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Behind the Kitchen Door

Amazon.com Price:  $13.02 (as of 12/05/2019 16:44 PST- Details)

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“Sustainability is about contributing to a society that everybody benefits from, not just going organic because you do not need to die from cancer or have a difficult pregnancy. What is a sustainable restaurant? It’s one in which as the restaurant grows, the people grow with it.”―from Behind the Kitchen DoorHow do restaurant workers live to tell the tale one of the crucial lowest wages in America? And how do poor working conditions―discriminatory labor practices, exploitation, and unsanitary kitchens―impact the meals that arrive at our restaurant tables? Saru Jayaraman, who launched the national restaurant workers’ organization Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, sets out to answer these questions by following the lives of restaurant workers in New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Detroit, and New Orleans.Blending personal narrative and investigative journalism, Jayaraman shows us that the quality of the food that arrives at our restaurant tables depends not only on the sourcing of the ingredients. Our meals have the benefit of the attention and skill of the people who chop, grill, sauté, and serve. Behind the Kitchen Door is a groundbreaking exploration of the political, economic, and moral implications of dining out. Jayaraman specializes in the stories of individuals, like Daniel, who grew up on a farm in Ecuador and sought to beef up the conditions for employees at Del Posto; the remedy of workers in the back of the scenes belied the high-toned Slow Food ethic on display in the front of the house.Increasingly, Americans are choosing to dine at restaurants that offer organic, fair-trade, and free-range ingredients for reasons of both health and ethics. Yet few of these diners are aware of the working conditions at the restaurants themselves. But whether you eat haute cuisine or fast food, the well-being of restaurant workers is a pressing concern, affecting our health and safety, local economies, and the life of our communities. Highlighting the roles of the 10 million people, many immigrants, many people of color, who bring their passion, tenacity, and vision to the American dining experience, Jayaraman sets out a bold agenda to raise the living standards of the nation’s second-largest private sector workforce―and be sure that dining out is a positive experience on both sides of the kitchen door.


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