Acknowledgments
In the long list of things to do in life, writing a book—especially a
book about food—was one of those things I never thought about or
had a desire to pursue. Yet people change, and I came to realize how
our relationship with food—not to be confused with what we actually
put into our mouths—is as important to life itself as relying on clean
air to breathe and fresh water to drink.
The seeds of this conversion were planted by Christopher Brown,
my former boss and college dean—or, as he would introduce himself,
“just an old horse doctor” who grew up on a farm in rural England.
Working and traveling together afforded us with many opportunities
to exchange our stories, including those we’d never told before.
Then one day he put it out there: “You have a story about food that’s
important to share. I hope you’ll consider writing a book.” Catching
me by surprise, that conversation and subsequent events launched me
on a very different and unexpected journey.
Along the way, I have learned that, while it’s my name that appears
on the cover, books like this are the result of many people who share
their ideas and their passion to further understanding and to better
life for others, especially those who will follow us. At Michigan State
University, from the start of this project until the finish, Professor
Scott Winterstein has gone above and beyond, exemplifying the old-
Kevin D. Walker, The Grand Food Bargain: And the Mindless Drive for More,
DOI 10.5822/ 978-1-61091-948-7, © 2019 Kevin D. Walker.