"Paul Mullins turns his attention to the simple doughnut in order to learn more about North American culture and society. Doughnuts cross lines of ...
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Jan 12, 2012
Angel
rated it: 
This was an interesting book, but it did have some repetitive moments. It was the repetition at times that made me give it three stars instead of four. In some ways, this read like an extended series of magazine articles. Now, leaving that out of the way, it is a pretty interesting book. The book does a few things. It gives a history of doughnuts and especially of doughnut shops in the U.S. Though there is a bit focus on the chains (Dunkin', Tim Hortons, and Krispy Kreme), there is discussion of
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Mar 10, 2011
John
rated it: 
I'm not procrastinating, I'm surveying the existing scholarship...
Sigh. Maybe I expect too much from histories of donuts. Or maybe I just don't know what I want from them. All I know is that I don't want long digressions into the merits of low-carb diets and whether they possibly had some effect on donut sales and well there is no evidence that they did so they probably didn't. I also don't want several pages on the history of bagels, or a multi-page discussion on the merits of bear ba More...
Sigh. Maybe I expect too much from histories of donuts. Or maybe I just don't know what I want from them. All I know is that I don't want long digressions into the merits of low-carb diets and whether they possibly had some effect on donut sales and well there is no evidence that they did so they probably didn't. I also don't want several pages on the history of bagels, or a multi-page discussion on the merits of bear ba More...
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Mar 12, 2009
Jessica
rated it: 
I must have been suffering from a case of the old Sweet Tooth when Glazed America caught my eye at the library. The doughnuts on the cover do look mighty tempting. I do enjoy reading books about food so that may have had something to do with it as well.
Paul Mullins is an anthropology professor at Purdue University and in his book, Glazed America, he delves into the cultural and socio-economic history of doughnuts. Mullins presents doughnuts as an iconic American food that we have a More...
Paul Mullins is an anthropology professor at Purdue University and in his book, Glazed America, he delves into the cultural and socio-economic history of doughnuts. Mullins presents doughnuts as an iconic American food that we have a More...
Jan 22, 2009
Marilyn
rated it: 
Save yourself some aggravation and boredom--go buy a donut and read anything EXCEPT this book. There was a golden opportunity here to explore the different kinds of donuts, how they get the filling in the
jelly donuts, the difference between yeast and cake donuts. Instead, the author decided to examine every uninteresting detail about donuts and their socio-economic impact. The holes in donuts are more interesting.
jelly donuts, the difference between yeast and cake donuts. Instead, the author decided to examine every uninteresting detail about donuts and their socio-economic impact. The holes in donuts are more interesting.
Mar 25, 2009
Greg
rated it:
Remember how back in high school you'd turn 1.5 pages of information into a 10 page paper? It wasn't horrible to read but it was obviously padded in every way possible? That's this book. Could have (And should have been) about 15 pages long but instead they turned it into a 167 page book. Not horrible but not worth reading.
Does have some nice pictures.
Does have some nice pictures.
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Mar 10, 2009
Quentin
rated it: 
Mullins uses a donut to explore Western society's ambivalence about consumerism. Using social history and cultural analysis, Mullins asks what it is about our world that makes donuts a huge industry and simultaneously a target for all manner of negative stereotypes about health, social class, and sprawl. He draws on a variety of sources, from interviews with donut consumers and producers, to historical documents, to discussions of that most mighty of donut consumers--Homer Simpson. In the e
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Feb 02, 2009
Lesley
rated it:
I enjoyed reading about the social and socioeconomic history of the doughnut in this books. The book didn't make me want a doughnut, but it gave me some things to think about re: doughnuts and their place in society through American history. I also enjoyed reading some about Krispy Kreme, which is based in the state where I live.
Jul 19, 2010
Amber
rated it:
I expected to love this book. I expected that reading it would make me crave fried dough in any form. I devour books on cooking, food, sociological histories of human interaction with food. How could this be anything but my new favorite book? It's not--by a lot. I honestly don't know how a book about doughnuts can be drier than flour in the desert, but this is. It has facts and figures that might be helpful to someone writing a school report or a thesis to mention, but the casual reader will not
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Dec 19, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
If you want to write a book about the Simpsons and Canada, I AM NOT GOING TO STOP YOU, but don't trick me into reading it by framing it as a book about great American donutry, god damn it.
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Oct 30, 2011
Kmilford
rated it:
love the topic and tere was some good history/cultural content, but it was a bit slow.
Jul 30, 2008
@ neither.
Hello? I totally should have thought of researching donuts in America. I live in America. I eat donuts. I might as well have gotten paid for it.
And oh my gosh the cover looks delicious! I think this book will make me want to eat donuts, same as 'Fast Food Nation' made me want fast food and 'The Emperors of Chocolate' and 'Candyfreak' made me want to eat candy LOTS of it.
Hello? I totally should have thought of researching donuts in America. I live in America. I eat donuts. I might as well have gotten paid for it.
And oh my gosh the cover looks delicious! I think this book will make me want to eat donuts, same as 'Fast Food Nation' made me want fast food and 'The Emperors of Chocolate' and 'Candyfreak' made me want to eat candy LOTS of it.
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