Everything on your plate has a story. Not the "locally sourced, seasonally inspired" story on the menu that costs you an extra eight dollars, a real one. A chaotic, accidental, occasionally disgusting, surprisingly political story that stretches back further than you'd expect and involves more war, desperation, and happy accidents than any food should reasonably be responsible for.
Food history is, in short, one of the most entertaining subjects available to a person, and it has the significant advantage of being relevant to something you do at least three times a day. These facts will not change what you eat. They will absolutely change how you think about it.
