THE WORLD IN YOUR LUNCH BOX

A week of lunches provides the menu for this exploration of food history and food science—from brown-bag specials to a perfect picnic.

“[E]verything’s interesting if you take the time to learn about it,” says the cooking teacher, who challenges his students to keep a record of their lunches and research their backgrounds. This engaging effort proves his point. Eamer captures readers' attention with a satisfyingly gross account of a pair of Yukon travelers who survived on boiled and roasted sealskin-and–walrus-hide boots. After that, ham sandwiches, macaroni, hot dogs, egg salad, pizza, peanut-butter–and-banana spirals and fried chicken seem comfortingly familiar. The lunches described are usually well-balanced. From each, the author has chosen a selection of ingredients, providing examples of their use in history and offering appropriate science connections. Most topics are covered in a single page, enhanced by humorous, cartoon-styled drawings reminiscent of Quentin Blake, lively layout and plenty of color. “Lunch laughs”—corny jokes—add to the entertainment. The authorial tone is light, but there is a surprising amount of nourishment here. Ten favorite food facts conclude the narrative, but there are also suggestions for further reading, an extensive bibliography and even an index, making this useful for research as well.

Delicious and nutritious.