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America Eats!: On the Road with the WPA - the Fish Fries, Box Supper Socials, and Chitlin Feasts That Define Real American Food

Pat Willard

3.37 · Rating details · 158 ratings · 33 reviews

What the Sterns did for road food, Pat Willard does for festive American group eating in this exploration of our national cuisine, with a never-before-published WPA manuscript as her guide.
In America Eats! Pat Willard takes readers on a journey into the regional nooks and crannies of American cuisine where WPA writers—including Eudora Welty, Saul Bellow, Ralph Ellison,

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Hardcover, 304 pages

Published July 15th 2008 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (first published July 8th 2008)

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Start your review of America Eats!: On the Road with the WPA - the Fish Fries, Box Supper Socials, and Chitlin Feasts That Define Real American Food

Aug 13, 2018 Amy rated it really liked it

What a project this must have been! Back in the 30s, there was a WPA program for writers. Many of them all over the country. The government wanted a comprehensive look at then-current trends in American eating. The writers had been assigned to cover local festivals and other group functions and describe the food and cultures.

That project was put on hold and the articles were filed away somewhere. Pat Willard happened to stumble across them doing research for a different book.

The book contains so ...more

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Aug 23, 2009 Sarah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: food, 2009, early-reviewer, history

This is an enjoyable but uneven book. Willard tracked down WPA manuscripts from the original America Eats project of the 1930s and travelled back to the places described within.

Excerpts (sometimes edited or condensed) from the original manuscripts are the meat of the book. Commentary by Willard is scattered throughout. Perhaps it felt inconsistent to me because it was drawn from so many sources of varied writing style---some of the essays were SO olde-tyme syrurpy-quaint; others, written in dia ...more

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Oct 16, 2014 Rosie rated it really liked it

Very interesting! Lots of history.

Good book for a foodie

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Jan 03, 2019 Arrel rated it it was ok

Shelves: cooking-eating

Using the unpublished WPA American eating project by the same name, Pat Willard travels the country to seek out the places visited by WPA writers including Eudora Welty, Ralph Ellison, Saul Bellow, and many more, dispatched in 1935 to document the roots of America's culinary history. A sort of period piece for America and its cuisine and eating places between its two great wars (not that either of them were really great). Includes recipes and never-before-seen photos by such WPA luminaries as Je ...more

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Apr 13, 2018 Rachel Jacobs rated it liked it

The book started out quite interesting with the author tracking down some of the traditions she found written in the WPA papers. However the book tended to drag on a bit and I lost interest as it went on and on.

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Apr 15, 2010 Oldroses rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history, food

During the Great Depression, many programs were created by the Federal Government to provide jobs for those who had none. We are still benefitting today from the fruits of that labor which created many public buildings, roads, bridges and parks. One project, however, never saw the light of day.

The “America Eats!” project was about traditional American food. Out-of-work writers were assigned to write about the events in their communities and the food that was served at them. The final document w During the Great Depression, many programs were created by the Federal Government to provide jobs for those who had none. We are still benefitting today from the fruits of that labor which created many public buildings, roads, bridges and parks. One project, however, never saw the light of day.

The “America Eats!” project was about traditional American food. Out-of-work writers were assigned to write about the events in their communities and the food that was served at them. The final document was not meant to be a cookbook. It was more akin to a documentation of regional foods made by non-professional cooks and served at regional gatherings such as fairs, church socials and harvest festivals.

Author Pat Willard, who stumbled on to the project while reading a book for research, was intrigued enough to visit the Library of Congress where many of the original manuscripts are stored. Reading the surviving documents inspired her to make a cross-country culinary tour, visiting the places and events written about in “America Eats!” to find out if they still existed and if so, how they had changed if at all.

She was heartened to discover that many of the local events mentioned in America Eats! are still going on albeit with a few modern changes. Squirrel meat, once the main ingredient in Brunswick stew, has been replaced by poultry, beef and pork due to the dangers of Mad Squirrel Disease (who knew?). She traces the evolution of the foodie culture in Washington State from the local harvest festivals mentioned in America Eats!, which are still going on.

