We Are What We Eat by Alice Waters

We Are What We Eat by Alice Waters This book explores the philosophy and culture surrounding food in the Western world. It examines how our obsession with fast food has fundamentally shaped our lives and argues for a shift toward healthier, more sustainable models. Alice Waters, a key advocate for the slow food movement, promotes local, traditional foods and sustainable practices. On the surface, the book is about food, but it delves much deeper: religion, philosophy, and food form the foundation of any country’s culture. Our eating behaviours reveal a larger story about societal behaviours as a whole.

The book delves into why fast food culture fosters an unhealthy society, outlining seven key reasons: convenience, uniformity, availability, trust in advertising, cheapness, “more is better,” and speed.

Convenience: Fast food culture has created a society where we crave ease in everything. We no longer want to cook for ourselves, opting instead to order via an app. It instills the idea that cooking is mere work—a chore to complete, not an opportunity to experiment. Waters argues that a culture built on convenience erodes our desire, confidence, and ability to do things for ourselves. This loss of confidence prevents us from taking risks in life, as we can’t even trust our own abilities. We become fearful of failure, outsourcing both the work and any potential setbacks to others.

Uniformity: This is the notion that everything must be identical—a burger in New York should taste exactly like one in London, or something’s wrong. When we prioritise uniformity, we compromise creativity and individuality, shifting toward a world of conformity and control.

Availability: We expect to get anything we want at any time, regardless of location or season—fish in the mountains 100 miles from the sea or fresh strawberries in winter. Waters argues that when seasons no longer matter, indigenous foods and local cultures lose relevance. The emphasis shifts to homogenisation and instant gratification. This mindset spills into our lifestyles, where modern work and social norms demand constant availability. If you don’t respond to a message or email immediately, you’re seen as unsociable or unemployable. Moving away from this culture allows us to appreciate the present, whether that’s seasonal food or quality time with a friend.

Trust in Advertising: This has desensitised us to deception, making us vulnerable to misinformation and dishonesty. Advertising’s goal is to sell products and extract our money, often by being opaque about the truth if it boosts sales.

Cheapness: In fast food culture, cheapness is often mistaken for true affordability, as Waters discusses. We focus on bargains without considering quality or environmental impact. This distorts our understanding of real costs, as products are priced artificially low to lure consumers, often at the producers’ expense. We’ve lost sight of the effort required to grow food, craft handmade items like a table, or create art. As a result, we expect everything to be as cheap as possible.

More Is Better: Western culture obsesses over quantity—bigger buffets mean better value, more food equals more satisfaction, and endless choices promise happiness. The problem is that this ignores impacts on health and the environment. At its core, “more is better” promotes greed: it’s about taking as much as possible without giving back, a fundamentally selfish philosophy.

Speed: Everything must be done quickly—the faster, the better. We demand instant gratification, becoming frustrated without it. There’s no time for maturity or reflection; it’s all about the end result. We lose appreciation for things that take time, quitting when efforts get hard. This stems from the idea that “time is money.” When time equals money, much of life becomes meaningless. We feel pressured into constant hyper-productivity, accounting for every second, or we view activities like cooking an afternoon meal or enjoying nature as wasteful frivolities.