From Publishers Weekly
In this collection of scholarly essays, some of which have been published previously, Mintz (Sweetness and Power) examines aspects of the intricate relationship between food and human culture. In several interesting articles, he discusses the symbolic power of food as shown by the case of Africans, who though forcibly transplanted to the Caribbean in colonial times, succeeded in creating a cuisine for themselves and their masters, even under the oppressive conditions of slavery. Mintz traces the complex rivalry between honey and sugar as the primary sweeteners and how the ascendancy of sugar was tied to economic development in Europe. In one controversial piece, Mintz argues that there is no such thing as an American cuisine. According to the author, although patterns of immigration peculiar to the U.S. have resulted in regional diets, a national cuisine that is cooked, eaten and talked about has not evolved (yet).

Reserved for the Yummy Yummy VBB.

This is a very dry read for such an interesting topic. It felt like a required reading for a college course rather than my pleasure reading - not a good feature! Some parts were interesting such as the way certain areas have incorporated various new foods into their "traditional" cuisine, but overall this collection of essays felt disjointed and bland.

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I sent this along to VeganMedusa as part of the Yummy Yummy VBB. Enjoy!

Thanks Ri!

I feel the same way, Ri. I kept thinking "this should be interesting" but nope. Still, it's a fairly short book, so there's that. ;-)
I did find the honey/sugar essay interesting, and the idea of what defines a cuisine. And I'd like to read something more about the slaves' food and developing of cuisines. But not by this author!

To be released at the Invercargill Vegan Society's World Vegan Day Pot Luck dinner tonight.