Once food was a status symbol for only a few of the richest people willing to down challenging dishes like foie gras and caviar. Now everyone from yuppies to convicts is insisting on farm-fresh produce, free-range eggs, and authentic South Indian food. What the hell happened? We used to be so happy with our Kraft macaroni and cheese and our Swanson TV dinners. Now all our pasta has to be hand stretched or extruded through brass dies. Where is Sylvia Lovegren, the author of one of my favorite books about food fads Fashionable Food, which traces American food manias from the Jello salads of the 1930s to the duck breast pizzas of the 1980s. It even has recipes, for those brave enough to dip into the past for their next dinner party. Sadly, the book, originally published in the 1990s has no information on the current we-are-all-foodies-now-(but-don't-call-us-that) craze.
Luckily there is a new book that purports to tell us all we need to know. David Kamp's The United States of Arugula has just been published to tons of interest (including reviews last Sunday in the New York Times, SF Chronicle, and The Oregonian. For the most part, the book is concerned with the personalities that drove the movement forward -- Alice Waters, Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, and James Beard. There is lots of gossip. Sadly, no recipes, though, since dining out is a big focus of the book.
Kamp's touring now, so you can check him out. He's at Portland's Powells Books tonight.
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