And a lot happened around the kitchen that I think helped us as we grew into adulthood. And she knew she had our undivided attention as children when we were eating, so that's when she asked us about what was going on in school and what they learned and what was on our minds. NADER: Oh, the kitchen was really a mosaic of - she looked at food as art, great aromas. You write that for your mother, food was, quote, 'a daily occasion for education, to find out what was on our minds, for recounting traditions of food, culture and kinship in Lebanon.' Tell me what it was like in her kitchen. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It is Mother's Day, and this recipe book starts with stories of your upbringing and the influence of your mother, Rose.

But he joins us now to discuss cooking and his new cookbook called 'The Ralph Nader And Family Cookbook: Classic Recipes From Lebanon And Beyond.' Nader is an American political icon who helped shape the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Clean Air and Clean Waters Act. Never, he writes, did hot dogs cross their plates - instead, raw radishes and homemade kibbe bursting with the flavors of the Mediterranean. Growing up in Winsted, Conn., Ralph Nader would often help his mother cook - kneading the bread dough, chopping fragrant spices to prepare dishes for the family table from his parents' native Lebanon.

The Ralph Nader Reader by Ralph Nader