On 2010-01-28 J. Tullis, Phoenix, AZ wrote: This 1986 book has spawned many children, as some reviewers have noted. I read Visser´s book because it was, as far as I know, the first of its kind. The book is structured around a chapter for each ingredient in a common dinner, a technique that was highly original in its day. The content is very detailed, sometimes too much so for my taste. For instance, the early chapter on corn contains much information that has been restated over the years to the point where it has become common knowledge. As a result, her treatment of corn´s history feels like overkill. But it was a fairly ´new´ subject for general readers in its day. If you are interested in the history of humankind´s interactions with foods that are common to America´s dining table today, then Much Depends On Dinner is an excellent place to start.. And summed up by saying The Original. Currently Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal has an overall rating of 8 over 10.
Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal can also be found in the following searches:
Grove Press claimed Winning unanimous praise on its publication and now available in paperback from Grove Press, Much Depends on Dinner is a delightful and intelligent history of the food we eat. Presented as a meal, each chapter represents a different course or garnish. Borrowing from Byron´s classic poem ´Don Juan´ for her title (´Since Eve ate apples, much depends on dinner´), writer Margaret Visser looks to the most ordinary American dinner for her subject - corn on the cob with butter and salt, roast chicken with rice, salad dressed in lemon juice and olive oil, and ice cream - submerging herself in the story behind each food. In this indulgent and perceptive guide we hear the history of Corn Flakes, why canned California olives are so unsatisfactory (they´re picked green, chemically blackened, then sterilized), and the fact that in Africa, citrus fruit is eaten rind and all. For food lovers of all kinds, this unexpectedly funny and serious book is a treasure of information, shedding light on one of our most favorite pastimes.
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