In addition to the far off lands and exotic, amazing foods he discovered, Bowles in fact included a lot of insightful commentary in this British publication. He discusses the manner in which we consume food, the misconceptions the Western world holds about cultural culinary endeavors around the world, and the global supply chain and mass food production cycle that damages not only the small, local producers, but the consumer as well.
The latter point holds especially true as the United States experiences a scare of salmonella in the tomato supply. Now, there are certainly no guarantees that consumers will not fall ill after consuming locally grown tomatoes, but there is a fairly good chance that the local producer in any given region of the country (small production = attention to quality + detail) has grown their produce organically, therefore lowering chances of disease and contamination. If more communities had access (and interest) in food products cultivated within a 100 mile radius, the cost of produce would decrease (smaller distance to travel, less fuel used) and the risk of contamination and disease would diminish greatly. And, to top it all off, local food just tastes better. Imagine the difference in the taste of an enormous Granny Smith apple grown in Chile and flown/trucked in to California (the kind sold in your local supermarket) versus the a small, organic Gravensteen apple grown in a family orchard in the Russian River Valley and sold at a farmer's market in San Francisco. If you have never experienced this with any type of produce or food product -- this applies to meats and dairy products as well -- search out the seasonal, local produce in your area. You will no be disappointed.
Check out "The Year of Eating Dangerously" if you are a locavorian foodie like me. If nothing else, it's a good read with a humorous tone.
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