false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255633475m/5070865.jpg 5070865 7 <b>A remarkable portrait of American food before World War II, presented by the <i>New York Times</i>–bestselling author of <i>Cod</i> and <i>Salt</i>.</b><BR><BR> Award-winning <i>New York Times</i>–bestselling author Mark Kurlansky takes us back to the food and eating habits of a younger America: Before the national highway system brought the country closer together; before chain restaurants imposed uniformity and low quality; and before the Frigidaire meant frozen food in mass quantities, the nation’s food was seasonal, regional, and traditional. It helped form the distinct character, attitudes, and customs of those who ate it.<BR><BR> In the 1930s, with the country gripped by the Great Depression and millions of Americans struggling to get by, FDR created the Federal Writers’ Project under the New Deal as a make-work program for artists and authors. A number of writers, including Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, and Nelson Algren, were dispatched all across America to chronicle the eating habits, traditions, and struggles of local people. The project, called “America Eats,” was abandoned in the early 1940s because of the World War and never completed.<BR><BR> <i>The Food of a Younger Land</i> unearths this forgotten literary and historical treasure and brings it to exuberant life. Mark Kurlansky’s brilliant book captures these remarkable stories, and combined with authentic recipes, anecdotes, photos, and his own musings and analysis, evokes a bygone era when Americans had never heard of fast food and the grocery superstore was a thing of the future. Kurlansky serves as a guide to this hearty and poignant look at the country’s roots.<BR><BR> From New York automats to Georgia Coca-Cola parties, from Arkansas possum-eating clubs to Puget Sound salmon feasts, from Choctaw funerals to South Carolina barbecues, the WPA writers found Americans in their regional niches and eating an enormous diversity of meals. From Mississippi chittlins to Indiana persimmon puddings, Maine lobsters, and Montana beavertails, they recorded the curiosities, commonalities, and communities of American food. 5137531 11 6 2009 The Food of a Younger Land: The WPA's Portrait of Food in Pre-World War II America total:191|5:21|4:55|3:79|2:29|1:7| 191 627 873 79 3 1 false false Mon Jul 20 12:17:46 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 12:19:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Jul 15 19:32:01 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 20:00:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 05:43:45 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 06:09:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 16:35:17 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 08:18:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 05:47:56 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 05:55:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 20:14:06 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 18:05:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 01 13:28:43 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 13:28:43 -0700 2009
...more...]]> 3 2 false false Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 19:16:06 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 13:26:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 07:13:27 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 17:32:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 12:31:09 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 13:29:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 05:43:21 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 05:52:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Nov 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 14 11:48:32 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 14 11:57:22 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 17:07:31 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 11:20:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Aug 13 08:55:36 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 04 18:31:23 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 08:55:36 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Apr 20 10:21:29 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 00:14:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 09:55:53 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 19:09:24 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 09:02:57 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 15:35:04 -0700 2009 Interesting. The project was originally intended to reflect American eating habits in the 1930s, but was left unfinished when the Federal Writer's Project dissolved. There is some repetition in the essays. My favorite essay was on Los Angeles. The closing paragraph:
"Los Ang...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Aug 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 10:05:31 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 10:08:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 21:08:57 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 21:10:30 -0700 2009
I did enjoy giving my dad the Native American cooking highlights along with the Wisconsin ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Sep 10 15:52:15 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 15:54:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=5070865