Turning the Tables: Restaurants and the Rise of the American Middle Class, 1880-1920
"Turning the Tablesrestores agency to the middle class, providing an insightful exploration of how middle-class consumers exerted collective cultural and economic power . . ." --Krishnendu Ray, author ofThe Migrant's Table"Haley's innovative and valuableconceptualization of the cosmopolitan restaurant contributes significantly to our understanding of the development of food, class, and culture in the U.S." --Jeffrey Pilcher, author ofFood in World History"A splendid and innovative study. . . .Turning the Tablesis an intelligent and well-researched account that significantly contributes to our understanding of the history of restaurant culture in the United States. It is a pleasure to read."--Hospitality & Society"Like a good chocolate cake: rich, complex, and satisfying. . . . Haley stakes out bold, original claims. . . . A fine example of solid social and cultural history. . . [which] will help turn the tables on much established scholarship."--Journal of Social History"A sumptuous dish for anyone interested in middle-class culture of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, as well as an important contribution to the growing historiography around restaurant and food history."--Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era"Haley's superbly researched study of changes in America's dining habits at the turn into the twentieth century explains much about shifting restaurant tastes in that century, and in ours."--Studies in American Culture"Turning the Tableis essential reading for anyone wanting to know more about the roots of the American passion for dining out."--Journal of American Studies"Haley makes great use of an astonishing collection of sources, such as menus, trade journals, popular magazines, and cartoons, to produce an engaging history that sheds fresh light on the creation and meaning of the American middle class and that will encourage readers to think more deeply about their decision about where to go for dinner."--The Historian"Haley's book reinforces the importance of consumption as a vehicle for class formation and does immeasurable service in exploring restaurants as one of the important sites where this occurred."--American Historical Review"[A] very interesting and useful study of the evolution of public dining in the United States." --Journal of American History"Scholars of food, culture, and the middle class will find this book useful . . . . It offers diverse sources and avenues for future exploration while establishing the prominence of middle-class dining culture in urban America."--H-SHGAPE"Turning the Tablesis a significant contribution to existing scholarship on class, culture, and consumption."--Journal of Illinois History"Turning the Tablesis an engaging read."--LA Weeklyblog