by
Vileisis, Ann.
Call Number
641.5973 VIL
Publication Date
2008
Summary
"From eighteenth-century gardens and historic cookbooks to calculated advertising campaigns and sleek supermarket aisles, Kitchen Literacy chronicles profound changes in how Americans have shopped, cooked, and thought about their foods through two centuries." "This history of our changing awareness - not only of food but of nature itself - takes us to bustling city markets, school gardens, ad-packed women's magazines, and home economics classes. While the distance between farm and table grew, we went from knowing specific stories behind foods' origins to relying instead on advertisers' claims and government assurances. As consumers gradually - and often begrudgingly - adjusted to buying modern foods in boxes and cans, they unwittingly adopted a habit of knowing very little about an enormous and anonymous system." "By revealing the history of how we've known - and not known - our foods, Kitchen Literacy promises to make us think differently about what we eat."--BOOK JACKET.
Format:
Books
Publisher description http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0732/2007025781-d.html
Relevance:
104498.3359
by
Vileisis, Ann.
Call Number
641.5973 22
Publication Date
2008
Summary
Ask children where food comes from, and they will probably answer: "the supermarket." Ask most adults, and their replies may not be much different. Where our foods are raised and what happens to them between farm and supermarket shelf have become mysteries. How did we become so disconnected from the sources of our breads, beef, cheeses, cereal, apples, and countless other foods that nourish us every day? The answer is a sensory-rich journey through the history of making dinner, as this book takes us from an eighteenth-century garden to today's sleek supermarket aisles, and eventually to farmer's markets that are now enjoying a resurgence. The author chronicles profound changes in how American cooks have considered their foods over two centuries and delivers a powerful statement: what we don't know could hurt us. As the distance between farm and table grew, we went from knowing particular places and specific stories behind our foods' origins to instead relying on advertisers' claims. The woman who raised, plucked, and cooked her own chicken knew its entire life history while today most of us have no idea whether hormones were fed to our poultry. Industrialized eating is undeniably convenient, but it has also created health and environmental problems, including food-borne pathogens, toxic pesticides, and pollution from factory farms. Though the hidden costs of modern meals can be high, it is shown that greater understanding can lead consumers to healthier and more sustainable choices. Revealing how knowledge of our food has been lost and how it might now be regained, this book will make us think differently about what we eat.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
100807.7344
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by
Vileisis, Ann.
Call Number
641.5973
Publication Date
2007
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
21575.5762
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