN will give you the resources you need to make more ethical choices.
  
  I liked that the book advanced the idea that every meal can be act of defiance. Not even the most dedicated campaigner can march in protest every day, but those of us who have the ability to choose what we eat have a very powerful choice indeed. We can either support a kinder and cleaner world or one that is antithetical to these values—all depending upon what we choose to put on our plates.
  
  Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend PROTEST KITCHEN to those who disagree with its political leanings—although there is good info here for everybody, it would be too easy for the good stuff to get lost in the defensiveness the reader might be feeling regarding the other content.
  
  I would strongly recommend it, however, to those individuals who are active in progressive causes and who either haven’t made the connection to what goes in their shopping carts—or have, and just don’t know where to begin. I am sorry I didn’t get to see the apparently lengthy recipe section in this book as I listened to it on Hoopla.
• 
  Barbette

  I became a vegetarian again two years ago and I hadn't looked back. But Protest Kitchen is just the push I have been looking for to move toward veganism. Chapter by chapter, Adams and Messina present information that will make anyone interested in justice and humanity reconsider a diet of meat and animal products. Better yet, they offer recipes and cooking tips that make a transition to a vegan diet easy. From the first recipe I tried, Simple Stewed Pinto Beans and Collard Greens with Tahini Drizzle, I have been impressed-they are all accessible, delicious, and easy to incorporate into your regular kitchen routine.
• 
  Midge

  A great resource for those who are feeling overwhelmed by politics and looking for ways to produce a meaningful impact at every meal. This book is packed with real-life, daily actions for combating climate change, social injustice, and human and animal cruelty. A must-read for progressives, vegan or not.
• 
  Jamie

  I really enjoy reading books about healthy food choices, especially ones that promote being vegetarian/vegan. This book was no exception. Although it sometimes felt that the political analogies the authors used to promote making empowered food choices were a little forced - perhaps just a way to make sure they were able to discuss their political agenda. Beyond that though, this was an enjoyable read that reinforced eating a healthy plant-based diet for ourselves, our fellow humans and animals, and our planet.
• 
  Amanda

  I really enjoyed reading this book! I love eating food and resisting oppression 😜
  
  The recipes are simple and tasty. And the info and practical daily actions are empowering!
  
  For long-time vegans, some of the info is old news, but I found lots of good info that I had forgotten or um, “forgotten” like how child slavery is used by African farmers to supply us with cheap chocolate. I downloaded the app suggested and made a vow to only buy good chocolate from now on!
• 
  J

  I loved this. I've been following @iyeloveslife on Instagram and I applaud her activism regarding social justice and veganism and it made this title jump out to me.
  
  One of the most disheartening things I hear from vegans experiencing compassion fatigue is that they start feeling overwhelmed by all the injustice done to animals and start to harden towards humans to a certain degree. For the most part, I've seen vegans at the forefront of progressive social issues... but sometimes the messaging has fallen short of being intersectional, which is why I think Protest Kitchen is such an important read for the community.
  
  I learned so much about how social justice and veganism intersect-- and as a new vegan (as of Veganuary 2020)-- I'm grateful for this book that I was able to get as a free listen on Audible. I also recommend following @iyeloveslife on Instagram if this topic interests you.
  
  
• 
  John Brownlow

  This is not a cookbook, although there are some vegan recipes in it; it's an interesting look at how food, a central element in all our lives, is inextricably linked to many social justice issues. It's thought-provoking and well worth a read whether you are vegan, or thinking of going vegan, or not and if you want to understand how our food choices have wider consequences.
• 
  Jim Thompson

  This is probably better than the three stars I'm giving it. It was a perfectly nice book but didn't do a lot for me.
  
  I won't say it didn't do anything at all. There's good stuff in here, and some of it was good to see, good to read through.
  
  The authors-- both of whom I have read before, but neither of whom I have read a whole lot-- present veganism as part of a sort of intersectional way of life. They connect it-- legitimately-- to misogyny, racism, class struggle, environmentalism, while also making the case (mildly) for veganism along more traditional lines (health, compassion for animals, etc).
  
  It's not bad, but the target audience seems to be left-minded activists who are perhaps open to but not yet involved in veganism. It's a lot of basic "how to" stuff, a lot "hey, try a vegan milk" and "tofu is good" and so on. The parts where they really connect veganism to other pressing issues are interesting and important. The intro-to-veganism stuff is interesting and important too, just not terribly interesting to me. I've been vegan for a very long time and about 40% of this book just wasn't for me. Which is fine.
  
