The Brooklyn Diet: Life's Tough but You Eat Anyway isn't just about food; it's about a way of life. It celebrates simpler times when what you ate was based on your economic means; natural exercise was an inherent part of your day; food was basic, fresh, and healthy; and local communities were a vital part of daily life. This humorous, true-to-life guide presents a running conversation between two friends who bring the Depression era in New York City's boroughs to life. Sam Bloom, a 92-year-old former professor of philosophy and political science, offers childhood remembrances of life in the Jewish ghettos Brownsville and East Flatbush, Brooklyn. 89-year-old Al Johnsen, who became a visual artist and ceramics professor, recalls growing up in a poor Norwegian part of Queens and offers a crash course on the finer points of stealing day-old bread, copper wires, and pennies from newsstands. Committed to print by Sam's wife, Donna Benedetti, the stories that fill The Brooklyn Diet share the common theme of food: how food was prepared; where meals were eaten; and what they could and couldn't afford to eat. Chapters include lively discussions about a variety of topics, including the perfect New York cheesecake; pushcart peddlers selling street foods in the neighborhoods; street games and the subtle nuances of stoopball, stickball, and Kickety Can; and home remedies, with cures for athlete's foot, colds, hemorrhoids, lice, and toothaches. Also included are jokes, original artwork, photographs of the era, and one-of-a-kind recipes by Al and Sam. The Brooklyn Diet harkens back to a time when people ate according to their means; exercised as a fact of life; and depended on local communities for their foods, friendships, and survival. These attributes alone mark this diet as a wonderful lifestyle change, but as Al and Sam can attest, it's also a recipe for a life that is sustaining, sweet, and in every way delicious. The Brooklyn Diet is also available in black & white for $14.95.
About the Author: Donna Benedetti grew up in rural Petaluma, California. She earned a doctorate at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has taught philosophy and worked at organizations committed to land conversation and injury prevention. She currently writes personal histories and poetry for children, and volunteers at an inner-city school where she teaches critical thinking and reading to first graders. Above all, she treasures her life in San Francisco with her soul mate, Sam Bloom. Al Johnsen grew up during the Depression in a Norwegian neighborhood of Queens, NY. After serving in the Army Air Corps during WW II, he studied at the Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, and taught art and ceramics at UC Santa Cruz. At 89, he lives in Gig Harbor, Washington, where he continues to fill his art studio with new paintings, pottery, and inventions. Samuel Bloom grew up in Brooklyn, NY, during the Depression, where he attended Boy's High and later the City College of New York. Following service in the Army Air Corps during WW II, he earned his doctorate at UC Berkeley and taught philosophy and political science at Cabrillo College, Aptos, California. At 92, he enjoys the rich cultural life of San Francisco with his wife, Donna, and continues to challenge others to think to some purpose.