August Theme: FOOD!

"Vertumnus" by Giuseppe Arcimboldo was created in Milan in 1590. It is a portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II reimagined as Vertumnus, the Roman god of metamorphoses in nature and life. Included in the painting are gourds, pears, apples, cherries, grapes, wheat, onions, artichokes and beans! We have lots of good choices in what we eat, and the same is true of what we read.

The book you choose doesn't have to be dedicated to food, there only needs to be a relationship to it. Below is a list of genres and a few titles to help with your choice. As is often heard when dining out and food is served, ENJOY!

COOKING
Cooking School by The America's Test Kitchen
On Spice: Advice, Wisdom and History With a Grain of Saltiness by Caitlin Penzeymoog

FICTION
The Book of Salt by Monique Troung
Cresent by Diana Abu-Jaber
Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Crystal King
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
A Gentleman in Moscow by Armor Towles
My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki

GRAPHPIC NOVELS and ILLUSTRATED BOOKS
French Milk by Lucy Knisley
Japan Eats!: An Explorer's Guide to Japanesse Food by Betty Reynolds

MEMOIRS
The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz
Notes From a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwauchi

MYSTERY
At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie
The Pigeon Pie Murder by Julia Stuart
Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout
Sprinkle With Murder by Jenn Mckinlay
Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers
Toxin by Robin Cook
Three at Wolfe’s Door by Rex Stout

NONFICTION
Simple Steps to Success: Fruit and Vegetables in Pots by DK Publishing
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
Letters to a Young Famer on Food, Farming, and Our Future by Martha Hodgkins
Beginners Guide to Canning: 90 Easy Recipes to Can, Savor and Gift by Diana Devereaux
The Food Explorer: The Advertures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats by Daniel Stone

Remember Wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php?title=Reading_Through_Time_Challenge&amp...

I have been looking forward to this topic as I have a book entitled Tomato Rhapsody by Adam Schell on my shelf. Set in 16th century Italy, it is advertised as historical fiction about the love & lust for food and life.

I have a few nonfiction food books on my tbr.

Not sure how many also go into some history, but this one appeared to do some of that (either from the tags and/or the description - I looked at this a few days ago, and can't quite recall):

The Meat Racket / Christopher Leonard

So, that is my most likely candidate.

What a great topic and pic! I bought a book about cakes and pies in America in the 20th century that I'm going to read....if I can find it!

I have more on my TBR that will work than I thought I would. At the top of the pile is Sobremesa, an ER memoir. I also have two mysteries, Someone is Killng the Great Chefs of Europe and Someone is Killng the Great Chefs of America by Nan Lyons. Then there is Angelina's Bachelor's by Brian O'Reilly and a couple from the Comfort Food Cafe series. The last three have been on the TBR a long time so this is the time to move them off of the shelf!

The suggestion of Strong Poison made me think of Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which I’ve never read. I mean to remedy this oversight next month - I feel ashamed not to have read one of my hometown’s favorite books.

At first I thought, ugh, what a topic! How am I ever going to come up with anything? Then I took a look at some of my long-unread books and came up with....

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (Norton Critical Edition). I read The Jungle back in high school (and I'll be hitting 70 this September 13, so that's a few years ago), but I don't remember it at all and the Norton Critical of course has all those supplementary materials.

Frank Norris, Norris: Novels and Essays (Library of America), which includes Vandover and the Brute, McTeague, and The Octopus, only the last of which would seem to be food-related. At least one-outa-three ain't bad, but why it doesn't include The Pit as well I don't know. If I read the entire LoA edition I'll have an entry for the Big Fat Book Challenge as well, but we'll have to see. Or if I do The Octopus, I may go on to read The Pit as well, probably just on Kindle.

Definitely want to do The Jungle in any case.

And then there's Mark Kurlansky's Salt. I really loved The Basque History of the World, but that's because I have a particular interest in the Basques (because of their involvement in what really happened to Charlemagne's rear guard at the battle of Roncesvalles); but in any case, Salt should be a quick and probably interesting read.

