Scan barcode
A review by haniganr
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food That Tells Their Stories by Laura Shapiro
3.0
I expected to love this book because of the introduction and great reviews. I think the authors idea was much grander than what she could deliver. I was expecting more food stories and the direct relation of how it shaped these women’s lives. But instead I got mini biographies with some mention of food. Which left a lot of the food interpretation work up to the reader. The writer herself does an incredible job writing and integrating her findings which made the stories tolerable. Just different from what I was expecting.
A new perspective on six women from history through the lense of the food. Pulling from grocery lists, diaries and third-person accounts of sometimes abysmal dinner parties, we gleam the inner thoughts, motivations and strifes of these women just from what they ate.
Only two figures she chose to profile had completely healthy relationships with food. Rosa Lewis, an Edwardian-era caterer dominating a profession closed off to women at the time and British novelist Barbara Pym both used food to advanced their careers.
The other women in this book variously gorged on, weaponized, disdained and feared food. What did these dysfunctions say about their lives or about society at the time?
Poet and diarist Dorothy Wordsworth spent majority of her life caring for her famous brother William. Only, when he married, he had someone else to prep his meals, leaving Dorothy with little purpose. (Not true but a greater reflection of the times and women’s values).
Eva Braun, Adolf Hitler’s mistress, her food story paints us a picture of immaturity, survival and narcissism. Her story also gives us perspective on the hypocrisy of war. The country ordered into a state of food conservation while leaders feast on expensive meals behind closed doors. Which very much plays into her overall relationship with Hitler and the regime.
Eleanor Roosevelt’s story reveals her strengths and vulnerabilities as First Lady as well as the possibly subconscious ways she used food to channel her own resentments. Overall her leadership has an indirect way of influencing American culture and relations.
The most interesting story was that of Helen Gurley Brown, the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine from 1965 to 1997. Brown’s contribution to the magazine has warped following generations’ attitude toward food and the female body. Most interesting too was her climb to power during a great feminist movement and her avoidance of women’s rights. All contributed back to her relations with food.
Overall a good read with an interesting premise, the fusion of women’s history and food. I take issue with the execution however I’ll leave the review on a positive note.
A new perspective on six women from history through the lense of the food. Pulling from grocery lists, diaries and third-person accounts of sometimes abysmal dinner parties, we gleam the inner thoughts, motivations and strifes of these women just from what they ate.
Only two figures she chose to profile had completely healthy relationships with food. Rosa Lewis, an Edwardian-era caterer dominating a profession closed off to women at the time and British novelist Barbara Pym both used food to advanced their careers.
The other women in this book variously gorged on, weaponized, disdained and feared food. What did these dysfunctions say about their lives or about society at the time?
Poet and diarist Dorothy Wordsworth spent majority of her life caring for her famous brother William. Only, when he married, he had someone else to prep his meals, leaving Dorothy with little purpose. (Not true but a greater reflection of the times and women’s values).
Eva Braun, Adolf Hitler’s mistress, her food story paints us a picture of immaturity, survival and narcissism. Her story also gives us perspective on the hypocrisy of war. The country ordered into a state of food conservation while leaders feast on expensive meals behind closed doors. Which very much plays into her overall relationship with Hitler and the regime.
Eleanor Roosevelt’s story reveals her strengths and vulnerabilities as First Lady as well as the possibly subconscious ways she used food to channel her own resentments. Overall her leadership has an indirect way of influencing American culture and relations.
The most interesting story was that of Helen Gurley Brown, the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine from 1965 to 1997. Brown’s contribution to the magazine has warped following generations’ attitude toward food and the female body. Most interesting too was her climb to power during a great feminist movement and her avoidance of women’s rights. All contributed back to her relations with food.
Overall a good read with an interesting premise, the fusion of women’s history and food. I take issue with the execution however I’ll leave the review on a positive note.