Review: Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a Fuck by Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis (L)

Synopsis: Thug Kitchen started their wildly popular website to inspire people to eat some goddamn vegetables and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow ('This might be my favorite thing ever') and with half a million Facebook fans and counting, Thug Kitchen wants to show everyone how to take charge of their plates and cook up some real f*cking food.

Yeah, plenty of blogs and cookbooks preach about how to eat more kale, why ginger fights inflammation, and how to cook with microgreens and nettles. But they are dull or pretentious as hell -and most people can't afford the hype.  

Thug Kitchen lives in the real world. In their first cookbook, they're throwing down more than 100 recipes for their best-loved meals, snacks and sides for beginning cooks to home chefs. (Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos? Pumpkin Chili? Grilled Peach Salsa? Believe that sh*t.) Plus they're going to arm you with all the info and techniques you need to shop on a budget and go and kick a bunch of ass on your own.  

This book is an invitation to everyone who wants to do better to elevate their kitchen game. No more ketchup and pizza counting as vegetables. No more drive-thru lines. No more avoiding the produce corner of the supermarket. Sh*t is about to get real. (from the online description)

Review: It seems fair to divide my review of this book into two parts. First, presentation - 5/5 to be sure. Hilarious. The liberal use of swear words, how they give voice to the thoughts we've all had (such as wtf is kale?) and their honesty about how most cookbooks have a tone that can be patronizing to someone who's never cooked anything but instant ramen. As for a first-level cookbook, this is it. If you want to eat healthier but are lost, pick up this book! With humor and honesty, the authors introduce new ideas and ingredients, explaining the recipes without insulting the intelligence of the reader.
The second part: The nutrition ideas - are wrong. They are, naturally, based on the nutrition advice that the government has given us since the 80s. It's all bullshit. Read Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes or see the documentary call FatHead or watch the Youtube lecture by Robert Lustig to understand why much of their advice is incorrect. However, they do include a section on the dangers of sugar, which is excellent.
In the end, if you are looking for a VEGAN cookbook, with yummy recipes and hilarious notes, buy this. But be careful of taking the nutritional advice.

Bookmarks: 3.5 of 5

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-1-62336-358-1
Year Published: 2014
Date Finished: 4-28-2018
Pages: 212