So I really will have some interesting reads for myself for August.

Just picked this up from my library's new books shelf: Women in the Kitchen: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat, from 1661 to Today, by Anne Willan. There's a chapter on each of 12 female cookbook writers (English and American), their lives and influence, plus a few recipes from each featured cookbook. Looks to be an interesting intersection of women, history and cooking.

Martin Walker and his The Dordogne Mysteries Book Series is a must read for this category. Bruno, Chief of Police in a small village in the South of France, weaves French cuisine into every novel. Well developed characters amid the beautiful countryside.

For this month’s theme I would like to recommend 97 Orchard
An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by
Jane Ziegelman. A thoroughly enjoyable and informative book. Author Russell Shorto describes it as “A richly detailed investigation of the lives and culinary habits—shopping, cooking, and eating—of five families of various ethnicities living at the turn of the twentieth century in one tenement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.” So interesting how immigrant foods became American foods. It includes 40 recipes.

I found Cafe by the Sea on my shelves (which looks like it is called by a different title in the UK) but whichever title it goes by it should fit this month's theme.

>7 dianelouise100: oh thats such a great book, plus it fits with food and culture intertwining. When I think of food, I think of what my ma cooked, and how those meals tied into so much of our religious holidays. I am so not a cook (I always say my mom and dad owned a deli and were great cooks, my brother the same and my sis a gourmet cook so by the time I came around al the cooking genes had gone!) but on this 25th anniversay of my mom's death, Ive started thinking of making some forays into the tradition. Might just do it with my sisters guiding hand!

I am remembering reading books about this connection but think I may need to google, cause nothing comes to mind

BTW that poster of Vertumnus is perfect!

>11 marell: oh that does look good! Wonder if that was put together by the Tenement Musuem (hee just realized that 97 Orchard is the address for same) that might just be the ticket

Just reading what everyone is thinking of reading I can predict I'll be adding to my wishlist! I hope you enjoy whatever you choose and look forward to your comments as the month goes along.

I have completed Sobremesa: A Memoir of Food and Love in Thirteen Courses by Josephine Caminos Oria. The author's family came to the U.S. when she was a small child and lived in Pittsburg where her father practiced medicine. It was important to them to continue traditional Argentenian dining traditions. Both the food and the tradition of sobremesa, staying at the table after eating for discussions that would sometimes last hours, that kept me reading. As a memoir this was not a particulary interesting book to me. 3*

I wanted something light and food related for this month. The Café by the Sea delivered both. Flora was from a small Scottish island which she had fled to go to the big city. Cities don’t get much bigger than London, where she tries to fit in and work in a legal firm. But work sends her back to the island where she discovers her love of cooking which becomes part of the deal and she ends up operating the titular café.

just received 97 orchard: an edible history of immigrant families in one new york tenement Will start on it tonight!

>18 cindydavid4: Happy reading! I hope you enjoy it. I certainly did. I would like to visit the Tenement Museum there someday.

I have completed Someone is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe by Nan Lyons.

I finished Women in the Kitchen: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat, from 1661 to Today by Anne Willan (2020). This was a fun and fast read (with a good number of recipes). Each chapter portrays a woman cookbook author (who wrote in English) from England and America, covering 1661 to the present day. Each woman gets about 8-10 pages of biography and the significance of her cookbook(s). Included are 4-5 recipes from the original cookbooks, followed by an updated version of each recipe by Willan for the 21st century cook.

The earliest authors were the most interesting to me. Some of the later cookbook authors I recognized were Fannie Farmer, Irma Rombauer (Joy of Cooking) and Julia Child. Only one of the cookbook authors, Alice Waters, is still alive today. I think I would have liked more author portrayals and less recipes (perhaps only 2 from each), but I'm not much of a cook, so the personal story and food history were more interesting for me than the recipes (although I'd be great at eating). The "updated" recipes for 21st century cooks were a must for the early recipes, but seemed unnecessary (and a waste of pages) for the most recent authors. Overall, this is a great way to get a general overview of the history of cookbooks and woman cookbook authors, as well as more detailed look at these 12 women, for those new to this subject like me.