  Mostly, as I was reading this book, I was trying to think of who I might be able to hand it off to, who I know that is activism-oriented and wants to change the world but hasn't really considered how veganism ties in. Most of the activist types I know are already somewhere on the veg path, if not already entirely vegan, and most of the people I know who are not veg really just kind of don't give a damn about a better world (or at least not the kind of better world this book is aiming for), so my list of potential readers is short.
  
  The end notes style here is one I hate, by the way. It's clearly meant to make the read feel more fluid, but it doesn't do that for me. There are no footnotes, but there are sources cited at the bag with page number references, which just makes you have to work a lot harder if you want to know where they're getting their info from. I get it, and I suppose it can work with some books, but I don't like it and I especially didn't like it here.
  
  All that said... a decent book by two people who deserve a ton of respect for their many years of work in the field. Also, I love the cover. Seems like a minor thing, but I really love the cover. And including recipes for "Trumped Up Vegan Cutlets a L'Orange" and "Drain the Swamp Kitchen Cabinet Compote" and "Tiny Little Chocolate-Nut-Cherry Thumbprint Candies" and "imPeach Crumble" is pretty funny, even if I'll probably never make any of those.
• 
  Chris

  I'm not going vegan after reading this book. However, what it accomplishes is making the reader more mindful of their food choices and how food is political at various levels. Some of the reasons to switch to veganism are a bit of a stretch. My takeaway is that maybe I can largely remove meat from my diet (difficult because a number of my favorite dishes to make are meat-oriented) and help lead to an impact on farming that contributes to greenhouse gasses, mistreats animals to keep up with high demand, and takes up land that could be used for more plants. They book was helpful in making me more mindful and was a very easy read.
• 
  Dani Scott

  If you're considering going vegan, or even vegetarian, this is a perfect book to give you momentum. The recipes are simple and yummy, but more importantly, at least for me, are the clear, well-researched chapter starts where the authors describe the link between what we eat and social ills. I am a vegetarian and have been considering veganism for a long time. This book cinched it for me. Really glad I picked it up!
• 
  Dani

  This book had a lot of potential but it’s mainly a collection of simplistic vegan propaganda. The transition between topics is abrupt and choppy, arguments aren’t fully made, counter arguments aren’t addressed, and the authors are a little too passionate (vitriolic) in their platform for veganism.
  
  That being said, the recipes sound delicious and the recommended resources are a valuable guide. However, you could do your own research and stumble across them.
• 
  Nital Jethalal

  While there's a lot of basic material in here that already-veg people may find redundant, this book is written well and concisely and its lens of looking at food consumption through lens of colonial history is particularly helpful for illustrating the broader point that food choices are not strictly personal. There's a much broader system to consider.
• 
  Lina Jerina Ljubojević

  I would recommend this book to anyone that needs a fresh and innovative view on vegan diet. I liked how the book explored intersting aspects of plant based diet, from the impact veganism has on gender relations, racism and mental health, alongside the more obvious relations betwen vegan diet and environemntal issues or human health.
  
• 
  Caroline

  This is a good beginner’s why-to on going vegan and what your dinner has to do with being an activist.
  
  
  Audiobook. Unfortunately there seem to be a lot of visual elements and a reference section—I’ll get a print copy from the library at some point.
• 
  Kaitlin

  borrowed from the library, good resource - I would like to own this book someday
• 
  Natalie Cartledge

  Must have book for activists!
  
  I love Carol Adams' books and this by far is her best one for these turbulent times! Excellent as always!
• 
  Jenny

  Subtitle says it all! Plus great recipes.
• 
  V Massaglia

  A very informative and inspiring book. I learned a ton!
  
  V
• 
  Nancy Currie

  Eye opening. A good book. Lots of food for thought.
• 
  Lola

  Veganism as activism. Great book for vegan noobs, otherwise a nice gift for would-be-herbivores needing context.
• 
  Maerin Renee

  Good general introduction to veganism, useful recipes.
• 
  Shannon Schmoll

  I think it brings up some good points, but I don't feel like they are fully fleshed out in this book. The tips for being vegan are helpful though.
• 
  Bernadette

  Very enjoyable, informative, thought provoking discussions of living one's values daily. Delicious, easy recipes.
• 
  Jennifer

  Comprehensive and really useful!