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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Fashionable Food, by Sylvia Lovegren


Absolutely fascinating look at American food trends from the 1920's to the 1990's. While there were many recipes, this was not a cookbook in any real sense, it was more a sociological study examining how the impacts or technology, politics, and the economy have changed and re-invented American eating habits. From the 1920's "icebox cooking" to the 1930's "Betty Coed Surprise Cake" (Sandwiches disguised as cakes), women's changing roles in American life are illustrated through the dishes that they traditionally made. During WWII, many spices couldn't be imported, and olive oil cost $11 a gallon, again changing American eating. Just fascinating.

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