I couldn't find the book I was thinking of but instead read The Progressive Farmer's Southern Cookbook by Sallie F. Hill. This is a 1962 publication, but with much older recipes. I skimmed most of the book, but read thoroughly the sections on gravies and tips on making the same. I have never been able to satisfactorily make ham gravy, but now armed with a few new recipes and tips, I will try again this Christmas. We only eat ham at Christmas. I also read a complete section on lard and Crisco. Great book that I will be referring to off and on.

I read Margaret Kennedy’s The Feast—truly, a “feast” of a book. The setting is reminiscent of Agatha Christie: a small hotel on the Cornish coast, behind which are huge, picturesque cliffs. Several families are in residence, some accompanied by children, and all, including the innkeeper and his family, accompanied by their individual griefs, grudges, and obsessions. But instead of a murder, a natural disaster occurs. We learn in the first chapter that a section of cliff has collapsed, burying the hotel and everyone inside. The rest of the novel tells the story of the week prior to the destruction, developing the characters of the guests and hosts through their interactions with family members and with other guests. As the story progresses, we become aware of serious moral flaws and of truly admirable characteristics. Only at the end of the book do we learn who has managed to survive the disaster.

Food is very important in the story. The time setting is 1947, when many items, especially food, were still rationed in Britain. Who gets what to eat at the inn and who succeeds at getting what they want in the rationing lines in food stores reveal significant character traits. The feast referred to in the title is essential to plot development. I enjoyed this book very much and would encourage you to read it.
5*

I started reading 97 Orchard, took in a few pages from each family chapter and honestly realized I already knew most of the information and the recipes were typical from reading HF and general knowledge of the time period. Think the book would be excellent for the history and the recipes if it was new to you. But if you ever get to NYC, the tenement museum is really fascinating highly recomemend a couple of their tours as well as going to Ellis Island.

Oh just remembered really liking the beauty of humanity movement Aside from being a wonderful story about a vietamese-american woman going back to see what happened to her father, the book is a love letter to Pho, cooking and culture in particular. Highly recommended

>23 dianelouise100: I look forward to reading this, it sounds like a really good read!

Just finished rereading "Bruno, Chief of Police: A Mystery of the French Countryside" by Martin Walker. I love his mysteries, but how they can eat and drink so much at dinner is way beyond me! One example: wine with potato leek soup and fresh bread; wine with smoked salmon; wine with steak and kidney pie; wine with cheese and fruit; a scottish whiskey for afters! Bruno is an unbelieveable chef in his own right.

Interesting article for foodies and/or book lovers from NYT "

Nach Waxman, Founder of a Bookstore Where Foodies Flock, Dies at 84

“kitchen anthropologist,” Nach Waxman, 84, opened a New York bookstore
for chefs and everyday cooks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/07/dining/nach-waxman-dead.html

I just finished Tomato Rhapsody by Adam Schell and it was fantastic. It's a humorous Shakespearan fable set in 15th century Tuscany, this is a earthy, bawdy story of star-crossed lovers and tomatoes. A fun read.

Oh I have heard about that before! would love to read it.

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky 2½**

I really liked Kurlansky's A Basque History of the World, so I had some hopes for Salt, but it really fell flat for me. (Sorry for the pun!) Looking at its LT reviews, I don't seem to be alone in my feeling.

It's got an awful lot of recipes. Most of them involve some kind of meat or fish, though, and I'm a vegan. Additionally, I don't add salt to anything that I eat, considering my high blood pressure, my congestive heart failure, and a whole host of other medical conditions. I figure I get enough salt (more than enough!) in prepared foods that I eat; and being a quick-and-dirty "microwave gourmet," I'm not really that conscientious in checking out nutrition labels, so I'm better off abstaining from salt as much as I can.

