| The Brooklyn Diet: Life's tough but you eat anyway: A Conversation with Sam Bloom and Al Johnsen Contributor(s): Benedetti, Donna (Author) |
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ISBN: 1475273924 ISBN-13: 9781475273922 Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform OUR PRICE: $14.20 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: June 2012 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Personal Memoirs |
| Dewey: B |
| Physical Information: 0.47" H x 6" W x 9" (0.67 lbs) 224 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The Brooklyn Diet: Life's Tough but You Eat Anyway isn't just about food; it's about a way of life. It celebrates simpler times when what you ate was based on your economic means; natural exercise was an inherent part of your day; food was basic, fresh, and healthy; and local communities were a vital part of daily life. This humorous, true-to-life guide presents a running conversation between two friends who bring the Depression era in New York City's boroughs to life. Sam Bloom, a 92-year-old former professor of philosophy and political science, offers childhood remembrances of life in the Jewish ghettos Brownsville and East Flatbush, Brooklyn. 89-year-old Al Johnsen, who became a visual artist and ceramics professor, recalls growing up in a poor Norwegian part of Queens and offers a crash course on the finer points of stealing day-old bread, copper wires, and pennies from newsstands. Committed to print by Sam's wife, Donna Benedetti, the stories that fill The Brooklyn Diet share the common theme of food: how food was prepared; where meals were eaten; and what they could and couldn't afford to eat. Chapters include lively discussions about a variety of topics, including the perfect New York cheesecake; pushcart peddlers selling street foods in the neighborhoods; street games and the subtle nuances of stoopball, stickball, and Kickety Can; and home remedies, with cures for athlete's foot, colds, hemorrhoids, lice, and toothaches. Also included are jokes, original artwork, photographs of the era, and one-of-a-kind recipes by Al and Sam. The Brooklyn Diet harkens back to a time when people ate according to their means; exercised as a fact of life; and depended on local communities for their foods, friendships, and survival. These attributes alone mark this diet as a wonderful lifestyle change, but as Al and Sam can attest, it's also a recipe for a life that is sustaining, sweet, and in every way delicious. The Brooklyn Diet is also available in full color for $42.00. |
