Since she was 12, Dayna Macy dreamed of being a writer. Shortly after graduating from college, she dove into the publishing industry, eventually becoming a director of public relations for several media companies in addition to having articles and essays published in popular periodicals. On the outside, she appeared to be a very successful woman. But like the vast majority of us, Macy had her own little demon lurking beneath the illustrious veneer of success, one that induced her to eat whole jars of olives in one sitting, that had her gobbling 15 mini pizzas in a row or gorging herself on an entire box of Slim Jims. Macy was a chronic overeater, seeking comfort from personal problems in food and rarely finding it, and her psychological well-being - not to mention her waistline - gradually paid the price, the author ballooning to a size 18 by the time she was 48.
"Ravenous" is precisely what its subtitle portends: it is "a food lover's journey from obsession to freedom" through obtaining knowledge of where food comes from, what it takes to produce it, and the emotional connections we have to it all. The book is broken down into three parts, Part I (Seduction) consisting of Macy delving into the delicate and sometimes tedious process of how some of her favorite and most addicting foods (sausage, cheese, chocolate, olives) are made in the hopes that knowing their origins and the finer details of their creation would change her relationship to them (it didn't). Part II (Communion) has her going to the root of where the majority of food comes from, reconvening with nature's bounty by visiting farms and accompanying a man into Berkeley Hills to experience the lost art of foraging. The chapter "Feast" takes place during a Seder that Macy hosts for her family and it seems to imply that when food is connected to positive emotion/memories, it curbs her need to overeat ("As I listen to everyone talk, I realize something: that my lust for the heavy Jewish foods of my youth is less about the food itself than the memories those foods evoke. Tonight's brisket was delicious, but what I really enjoyed was hearing Scott's story of getting the recipe from his mother. The Passover cake is fine, but I loved hearing my sister reminisce about how special this cake was for her as a child. Food isn't the only thing that nourishes - stories nourish, too. Tonight was the first Seder I can remember where I didn't overeat. Perhaps the stories had something to do with it.", pg. 106)
"Slaughter" will be an interesting chapter for those who are on the fence about finding out where their meat comes from and how it gets from farm to plate, Macy saying at the conclusion of her book that "watching steer get slaughtered has made me realize that eating meat is a grave choice, one never to be made lightly" (pg. 202). She is fortunate enough to go to a small family-owned ranch that raises certified organic beef and sets much higher standards for slaughtering than is required, but is still quite traumatized afterward and unable to eat a taco salad the ranch hands serve her ("I force myself to swallow. I take two more bites. Then I stop. It's all too fresh in my mind. At this moment, eating meat feels obscene.", pg. 136). I can remember experiencing a similar horror when I watched "Food Inc." and read Eric Schlosser's expose "Fast Food Nation" in regards to how slaughterhouses operate, not to mention the particularly gruesome occupations of a "knocker" and a "sticker".
Part III (Transformation) has Macy fasting for three days on the advice of a holistic healer, imbibing only a home-brewed vegetable broth to retain nutrients. This particular section incorporates Macy's love of and practice of yoga along with the Buddhist philosophy regarding mindfulness; she eventually experiences a spiritual breakthrough, one which manages to effectively fracture the disastrous cycle of her overeating and helps her shed unwanted pounds like never before. She begins controlling her portions, saying, "Measuring, by its nature, requires me to pay attention to every portion. Measuring forms a container for my longings and boundaries for my lust. Without boundaries, I cannot find balance. Without limits, I cannot hope to be free." (pg. 185)
All chapters are interspersed with stories of Macy's past and present and end with a recipe for a specific dish she mentions. The last recipe for a single orange follows the mindfulness philosophy, urging the person who sees it to truly experience and savor what they are eating. (Breathe in the aroma that's released. Eat each segment slowly, savoring the orange's flavor, taste, and texture. Let it fill your mouth, and your heart, with joy.)
Macy's most poignant observation throughout her journey is something many women will find difficult to refute: "It is a revelation to me that a 120-pound person and a 300-pound person can be similarly sad about their bodies. The thinner person may look like her act is more together, but pain is pain. Regardless of the number on the scale, few of us are truly happy and at home in the skin we're in. In our culture, the number on the scale enforces a cruel hierarchy. Weight separates the worthy from the unworthy. But the truth is, it's difficult to be in a body, period. Witnessing this in myself and in others, I've begun to see through the delusion so many of us share - that when we reach a particular weight, we will automatically be happy." (pg. 186)
Bottom line: "Ravenous" is a book for many - food lovers, food obsessors (anorexics, bulimics, chronic overeaters, chronic dieters), or those looking to balance their consumption through the avenues of the divine and mastery of self. Though portion control and menu choices are common sense approaches that popular diet programs employ (Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers), the spiritual balance one craves cannot be gleaned from a number on a scale - it is the consistently positive emotional connections we make through our consumption of food that manage to keep us full in mind, body, and spirit.
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