A pop-science journey into the surprising ingredients found in dozens of common processed foods, using the Twinkie label as a guide
Like most Americans, Steve Ettlinger eats processed foods. And, like most consumers, he often reads the ingredients label—without a clue as to what most of it means. So, when his young daughter asked, “Daddy, what’s polysorbate 60?” while eating ice cream bars at the beach on a hot summer day, he was at a loss—and determined to find out.
Using the actual Twinkies ingredient list as a table of contents, this fascinating exploration into the curious world of packaged foods, Twinkie, Deconstructed takes us from phosphate mines in Idaho to corn fields in Iowa, from gypsum mines in Oklahoma to oil fields in China, to demystify some of America’s most common processed food ingredients—where they come from, how they are made, how they are used—and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they’re often more closely linked to rocks and petroleum than any of the four food groups), Ettlinger reveals how each Twinkie ingredient goes through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder with a strange name—all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake.
An insightful, entertaining exploration of the modern food industry, if you’ve ever wondered what you’re eating when you consume foods containing mono and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter, a food-grade equivalent of plaster of Paris), this book is for you.
Steve Ettlinger, the author of seven books, has long been fascinated with everyday consumer products from hardware to beer. He has appeared on all the major morning network TV shows as well as many other national and regional shows. A veteran of dozens of radio and newspaper interviews, his interviews and essays have been syndicated and blogged widely. He lives in New York City with his wife and their two children.
Twinkie, Deconstructed is available from any and all bookstores, including Amazon.com, as a paperback, hardcover, Kindle ebook, and as a downloadable or physical audiobook.
Contact Steve Ettlinger directly via your choice of three ways:
212-683-0355
Steve Ettlinger
26 Bedford Street, #1-C
New York, NY 10014
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PUBLIC SPEAKING:
College activity coordinators, FYE coordinators, orientation coordinators, meeting chairs, professional meeting planners, event planners, event coordinators – if you are interested, contact Steve Ettlinger at [email protected], or call 212-683-0355 to discuss your event. More info on “Speaking” page, here.
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Steve Ettlinger loves speaking and showing his pictures to a wide variety of groups, from entire campuses to individual classes. He is honored to have spoken at Google Headquarters, the “Googleplex”, in California, as part of their “Authors@Google” series.
Steve is a popular featured speaker at many colleges, sponsored by student activity groups; food, food science, nutrition, science, or environmental and sustainable living interest groups; he also speaks at industry, scientific, and technical conferences. Recent appearances include:
TWINKIE, DECONSTRUCTED AS A COLLEGE TEXTBOOK:
“Twinkie” has been adopted for both class and FYE (First Year Experience) use. Steve is available to speak at such colleges, too. Schools may obtain free desk copies if they are considering adopting it for classroom use by contacting Penguin academic marketing — call 212-366-2375.
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For interviews: Media Contact:
Elizabeth Keenan, Hudson Street Press/Penguin
212-366-2245
Hardcover and e-book publication date: March 1, 2007
Paperback publication date: Feb. 26, 2008
SEE SOME OF STEVE’S TV APPEARANCES HERE.
See Steve’s most recent appearance on The TODAY SHOW, part of a segment on the 2012 Hostess bankruptcy; he is the “go-to” interview subject for the Hostess bankruptcy and talks about Twinkies.
See MEDIA INFO for postings of and links to some interviews and features. Steve is a contributor to the Huffington Post and The Daily Beast.
See one of his most recent interviews here, in The New York Times “Well” Blog.