Other local gatherings never made it to the 21st century. The traditional southern barbecues that were once mandatory for political events have disappeared. The mile long trenches filled with smoldering wood have fallen victim to zoning ordinances forbidding them on public land. Tobacco, once an important crop in North Carolina, is being replaced by vineyards that have led to new festivals celebrating wine.

Each chapter covers a particular type of event such as rodeos, funerals, harvest festivals and social clubs, to name a few. A relevant essay from “America Eats!” is followed by the author’s own experience followed by more essays and occasionally, recipes. Because each essay was penned by a different author, the reader is able to get a sense of the local customs and culture as they were experienced by the people living at that time.

The book begins and ends with what can only be called rants about American cooking. Ms. Willard is rather defensive about our indigenous cuisine. In the first chapter she defends its shortcomings compared to European cuisines and then in the last chapter laments its demise thanks to the entry of women into the workforce leaving them no time to cook.

This would be a much better book without the author’s long-winded opinions of American cooking. If you excise the first half of the beginning chapter and all of the last chapter, you have a wonderful book about Americans, their customs and their food, past and present. ...more

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May 04, 2011 Angel rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: food reading fans, Americana fans, history readers, WPA interest

Shelves: history, foods-and-epicurious

America Eats! was one of the many WPA projects created to put people to work during the Great Depression era. In brief, the idea was to go out and document not just Americans' foods, but also the social gatherings, cultural mores, and events that defined American food. The project was broken down into regional segments, and writers were assigned to write up the various parts. Some of these writers went on to become famous; others just went back to their regular jobs when the project was shut dow America Eats! was one of the many WPA projects created to put people to work during the Great Depression era. In brief, the idea was to go out and document not just Americans' foods, but also the social gatherings, cultural mores, and events that defined American food. The project was broken down into regional segments, and writers were assigned to write up the various parts. Some of these writers went on to become famous; others just went back to their regular jobs when the project was shut down (Congress refused to continue its funding, thus cutting it off. Imagine if Congress had actually funded it and allowed it to be completed, the national treasure we would have now). Some fragments of the manuscript survive in the Library of Congress; many are likely still locked up in local and state archives, many even undiscovered.

The author found parts of the document, and along with those parts, set out to see if she could find many of these places and food gatherings. From chuck wagon meals to funeral meals to fish fries, she spent a year on the road to see what real American homemade cooking was, and more importantly, the social events and gatherings that were the main reason for the meals. Whether it was a fundraiser or a lodge social event, what she found was a diverse culinary experience of people coming together. And sadly, it is an experience that may be facing extinction in our modern times.

The book alternates between the author's narrative and fragments from the WPA writings, making for a very interesting picture of the United States from coast to coast. The WPA writings include customs, descriptions of events, and some recipes. In some cases, the author included recipes that are close to an original in order to give readers a sense of the real thing. The book does have some amusing moments, but it also has some moving moments along with some serious commentary on contemporary American society along the way. Personally, I cannot help but wonder what would happen if, by some great miracle, a new national works project was formed, and a new generation of writers went out to document the American food gathering experience today? What, if anything, would they find?

The book does have some small passages that go a bit too long, slowing down the reading experience. It is the only reason I gave it four stars. However, this is a book worth reading. It is a book you may want to read in small bits, savor parts of it even. And it is a book that may make you want to go out and find a local church supper, or a fish fry, or maybe, just maybe, a pie social. ...more

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May 27, 2009 Ann rated it really liked it

Shelves: country-small-town, history, 1940s, 1930s, essays, culinary, american-history, world-war-two, great-depression, wpa

I heard about this book in conjunction with Mark Kurlansky's The Food of a Younger Land, and was completely intrigued with the idea of the WPA papers on food from Depression-era America. I love all information on regional food, and this seemed like the epitome of food folklore books.

Pat Willard's book was intended to be more of a personal journey to find out if these food traditions are still in existence, with actual essays from the original project included in the narrative. I think, however, I heard about this book in conjunction with Mark Kurlansky's The Food of a Younger Land, and was completely intrigued with the idea of the WPA papers on food from Depression-era America. I love all information on regional food, and this seemed like the epitome of food folklore books.

