It always amazes and fascinates me how each person approaches and learns about food in different ways. And it’s always interesting to see how their relationship with food changes the rest of their outlook.
My Fat Dad by Dawn Lerman is a look into her life growing up with an overweight dad who was always looking for the next miracle diet. He was always reading about some new fad that promised to make excess pounds disappear and made his family go along for the ride. Her mother, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about food and was often seen eating something out of a can while standing over the sink. But there was also Beauty, Dawn’s maternal grandmother, that taught her how to cook with love and how real, fresh ingredients could transform any meal into something delicious and healthy. Not just for the body but for the soul.
This memoir follows Dawn as she grows up, first in Chicago and then in New York when her family moves for her father’s new job. You get to see just how much food both positively and negatively affected her life. Through her dad’s struggles with weight loss, she learned to turn his favorite foods into something healthier and cultivated her love for nutrition. Through her time in the kitchen with her grandmother, she learned how food could bring people together, teach them about their culture and traditions, and meals made with real ingredients will always be better.
Reading this book, there were times I felt really sad for the author. I could see how much she ached to help her father and craved her parent’s attention. There were times where she was left on her own and I just wanted to hug her and bake her cookies, even if she could bake the cookies better. But as I read on, I realized these experiences both in the kitchen and out helped shape her into the person she is today. She learned to take care of her sister, and it was sweet to see her make sure her sister ate well and excelled in school as well as onstage where she was in the traveling tour of the musical Annie. She learned how to take any meal and make it a healthier version while still tasting delicious. She learned that no matter what happened, both her mother and her father loved her in their own special ways.
My Fat Dad is a really interesting read if you love to see how food can shape a life. It might be sad at times, but there are happy moments, and in the end, you know that if Dawn didn’t have the upbringing she did she wouldn’t be the person she is today. Not only do you get a great story, you get some delicious recipes and while not all of them are vegan, there are enough plant-based dishes to keep you full and satisfied.
You can find out more about Dawn Lerman, her blog, her company Magnificent Mommies, and her nutrition services at her website. Below is a recipe Dawn’s grandmother helped her create when her father went on a 28-day liquid diet in an effort to lose weight fast.
Bathing Suit Ready-Easy Blender Gazpacho Soup
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces V8 vegetable juice
- ¾ cup peeled and chopped cucumber
- ⅛ cup green pepper
- ⅛ cup chopped onion
- ½ tomato, seeded and chopped
- ½ tablespoon chopped garlic
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional hot sauce, cayenne pepper which help give a kick of flavor while boosting your metabolism
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender & puree. Cover & chill for at least 1 hour.
