At the Table : Food and Family around the World.

ISBN:

9781610697385

Title:

Author:

Albala, Ken, 1964-

Personal Author:

Albala, Ken, 1964-

Publication Information:

ABC-CLIO, 2016-04-30 00:00:00.0.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (361)

Contents:

Afghanistan -- Australia -- Austria -- Belgium -- Brazil -- Canada -- Chile -- China -- Denmark -- Ethiopia -- France -- Germany -- Great Britain : Wales -- Greece -- Iceland -- India -- Indonesia -- Iran -- Ireland -- Israel -- Italy -- Japan -- Mali -- Mexico -- Netherlands -- Nicaragua -- Poland -- Puerto Rico -- Romania -- Russia -- Senegal -- Slovenia -- South Africa, Suburban -- South Africa, Urban -- Spain -- Sweden -- Turkey -- Uganda -- United States.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Food habits.

International cooking.

Feeding Behavior

Habitudes alimentaires.

Cuisine internationale.

SOCIAL SCIENCE/Customs & Traditions.

Food habits

International cooking

Familie

Ess- und Trinksitte

Internationaler Vergleich

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

http://ezproxy.angliss.edu.au/login?url=http://ezproxy.angliss.edu.au/login?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=1198587

Publication Date:

2016

Publication Information:

ABC-CLIO, 2016-04-30 00:00:00.0.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
394.12 23	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

What's for dinner? Not just in America, but around the world? And how is it cooked, what's the historical significance of that food, how is it served and consumed, and who gets to clean up? This book provides fascinating insight into how dinner is defined in countries around the world. Almost universally, "dinner" is a key meal in most countries around the world, whether it be a simple dish of rice and beans, a slice of pizza on the go, or a multi-course formal meal. What do the specifics of how a meal is eaten-by hand instead of with utensils, for example-say about a specific culture? This fascinating one-volume reference guide examines all aspects of dinner in international settings, enabling insightful cross-cultural comparisons and an understanding of the effects of modernization and globalization on food habits.Some 50 countries are covered in chapters focusing on present-day meal habits in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and North and South America. The commentary covers everything about the meal, such as the time, the cooking and preparation, shopping for ingredients, the clean-up process, gender-based participation roles, conversation or other social interactions, and etiquette-just about everything that happens at the table. The book is ideal for classroom teaching and learning, as the entries and photos are conducive to teaching students about other cultures, directly supporting the National Geography Standards. Students will be able to make informed comparisons between their own lives and the various cultural experiences described in the book.

Author Notes

Ken Albala is Professor of History and Director of Food Studies at the University of the Pacific, USA.

Reviews (3)

Booklist Review

The traditions involved in family meals are many and varied. Whether eating seated at a table or on the floor, in a group or alone, or enjoying a carefully crafted meal or takeout, people must eat. Albala, a professor of history and director of the food studies program at the University of the Pacific, has compiled a group of essays that examine meal traditions in 39 counties around the world. A preface and introduction look at the broad concepts of procuring, preparing, and consuming food and the traditions that have evolved in this area. The contributors are scholars or writers with an interest in food who have lived in the countries that they write about here. Each essay looks at a family and examines how and where they shop for food, the foods that they eat, how they cook and serve the meal, and how they clean up at its conclusion. Entries includes a recipe from the country and a brief reference list for further reading. The essays are arranged alphabetically by country, and they are six to eight pages long. Text boxes scattered throughout the book offer definitions of concepts, such as food deserts in the U.S. or the history of the stove-top range. The essays provide a glimpse into the lives of individual families who are not necessarily typical of the countries represented: an iftar meal in the home of an Arab family in Israel; Croatian immigrants in Austria. They may also highlight a regional cuisine within a country: Southwest Duck Pot au Feu from France; a Bengali meal from India. This is an interesting introduction to world culinary traditions that will be a useful resource for students of anthropology, sociology, food studies, and culinary arts.--Bibel, Barbara Copyright 2016 Booklist

Choice Review

This very enjoyable volume focuses on what taking part in a meal means around the world. The handbook-like work is organized into chapters by country, and the authors of each take an in-depth look at exactly what efforts go into preparing a meal, the great variety of foodstuffs in each culture, who goes shopping for the ingredients, who cooks, who eats, how the table is set, how the food is served, etc. Authors also explore aspects of local food and dining habits, addressing customs and rituals occurring around the table or in the kitchen. Each essay includes a side note on broader topics of culinary or historical importance and concludes with a corresponding recipe or two that relates directly to the culinary tastes of each locale, with a list of resources for further reading. The contributors all have a passion for food and many, including editor Albala (Univ. of the Pacific), a historian, are culinary scholars or professional writers. Overall, this work educates readers on what it means to be "at the table" throughout the world. It is accessible to everyone--and all who love to cook--although self-proclaimed "foodies" will perhaps be the most appreciative of the detail the authors include. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of students; general readers; professionals/practitioners. --Christy Goodnight, Stockton University

Library Journal Review

"Apparently among the Inuits farting after a meal is a grand gesture of appreciation." That's just one of many cultural nuggets served up by Albala (history, Univ. of the Pacific, San Francisco) in this reference reviewing family and group meal eating traditions around the world. Thirty-nine countries, from Afghanistan to the United States, are given individual essay treatment by contributor experts, with how-to instructions on related favorite dishes provided (i.e., Romania's duck with onions) and fun-fact sidebars (the origin of the dining table, etc.) also sprinkled throughout. A recipe and overall index are included. VERDICT This tasty roundup of global meal rituals (including recipes!) will be a welcome addition. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.