Pat Willard's book was intended to be more of a personal journey to find out if these food traditions are still in existence, with actual essays from the original project included in the narrative. I think, however, I was expecting something slightly different. To start, the WPA project wasn't intended so much to collect information on American eating habits, but on American community gatherings and the food that is served at them. This is also a completely fascinating topic for me, but a little different than what I'd been looking for. A lot of the essays focused more on the activity, with the food almost as an afterthought. And food served for groups can be very different than food served in homes, so titling a project "America Eats!" seemed slightly faulty to me. Anyway, that's not the fault of the book, but just something odd to me.

I also felt a little mislead at the author's portions of her search for these festivals. Her personal narrative seemed almost completely... impersonal, much like the original essays written. I guess I'd expected more of her own observations and adventures, but the essays didn't include much of that - just a report of the different events and communities and the food served at them. She also clearly has a political message about the state of American food and the loss of much of our food culture, which I ultimately agree with but I wasn't really in the mood to read about it through the entire book.

I realize that most of my issues with the book aren't really the author's fault - just a difference in what I was expecting to read. My problems with it were that she often seemed to adopt a false "folksiness" in her writing that seemed a bit off to me, and the organization of each chapter was rather disjointed, but overall, the book was really interesting and it was so funny to see just how writing and speaking styles have changed in the past 60+ years. ...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Katina rated it liked it

Shelves: food-glorious-food, 2010

During the Depression, our government tasked WPA writers with a project to investigate regional food cultures and write essays documenting "American cuisine." This is probably my dream job. Sounds amazingly fun.

The project was never completed, though most of the manuscripts still exist in various archives. Pat Willard's book collects many of the original essays and then splices in her contemporary investigation into the ongoing regional food festivals, particular food habits, and traditional dis ...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Christina rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, travel

I enjoyed this book because it combines three of my favorite topics: history, travel, and food. In the 1930's, the writers of the WPA went out across America to compile a culinary history of the country. They went to fairs, church suppers, community events, and other events to learn about and document American cooking and eating. The final work, which was to be titled "America Eats," was never published, and the manuscripts remained in various archives in Washington DC and across the country. Pa ...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Bruce rated it it was amazing

Shelves: us-history

Many Americans do not realize what the Federal Government did during the depression. Government did create jobs. In addition to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) there was the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA funded artists, writers, musicians and academics to provide artwork and 'papers' on various aspects of America. This book is about one of those projects. The WPA funded the writing of articles on 'American' cuisine at the time. The author uses those articles as a starting po ...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Debby rated it really liked it

I've been reading this book over the course of the last couple months, getting in a few pages or even just a few paragraphs over lunch breaks at work. It's a fascinating look at our food traditions, past and present. The book contains excerpts from a WPA project that collected regional tales of foodways along with a contemporary writer's view of what has become of those traditions. For me, the best part was the excerpts--they were usually written by an author from the area so there was something ...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Kara rated it really liked it

Warning: Do not read while you are hungry! Except even when you are full, it would be hard not to want to taste so much of the wonderful food talked about in this book. Even more, to associate with such interesting people. Alas, a lot of that is gone from the days when these feasts and get togethers happened, but I still think there is much to be said about social eating customs and recipes, and I love getting together over food no matter what! This was such a great idea, and I'm glad the author ...more

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Mar 22, 2014 Ruth rated it really liked it

The author found a manuscript from a Works Projects Administration project from the 1930s and 1940s that was meant to document American foodways from the period. She followed up by trying to go to many of the places and kinds of events that the book describes. Willard is charmingly and appallingly omnivorous. I think the parts I liked best were her visits with the Mississippi Choctaw family to learn more about mourning practices, and her experience with the cowboy re-enactors. The book was engag ...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Mary rated it really liked it

"Make-work" federal programs in the 1930's included surveys of
eating habits in various parts of the U.S. Many of the reports from
those surveys survive. Pat Willard covers much of the same ground
to see who's eating what, especially in communal settings, these days.
She presents excerpts from the old reports next to lively accounts of
her own culinary adventures, and the result offers painless lessons in local
history and geography, along with the news about local food choices and
related customs. P ...more

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Jul 29, 2009 Carrie rated it it was ok

Shelves: first-read

I looked forward to reading this book, which I received as a first-read. Unfortunately, I am unable to finish it due to the writing style.

