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107 reviews for:
A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression
Andrew Coe, Jane Ziegelman
3.66 AVERAGE
107 reviews for:
A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression
Andrew Coe, Jane Ziegelman
3.66 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
There is a lot of interesting information in the book, but it might have been useful for the authors to give chapter titles. The book seemed to flow from one topic to another, ending with an abrupt conclusion at the end of the last chapter.
The many recipe examples spread throughout the book were certainly enjoyable.
The many recipe examples spread throughout the book were certainly enjoyable.
As the nation changed, its food changed too, for better and worse. From the beginning of World War I to the end of the Great Depression, many factors joined together to a change American palates.
America was largely rural until WWI sent men and boys overseas (where they were the most well-fed soldiers in Europe). It was the nation's patriotic duty to leave the meat and wheat and other goods for our fighting doughboys, and the government and nutrition theorists saw this as an opportunity to help.
This book isn't just about the menus and recipes of the day, but the political decisions that meant changes to the food industry, heightened again by the Depression. Vitamins were discovered, the first nutritional guidelines were devised, and healthier citizens were a cinch. But it didn't work out that way.
As Americans starved, the government issued new pamphlets and newspaper articles and radio shows, imploring people to do better - instead of just feeding the hungry. Not just Hoover, but Roosevelt, too.
Really good and informative in a surprising way.
America was largely rural until WWI sent men and boys overseas (where they were the most well-fed soldiers in Europe). It was the nation's patriotic duty to leave the meat and wheat and other goods for our fighting doughboys, and the government and nutrition theorists saw this as an opportunity to help.
This book isn't just about the menus and recipes of the day, but the political decisions that meant changes to the food industry, heightened again by the Depression. Vitamins were discovered, the first nutritional guidelines were devised, and healthier citizens were a cinch. But it didn't work out that way.
As Americans starved, the government issued new pamphlets and newspaper articles and radio shows, imploring people to do better - instead of just feeding the hungry. Not just Hoover, but Roosevelt, too.
Really good and informative in a surprising way.
This could have been so fascinating and engaging. It explored such an interesting and little known part of history. Instead, it was a dry and boring textbook, much again to many of the depression era meals it describes.
An at times vague look at food culture during the Great Depression. It works best when it's quoting liberally from primary sources and literature of the period and the first two-thirds of the book are really well organised but the book ends rather abruptly. Fascinating despite its drawbacks.
This was an interesting topic, and there were many things I did not know about the Great Depression. Writing style was lively and informative.
As much a study of the effect of the Depression and WWII on the migration from rural to urban locations as of the foods. Somewhat repetitive towards the end.
informative
medium-paced
3.5 stars
When I think of the Depression, I often envision so-called "bread lines" and the hard times of The Grapes of Wrath, but the idea of this book intrigued me - how did this period of extreme want affect the food and eating culture of my country?
Turns out, it affected it a lot. This book is really two major things: the progression and preparation of the food itself, what it consisted of, how people made do with very limited ingredient choices, how was food preserved and sold? But is also very political - how did the government handle so many of its citizens being hungry? And in some cases, not just hungry but actually starving? Is it the government's job to solve this problem? And if so, how? Do you give the employable jobs and pay them wages so they can work and earn their own money? Do you hand out food to those who WANT to work but can't get a job or does every person have an actual RIGHT to food? It's easy to think about the scarcity of food when you're removed from it. When you're watching your children actually starve - all of a sudden it is the ONLY thing.
These are seriously tricky questions and the two presidents, Hoover and Roosevelt, handled it differently at different times.
This was as fascinating as I'd hoped it would be. I didn't particularly love the writing and sometimes it it felt frustratingly non-chronological in terms of the political happenings, or maybe it was just that there were so very many acronyms, the organization felt choppy and the political stuff wasn't why I was reading, but the rest of it was so intriguing. The dishes and recipes (some of them are SO nasty), the interacting of women with the world around them with new appliances and gadgets and ways of preparing foods. The advertising to women, the propaganda, the anecdotes of real families trying to survive. The way that world events impacted American families and food habits. I loved learning about the school lunch programs and the CCC and tried to imagine my own Great-Grandma, raising her twins during this time period - HOW did she do it??
I think you'd have to be pretty interested in the subject to not mind all the political stuff and the disorganization but for someone who IS interested, I was always interested in listening.
When I think of the Depression, I often envision so-called "bread lines" and the hard times of The Grapes of Wrath, but the idea of this book intrigued me - how did this period of extreme want affect the food and eating culture of my country?
Turns out, it affected it a lot. This book is really two major things: the progression and preparation of the food itself, what it consisted of, how people made do with very limited ingredient choices, how was food preserved and sold? But is also very political - how did the government handle so many of its citizens being hungry? And in some cases, not just hungry but actually starving? Is it the government's job to solve this problem? And if so, how? Do you give the employable jobs and pay them wages so they can work and earn their own money? Do you hand out food to those who WANT to work but can't get a job or does every person have an actual RIGHT to food? It's easy to think about the scarcity of food when you're removed from it. When you're watching your children actually starve - all of a sudden it is the ONLY thing.
These are seriously tricky questions and the two presidents, Hoover and Roosevelt, handled it differently at different times.
This was as fascinating as I'd hoped it would be. I didn't particularly love the writing and sometimes it it felt frustratingly non-chronological in terms of the political happenings, or maybe it was just that there were so very many acronyms, the organization felt choppy and the political stuff wasn't why I was reading, but the rest of it was so intriguing. The dishes and recipes (some of them are SO nasty), the interacting of women with the world around them with new appliances and gadgets and ways of preparing foods. The advertising to women, the propaganda, the anecdotes of real families trying to survive. The way that world events impacted American families and food habits. I loved learning about the school lunch programs and the CCC and tried to imagine my own Great-Grandma, raising her twins during this time period - HOW did she do it??
I think you'd have to be pretty interested in the subject to not mind all the political stuff and the disorganization but for someone who IS interested, I was always interested in listening.
Interesting look into food history during this period but got long and drawn out when it wasn't really needed.