Taste of the nation
Subtitle: the New Deal search for America's food
By: Camille Bégin
Series: Studies in sensory history; Studies in sensory history
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 223
ISBN-13: 9780252040252; 9780252081705
Subjects: Social life and customs; Food; Food habits; Food writing; Diet; History
Description: Camille Begin shapes a cultural and sensory history of New Deal-era eating from the FWP archives. From "ravioli, the diminutive derbies of pastries, the crowns stuffed with a well-seasoned paste" to barbeque seasoning that integrated "salt, black pepper, dried red chili powder, garlic, oregano, cumin seed, and cayenne pepper" while "tomatoes, green chili peppers, onions, and olive oil made up the sauce", Begin describes in mouth-watering detail how Americans tasted their food. They did so in ways that varied, and varied widely, depending on race, ethnicity, class, and region. Begin explores how likes and dislikes, cravings and disgust operated within local sensory economies that she culls from the FWP’s vivid descriptions, visual cues, culinary expectations, recipes and accounts of restaurant meals. She illustrates how nostalgia, prescriptive gender ideals, and racial stereotypes shaped how the FWP was able to frame regional food cultures as "American."
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-213) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: sensing food in the New Deal era; title: America eats: the making of a sensory archive; title: Romance of the homemade; title: Tasting place, sensing race; title: An American culinary heritage? Mexican food in the Southwest; title: A "well-filled melting pot"; title: Conclusion: how taste is made.