Book Review – First Bite: How We Learn To Eat

This is the fifth food-related book from award-winning British food writer, Bee Wilson. The book is a delightful agglomeration of scientific research, case studies and Bee’s experience as a food journalist and parent.

The book explores the complex factors that influence our affinity to certain foods and disgust for others. What a relief to discover that taste, like personality, is not hardwired or genetic (although those play a role) so can be gradually diversified with exposure. Wilson introduces a gentle approach to encourage a more adventurous palate in picky children and adults, while developing healthier eating habits.

The case studies, historical and recent, include an experiment from 1926 on children in an orphanage placed on a “self-selection diet”, a woman who ate only four specific foods and Finnish pre-schoolers who were introduced to a sensory experience of food. There’s even a tale about how an entire country that re-invented its food habits and consequently the health and well-being of its citizens.

First Bite kept me enthralled with the research that reads like a conversation with Wilson. I adored this book.