Rude Dude's Book of Food: Stories Behind Some of the Crazy-Cool Stuff We Eat

When it comes to summarizing everything Tim J. Myers has done in his career, the list is quite long. He is a prolific writer in many forms. He has published a number of children's books and articles and he's won awards for his work. He writes poetry and music as well! He's also a long-time classroom teacher, a proud father and husband, and an adventurous citizen of the world. It's no wonder he has so much to write about--he's living life to the fullest, savoring each moment, and then pouring his experiences and passion into work that helps the rest of us do the same.A good example of how he does this is his most recent book Rude Dude's Book of Food. Dotted with entertaining illustrations by Jess Smart Smiley, this food history book is written in a voice reminiscent of Keanu Reeves's character from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. It's written that way because it's meant to make history interesting to kids from third to eighth grade. Mr. Myers takes his experience as a classroom teacher and combines it with the experiences he's had living abroad to write a book that is not just about dates and names. It's a book that tells the story of certain foods and, in telling that story, he unveils deeper lessons about human connectedness, inclusiveness, acceptance, curiosity, and respect.If you haven't already figured it out, I give this book Two Kitchen Mitts Up. Its message speaks to everything I value about the power of food. If you read my blog, Kitchen Dilettante, you know that I believe food has a way of bringing people together like nothing else. The foods we eat as kids are especially powerful. They stay with us into adulthood as comforts, reminders of our heritage, and markers for our generation. Just a whiff of blackberry cobbler, for instance, takes me back to my grandmother's kitchen for Thanksgiving in Oklahoma. And when I see a kid today try Pop Rocks for the first time, the look on their face and the sound of the sizzling candy on their tongue takes me back to the excited giddiness I felt when I experienced that fuzzy, crackly sensation as a kid myself.Rude Dude's Book of Food gives kids a chance to travel back in time and across continents to look at the origins of six modern favorites: chocolate, hamburgers, noodles, pizza, egg rolls, and fortune cookies. Through the Rude Dude persona, Mr. Myers makes food history conversational. He takes dry textbook information and turns it into a conversation. For example, in the fifth chapter, he breaks down the history of pizza into its various parts--dough, tomatoes, and cheese."Things got interesting again when Europeans 'discovered' North and South America and Christopher Columbus himself brought back a plant called 'the golden apple,' which Europeans thought was curl-your-toes-and-kill-you-dead poisonous. So they used it just for decoration in gardens.But, dudes--the 'golden apple' is what we now call the tomato. And whether they make you want to gobble or gag, they're SO not poisonous!" (p. 58)You can almost see him taking a bite of pepperoni pizza while he's talking.Throughout the book, Rude Dude provides examples about how other cultures have influenced--even invented--foods that are popular in America. And there are times when the lighthearted Dude figuratively leans in like a big brother ready to impart those deeper lessons about being open and respectful to other cultures."And so, my fellow wok-and-rollers--consider the glorious story of the egg roll, the Emperor of Appetizers, and think about how human beings all over the world are getting more and more connected, and having more and more influence on each other, in big ways and little ways. I mean, this is just a very human thing to do.So dudes, when it comes to different cultures--do the truly human thing and be open minded! Don't be a hat-wearing monkey!" (p. 81)Even as an adult, I much prefer learning from this kind of human-interest perspective over the "medicine flavored" kind found in a lot of dry textbooks.Really, this could be a textbook. It's a fun one that kids would actually read. There are even lesson ideas included, as well as how Rude Dude's Book of Food conforms to Common Core Standards.The entire book is such a balance of cheeky and informative. Mr. Myers has done a masterful job of weaving lighter trivia with serious lessons. I highly recommend Rude Dude's Book of Food to any parent or teacher looking to introduce children to food history in a fun way.