Karen Karn

I haven't read this book, I haven't even read what it's about, but the title, I love. We were raised with no culture of food, no routine of eating at all, much less a meal served at a table. One of my healthy eating strategies is to eat seated. It's as simple as that. If ever I notice that I'm standing and eating, I know there's something wrong. I'm not being mindful, I'm not even being conscious. Julian Baggini is a journalist and philosopher who studies the complexities of personal identity. He is the editor-in-chief of the Philosophers' Magazine. See also: Why dieting doesn't usually work by Sandra Aamodt

When I was very young, my sister had a friend who was a proper hippy. She was married to a Sri Lankan man and had some kids. Her hair was long, unmanaged and slightly transparent. She wore corduroy jeans and cheesecloth tops. She was of the tradition of never arriving at someone's house empty handed. One day, she came with a book. the Tassajara Bread Book. Since then, the book has been in my possession. Well loved and well utilised. Here's a short excerpt from the film How to Cook Your Life, featuring the book's author, Edward Espe Brown. "It turns out that we'll pay a lot of money not to cook, not to actually confront a half a potato."