Synopses & Reviews
A remarkable portrait of American food before World War II, presented by the New York Times-bestselling author of Cod and Salt.
Award-winning New York Times-bestselling author Mark Kurlansky takes us back to the food and eating habits of a younger America: Before the national highway system brought the country closer together; before chain restaurants imposed uniformity and low quality; and before the Frigidaire meant frozen food in mass quantities, the nation's food was seasonal, regional, and traditional. It helped form the distinct character, attitudes, and customs of those who ate it.
In the 1930s, with the country gripped by the Great Depression and millions of Americans struggling to get by, FDR created the Federal Writers' Project under the New Deal as a make-work program for artists and authors. A number of writers, including Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, and Nelson Algren, were dispatched all across America to chronicle the eating habits, traditions, and struggles of local people. The project, called "America Eats," was abandoned in the early 1940s because of the World War and never completed.
The Food of a Younger Land unearths this forgotten literary and historical treasure and brings it to exuberant life. Mark Kurlansky's brilliant book captures these remarkable stories, and combined with authentic recipes, anecdotes, photos, and his own musings and analysis, evokes a bygone era when Americans had never heard of fast food and the grocery superstore was a thing of the future. Kurlansky serves as a guide to this hearty and poignant look at the country's roots.
From New York automats to Georgia Coca-Cola parties, from Arkansas possum-eating clubs to Puget Sound salmon feasts, from Choctaw funerals to South Carolina barbecues, the WPA writers found Americans in their regional niches and eating an enormous diversity of meals. From Mississippi chittlins to Indiana persimmon puddings, Maine lobsters, and Montana beavertails, they recorded the curiosities, commonalities, and communities of American food.
Review
andquot;Every once in a while a writer of particular skill takes a fresh, seemingly improbable idea and turns out a book of pure delight.andquot; -- David McCullough
andldquo;Fascinating stuff . . . [Kurlansky] has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail.andrdquo; andmdash;The Wall Street Journal
andldquo;Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur.andrdquo; andmdash;Los Angeles Times Book Review
andldquo;Brilliantandhellip; Journalistic skills might be part of a writerandrsquo;s survival kit, but they infrequently prove to be the foundation for literary success, as they have here. andhellip;. Kurlansky has a wonderful ear for the syntax and rhythm of the vernacularandhellip; For all the seriousness of Kurlanskyandrsquo;s cultural entanglements, it is nevertheless a delight to experience his sophisticated sense of play and, at times, his outright wicked sense of humor.andrdquo;andnbsp;andmdash;The New York Times Book Review
Review
“Fantastic stories about a broad range of cuisines . . . Engaging and illuminating, and the food cries out to be cooked.” —
Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Plenty and Jerusalem “There are cookbooks that teach you to cook, others that help you to understand gastronomy. The World on a Plate feeds your soul.” —Ferran Adrià, author of The Family Meal and A Day at elBulli
“Not only a delight to read but also peppered with delicious recipes, facts and flavors from around the world.” —Rachel Khoo, author of The Little Paris Kitchen
“Deserves a place on every serious cooks bookshelf. Intelligent, informative, entertaining, and very handsome. Mina Hollands prose is as engaging as her recipes. She is an exciting and authoritative new voice in the world of cookery and food writing.” —Russell Norman, author of Polpo
“Amiably executed and attractively plated up . . . Holland is a resoundingly enthusiastic guide. . . . Most importantly, The World on a Plate makes you hungry.” —The Guardian
“Gastronomic heaven.” —Observer New Review
“A fascinating look at whos eating what, and why, across the globe . . . A heady mix of history, anecdotes and recipes for beginners to confident cooks alike.” —Daily Mail
Synopsis
From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Cod" and "Salt" comes a remarkable portrait of American food before World War II.
Synopsis
From the New York Times bestselling author who "powerfully demonstrates the defining role food plays in history and culture" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
In the throes of the Great Depression, a make-work initiative for authors-called "America Eats"-was created by the WPA to chronicle the eating habits, traditions, and struggles of local Americans. Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt and Cod, unearths this forgotten literary treasure, chronicling a bygone era when Americans had never heard of fast food or grocery superstores. Kurlansky brings together the WPA contributions-featuring New York automats and Georgia Coca-Cola parties, Maine lobsters and Montana beaver tails-and brilliantly showcases them with authentic recipes, anecdotes, and photographs.
Synopsis
Can a song change a nation? In 1964, Marvin Gaye, record producer William andldquo;Mickeyandrdquo; Stevenson, and Motown songwriter Ivy Jo Hunter wrote andldquo;Dancing in the Street.andrdquo; The song was recorded at Motownandrsquo;s Hitsville USA Studio by Martha and the Vandellas, with lead singer Martha Reeves arranging her own vocals. Released on July 31, the song was supposed to be an upbeat dance recordingandmdash;a precursor to disco, and a song about the joyousness of dance. But events overtook it, and the song became one of the icons of American pop culture.and#160;The Beatles had landed in the U.S. in early 1964. By the summer, the sixties were in full swing. The summer of 1964 was the Mississippi Freedom Summer, the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, the beginning of the Vietnam War, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the lead-up to a dramatic election. As the country grew more radicalized in those few months, andldquo;Dancing in the Streetandrdquo; gained currency as an activist anthem. The song took on new meanings, multiple meanings, for many different groups that were all changing as the country changed.and#160;Told by the writer who is legendary for finding the big story in unlikely places, Ready for a Brand New Beat chronicles that extraordinary summer of 1964 and showcases the momentous role that a simple song about dancing played in history.
Synopsis
Eat your way around the world without leaving your home in this mouthwatering cultural history of 100 classic dishes When we eat, we travel.” Thus begins this irresistible tour of the cuisines of the world, revealing what people eat and why in forty cultures. Whats the origin of kimchi in Korea? Why do we associate Argentina with steak? Why do people in Marseille eat bouillabaisse? Whats the story behind the curries of India? Bubbling over with anecdotes, trivia, and lorefrom the role of a priest in the genesis of camembert to the Mayan origins of the word chocolate”The World on a Plate serves up a delicious mélange of recipes, history, and culinary wisdom to be devoured by food lovers and armchair travelers alike.
About the Author
Mark Kurlansky is the New York Times-bestselling and James A. Beard Award-winning author of many books, including Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World; Salt: A World History; 1968: The Year That Rocked the World; The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell; The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Survival in Gloucester, America's Oldest Fishing Port and Most Original Town. He is the winner of a Bon Appétit American Food and Entertaining Award for Food Writer of the Year, and the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award for Food Book of the Year, as well as a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.