This book takes a surprising look at the hidden world of broccoli,
connecting American consumers concerned about their health and diet with
Maya farmers concerned about holding onto their land and making a
living.
Compelling life stories and rich descriptions from ethnographic
fieldwork among supermarket shoppers in Nashville, Tennessee and Maya
farmers in highland Guatemala bring the commodity chain of this
seemingly mundane product to life. For affluent Americans, broccoli fits
into everyday concerns about eating right, being healthy, staying in
shape, and valuing natural foods. For Maya farmers, this new export crop
provides an opportunity to make a little extra money in difficult, often
risky circumstances. Unbeknownst to each other, the American consumer
and the Maya farmer are bound together in webs of desire and material
production.