The one area I did find interesting was Kurlansky's etymological references. For example, the suffix "wich" in English place names refers to salt production, so that "Norwich" is the "northern" salt city, just to cite one etymological example. And Kurlansky does have a nice chapter on Gandhi's Salt March, along with interesting chapters here and there (such as the U.S. Civil War) of the importance of salt militarily and industrially.

If I have time, I think I'll next go to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (Norton Critical), though I do have three Early Review books to get cracking on as well as getting started on our RTT Quarterly Challenge.

>30 CurrerBell: I also gave this 2.5 stars. I found it mostly pretty dry, although there were a few interesting tidbits (like the "wich" you've mentioned).

>23 dianelouise100: Sounds wonderful. Definitely goes on my WL

>30 CurrerBell:: I did not know about the significance of the suffix "wich" in English place names. Thank you.

I read Salt Fat Acid Heat and then watched the show based on the book. It made me slow down and look at what I cook with fresh eyes.

What with the cook shows I've been watching and the books on food that I've been reading, I have developed an enormous respect for food photography. I have been trying my hand at food photography these last few months, with very ordinary results, I must admit. It's reached a point where my nephew's been forwarding me juvenile articles like I want to become a photographer essays! I have half a mind to enroll in a course, and get trained properly.

Let's see how the next few months go.

I have finished L'économie de la Révolution Française which has a lot to say about the importance of bread as the single most important food item and how hyperinflation and the pricing policy and restrictions of the grain trade led to the famine of 1795.
I cannot imagine a life where bread is sometimes the only food put on the table, they must have been so malnourished.

>30 CurrerBell: I really enjoyed his book Cod: The Biography of the Fish that Changed the World.

>33 zo_ey: Years ago I worked for a company that processed chicken. They sold raw product for a long time but eventually jumped into the prepared food market. I was able to watch a professional food photographer take the initial cooked chicken pictures and it was interesing once I got beyond finding it funny. He "posed" the breast and leg over and over in different ways and fussed with the lighting until he got it perfect. In the end his finished work made the chicken very appealing. It was still chicken though.

The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business / Christopher Leonard
5 stars

This book looks at the meat industry, with more of a focus on the chicken industry: the way factory farming built up, the history of it. It started with the chicken industry first via Tyson Foods in 1929 with Jim Tyson. His son, Don, later took over and continued to grow the business, eating up all the different steps in the process, in addition to most of the smaller competitors. They control every step of the chicken business and have incredible power over the farmers, who are often driven to bankruptcy. But the banks continue to fund more farmers to take the places of the bankrupt farmers, because the banks get their money back on those defaulted loans from a federal program (that was not originally meant for this purpose!).

While reading the book, it hadn’t occurred to me to rate it as high as I am, but I feel like my reaction to the book warrants it. The anger, the swearing at the book, the emotions the book brought out it me, I think, warrants the 5 stars. It did make me angry and frustrated that things are going this way, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to stop it… unless the government gets some teeth and stops bowing to the corporate lobbyists for the good of the regular people, the good of the farmers. Well worth the read for anyone who wants to know (and even those who don’t!) what is going on with our modern-day food (or, at least meat) industry.

>37 LibraryCin: I'm currently reading The Raging 2020s: Companies, Countries, People – and the Fight for Our Future by Alex Ross for an ER review I've got to get written. I'm just in the first chapter, but one of the topics covered so far is chicken-farming with Tyson, Pilgrim's Pride, and Sanderson as the three companies controlling fifty percent of the chicken production in America.

The issue is, as described by the title of that first chapter, "Shareholder and Stakeholder Capitalism," with shareholder capitalism being in the ascendancy since the 70s or 80s and all other stakeholder interests be d*mned. This puts an extreme incentive on management to maximize the value of shares or else face a hostile takeover.