While I quite enjoyed the original WPA selections included in the collection, I did not find the author's own writing to be as inviting. At the fairs and festivals the author attends, the participants and other people in attendance are often portrayed as oafish or country or otherwise not as intelligent as the author. This writing style becomes annoying quickl ...more

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Aug 03, 2009 Mark rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-read-free-books

This book delves into some of my favorite topics; food, American history and road trips. In the late 30s the WPA commissioned writers to cover regional cuisine and eating habits; things like county fairs, barbecues, etc. The work was never published. In this book, the author revisits these regions to determine if these habits and cuisines still exist, and if not, how things have changed. I confess that I skimmed a few sections, but overall it is an interesting read. The glossary of diner slang i ...more

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Jul 31, 2008 Terri rated it liked it

Some great essays capturing a moment in time (loved the Iowa thresher's dinner story), some too long, and too much focus of the author's travels around the country (which I didn't even realize would be included when I added this to my list). There are whole books devoted to regional food festivals, and while I get that Willard was trying to "recreate" the trail of some of the WPA writers, I just didn't care to read about her experiences so I ended up skimming some. ...more

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Jun 03, 2008 Vanessa rated it it was ok

While the subject held my interest, the organization of the book left something to be desired. The essays seemed to be jumbled together with a few recipes and a modest bit of commentary. I didn't know what to expect when turning the page. Making the content of the chapters more consistent and orderly would have created a stronger book. ...more

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Sep 06, 2008 Tattered Cover Book Store added it

Recommended to Tattered Cover by: Matt

Shelves: staff-recommends, from-the-indienext-list

With a delightful and loving style, Pat Willard brings to life a nearly forgotten WPA project started in the midst of the Great Depression that documents the food of America. Contributors to the project include Eudora Welty, Saul Bellow, Ralph Ellison, Dorothea Lange and Ben Shanhn. Don't miss this wonderful chronicle of who we are and what we eat.

Matt ...more

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May 26, 2010 Linnea rated it really liked it

Shelves: foodie-books

This was the first book in our foodie book club, and I really enjoyed it! Willard lovingly took us back to the early days of eating in America. From squirrel stew to a hoof-to-tail eating, I now have a better appreciation for where American cuisine stemmed--from all over the world! Like Americans, our food is decidedly a hodgepodge of different cultures and traditions.

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Aug 27, 2012 Niki Ganong rated it liked it

This should really be titled America Ate.

The author, using an old WPA writing project as a guide, goes in search of the cuisine of yesteryear. More informative and comprehensive books have been written. This collection of recipes, essays and photographs is fine to flip through, but it's not valuable as a resource. ...more

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Aug 03, 2016 Plaid rated it really liked it

Shelves: nf-culture

This was really interesting! I'd never known about the America Eats WPA project, so it was great to read some of those writings that otherwise might not have seen the light of day. The author's following in their footsteps made for an interesting contrast, too, of how things have changed and how things have stayed the same. ...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Shannon marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-read-food, to-read-nonfic

Read with The food of a younger land ...more

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Dec 23, 2008 Michele added it

Excellent read loved the Fish Fry stories

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Jan 06, 2009 Danielle marked it as to-read

Added because of review: http://civileats.com/2009/01/06/a-loo... ...more

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Aug 03, 2009 Kristina Kopnisky rated it did not like it

Gave it away. I could not get through it.

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Jan 11, 2010 Kim rated it really liked it

This book was great to read right after I read The Food of a Younger Land - and it had the wrap up at the end of the book that was missing from 'Younger Land'. ...more

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Jan 27, 2010 Lauren rated it really liked it

Fascinating if you're into this sort of thing. I would have liked a few more recipes, and maybe photos of the specific occasions that were described, but overall, a neat look into a different world. ...more

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