The Family Dinner

Starred review from September 20, 2010
Film and TV producer David (An Inconvenient Truth) enlists more than 50 child-care experts, writers, celebrities, activists, musicians, and chefs—including Nora Ephron, Maya Angelou, Judge Judy, Michael Pollan, Sheryl Crow, and Alice Waters—in support of family mealtime rituals. Mother of two girls, David presents a grab bag of child-friendly ideas from her trial-and-error experiments before and after divorcing actor Larry David: creative table settings; quick weekday meals and leftovers; cooking with kids; table games; reading selections and discussion topics; and ways for divorced parents to establish food traditions. For the recipes, Uhrenholdt draws on her Danish heritage and global flavors. It may take effort to entice young children with artichokes and edamame, most will likely enjoy composting and gardening; while teens may balk at table games, David knows how to snag an audience with viable alternatives to enemies of health and togetherness (TV, computers, cellphones, factory farm–produced foods, soda, plastics, etc.). She tempers her earnest tone with whimsical flourishes (poetry, quotes) and nostalgic reminiscences from contributors. Parents willing to adjust busy schedules to raise healthy, conscious, and confident children will find David's ideas practical and enjoyable, her passion irresistible.

October 1, 2010

David (producer of An Inconvenient Truth) here champions the family dinner as an oasis from the overprogrammed lives we lead. Chapters include "Kids in the Kitchen," "Table Talk," and "Two Homes, One Table: Family Dinner After Divorce." She intersperses quotations as well as short interviews throughout the book with various celebrities and chefs, President Obama, and food writers of the moment such as Michael Pollan and Jonathan Safran Foer. She discusses the value of grandparents and saying grace, and she gives readers ideas for conversations and games. David's premise is somewhat undercut, however, by her use of a cook, Uhrenholdt, who contributes more than 75 recipes to the book. Many readers may lack the time to relax and eat with their families if they cannot afford the luxury of a personal cook. VERDICT This book is filled with recipes, ideas, happy photos, and good info and resources to improve the family dinner experience. However, Bader and Benjamin's The Cleaner Plate Club (see review, above) offers a more down-to-earth take on kids and food.--Barb Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO

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