Worst of all, a great way to maximize the value of shares is by stock buybacks, which use capital that could be otherwise spent on R&D or at the very least on dividends that shareholders might reinvest elsewhere. The result is that, when an industry's market crashes, the companies have spent all their profits on stock buybacks and wind up turning to the government for rescue funds in a case of "corporate socialism."

I'm just finishing the first chapter, and there are five more to go, so I don't yet know what Ross's suggested solution(s) are. I'm also curious how this book might tie in with Amy Klobuchar's recently published Antitrust: Taking on Monopoly Power from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age, which I've got on some Mount TBR somewhere.

I chose "Death in Four Courses: A Key West Food Critic Mystery" by Lucy Burdette for my second read this month. "The Annual Key West Literary Conference" featuring food writers and critics was used to frame the story of murder, betrayal, lies and theft. Interestingly enough, 'absolute honesty' in reviews and presentations was used a weapon by the keynote speaker and first victim.

>38 CurrerBell: Oh, those sound interesting, too. Thank you!

oh goodie, my copy of Tomato Rhapsody just arrived! Finishing two books then I'll start on this one

I thoroughly enjoyed Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Love, Life, and Food by Ann Hood. You never know what treasure you’ll find browsing the shelves at the library. This was indeed a treasure. Each essay is accompanied by a recipe, occasionally two or three, some simple, some comfort food, and some more complex. A lovely, life-affirming book.

>41 cindydavid4: I hope you enjoy it, Cindy. :)

Chop Suey Nation / Ann Hui
3.5 stars

Ann Hui grew up in Vancouver, and later moved to Toronto where she became a journalist. In 2016, she decided to do a cross-Canada road trip with her partner while stopping at Western Chinese (aka “Chop Suey Chinese”) restaurants and talking to and learning about their owners and the history of the Chop Suey Chinese restaurants in Canada and North America. This is as she learns that her parents had run a Chinese food restaurant before she was born that she never knew about. She weaves in her father’s story, as he immigrated from China (years after his father and sisters came to Canada), grew up, married, worked in and ran restaurants, and had children.

I listened to the audio, read by the author herself, and quite enjoyed this. I was particularly interested in the chat with the owner of the Silver Inn Restaurant in Calgary (where I live), as I was only there for the first time a couple of years ago. This s where “ginger beef” was invented. (I also hadn’t realized that ginger beef is specifically a Western Canadian dish!) But, there were other interesting stories, too. I have to admit it took a while to get “into” her father’s story – I found it more interesting after he arrived in Canada. Ann Hui did a good job of reading the book. She did stumble over words occasionally, but it didn’t detract from the story,

Thanks to everyone for participating! I'm always surprised by the variety of topics we read in a theme.

About half way through Tomato Rhaspody and love it. however i do have a hard time believing that either religion would accept a mixed marriage back then, but i haven't finished so I may see what happens. Loving the food history tho. Thanks to this group for suggesting this for the theme!

Just finished Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia From My Italian Mother-in-Law by Katherine Wilson. I’ve learned all about Naples, Neopolitans, and their traditional foods. Most of the foods sound wonderful, some not so wonderful (the five-foot-long eel which continues writhing in the shopping bag despite just having its head cut off and its body being cut into four pieces), eaten in a variety of dishes on Christmas Eve, and the preparation of the octopus for Insalata di Polipo. Food shopping, preparation, and eating are taken very seriously.

This is a very funny and entertaining book about an American girl, who just after graduating from Princeton, takes a non-paying job at the United States Consulate in Naples, ends up marrying a Neopolitan man, and having a couple of kids. They now live in Rome, enjoying frequent trips to Naples and visits to Rome from her mother-in-law, bringing “her magical suitcase, with eggplant Parmesan, mozzerella, lasagna, and pizzette from Naples.”