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23rd out of 48 books
—
39 voters
Glazed America: A History of the Doughnut
In Mullins's skillful hands, this simple pastry provides surprisingly compelling insights into our eating habits, our identity, and modern consumer culture.
Hardcover, 200 pages
Published
September 7th 2008
by University Press of Florida
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Jan 12, 2012
Angel
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
donut lovers, foodies, history readers, economics & business
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...more
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 baiting just...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 baiting just...more
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 love/hate rel...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 love/hate rel...more
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.
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.
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 end, M...more
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.
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.
Mar 24, 2010
Dawn
added it
One of the better books I've read about the history of the doughnut.
love the topic and tere was some good history/cultural content, but it was a bit slow.
Jul 30, 2008
Emily
marked it as to-read
@ 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.
I found the content of the book interesting, but the writing dry and long-winded.
I normally enjoy books about food history but this was just okay.
Sep 12, 2008
Aimee
marked it as to-read
Haha! A book about donuts! I'm all over this one...
Yum yum (and I don't mean Gilbert & Sullivan).
May 06, 2013
bonnie
marked it as to-read
May 05, 2013
Sarah
marked it as to-read
May 05, 2013
Gemma Correll
marked it as to-read
Feb 25, 2013
Jonathan Freed
marked it as to-read
Feb 02, 2013
Dan
marked it as to-read
Oct 05, 2012
Lindsay
marked it as to-read
Sep 28, 2012
Scott
marked it as to-read
Sep 24, 2012
Christina
marked it as to-read
Sep 07, 2012
Suzanne
marked it as to-read
Sep 07, 2012
Hina
marked it as to-read
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Jan 13, 2012 12:15pm
Jan 13, 2012 01:45pm