As Long As We Both Shall Eat: A History of Wedding Food and Feasts

by Claire Stewart

As Long as we Both Shall Eat is a culinary history of wedding feasts. Examining the various food customs associated with weddings in America and around the world, Claire Stewart not only provides a rich account of the foods most loved and frequently served at wedding celebrations, she also offers a glimpse into the customs and celebrations themselves, as they are experienced in the West and in various other cultures. Shesheds light on the historical and contemporary significance of wedding food, and explores patterns of the varieties of conspicuous consumption linked to American wedding feasts in particular. There are stories of celebrity excess, and the book is peppered with accounts of lavish strange-but-true wedding tales. The antics of wealthy socialites and celebrities is a topic rich for exploration, and the telling of their exploits can be used to track the fads and changes in conventional and contemporary wedding feasts and celebrations. From cocktail hours to wedding cakes, showers to brunches, the food we enjoy to celebrate the joining of life partners helps bring us together, no matter our differences. Readers are treated to a tasty trip down the aisle in this entertaining and lively account of nuptial noshing.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Food, Food History

242 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2017

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

*facepalm* *train wreck*

This started as a good idea. And that's where it should have stopped. The writing is all over the place. Following paragraphs don't match the preceeding paragraph i.e. completely different subjects. Section titles have nothing to do with what is written in the section. Heck, whole chapters have nothing to do with chapter titles.

It feels like the author read some books and then wrote this book. This book is all over the place and has little to do with the subject she allegedly is writing about. The research is poor or nonexistent. There are incorrect and even racist terms used i.e. Islamists instead of Muslims (Muslims are followers of Islam while Islamists are terrorists who use Muslim theology fashioned into an ideology of hate and violence). The author should stick to cooking and not write about history.

This read like a bad middle school essay. Not worth reading.

[DizzyGala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for some interesting information and factoids I can now share at parties, but didn't rate any higher for some reasons. Author makes efforts to be modern and inclusive, but has a strange insistence on snubbing the current generation and has startling contempt for current trends?

It is true that couples marrying today are used to having their movements managed. They have "never ridden a bicycle without a helmet" and always been told they are "above average." Members of this group are sometimes called "snowflakes," a reference to their supposed uniqueness and fragility. This ethos is manifesting itself in their weddings, as these people interpret their special day as a big show, a production n which they are the stars, guests are the audience, and someone has made snacks. (179)

What a bold, ungenerous, and over-generalized assertion! And this is the conluding paragraph of the penultimate chapter.

It's a shame, because I found the rest of the book very informative, if not a little scattered. It's really a collection of factoids and annecdotes, sometimes connected by region, topic, or chronology. But the academic merit of the author seems questionable when there is a such a meanspiritedness directed at contemporary trends. Isn't the whole point of this to appreciate how trends have been shaped throughout cultures and history? And the current generation is yet another phase in the cycle?

I don't regret reading; I did learn some new things. It just left a bad taste in my mouth when the closing argument boils down to "kids these days don't appreciate their roots and should stop being so darn individualistic." :(

[Hannah Flowers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some interesting insight into the history of the the way weddings and food are intertwined. However, the author jumped from topic to topic manically and it was difficult to follow. Overall, it was interesting but not as well written as it could have been.

[Suzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This did not live up to my expectations. The title is the best part.

[Nefertari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started out as an interesting concept, and I always enjoy a good exploration of folklore and tradition. Unfortunately, this book began scraping the bottom of the barrel about halfway through in a quest for more material, and it shows. Also, the aforementioned “Islamists” misnomer and a reference to “snowflakes “ did it for me. Avoid, avoid. If you need reference material on wedding culture for any reason, I can name about five different books you’d be better off with.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in the concept of this book and there was a range of interesting facts although it felt that it covered too much to really get into detail and there were so many interesting facts that they didn't all seem to flow.

[Emily Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part history, part folklore, part sociology. Sadly does not include any recipes.

[LeeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was well written, interesting and enjoyable. Ms. Stewart includes many wonderful cultural traditions and presents them beautifully.

[Janice Treat snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting book, but it wasn't about wedding feasts. Too bad they didn't re-think that title. I'm sure there were some disappointed readers.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fine resource for those doing research in food studies.