Year of the Cow: How 420 Pounds of Beef Built a Better Life for One American Family

Stone, a television producer in L.A., buys an entire butchered, grass-fed cow%E2%80%94barely squeezing it into a freezer in his backyard%E2%80%94to learn more about the food his family eats, as well as to connect to his Kansas upbringing. As he starts to cook the cow, the experience changes various aspects of Stone's life. First, it causes a culinary revolution in his house, as he begins to pay more attention to what and how he cooks, including an eight-dish holiday feast, and beef-tongue tacos (which he includes his recipes for). Becoming more mindful of what he eats makes Stone more mindful of how he lives his life. As he tries the paleo diet, barefoot running, and shaving with an old-school straight razor, Stone sees the benefits of adopting ideas from the past that have been pushed aside by a world where everything is processed and disposable. He sprinkles in some more technical information about his cow's lineage, feedlots, processed foods, and industrialized diets, but Stone is at his best when he tells his own story with an affable, matter-of-fact style that is humorous and touching. His story is fun to consume and easy to digest. (Apr.)