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History in 'American Stomach' leaves one hungry
An examination of our eating habits doesn't go far enough.
By Jen A. Miller, Special to the Times
Published March 9, 2008
A Short History of the American Stomach
By Frederick Kaufman
Harcourt, 205 pages, $23
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Americans have a love-hate relationship with food. At the same time that the National Eating Disorders Association estimates 11-million Americans suffer from anorexia or bulimia, more than 130-million American adults are overweight. Weight loss books sit alongside "big is beautiful" affirmations, and no one blinks an eye if you order a Diet Coke with a Big Mac. Frederick Kaufman takes a stab at showing us why these dual cultures co-exist in A Short History of the American Stomach. He starts at the first Thanksgiving, where, beginning with the Puritans, eating a lot of food was tied with celebration and fasting was seen as not just sacrifice, but the answer to everything. Need to figure out how to fix whatever's weighing you down? If you're a Puritan, fast away. From that starting point, you would expect a runup to today's culture of the Food Network and diet books on every corner, but Kaufman meanders his way to the present without hitting a lot of major milestones. He goes on ad nauseam about Puritan vomiting habits but spends a scant few pages on kosher foods, and even fewer on why people choose to be vegetarian. He writes about oyster genetics and Emeril, but little about why so many Americans eat themselves to death and others starve themselves. Even passages rife with opportunities to illuminate, such as watching the Food Network with a porn industry expert, are too brief. He focuses more on Daniel Boone than on Dale Boone, the ninth descendant down from the legend, who happens to be an eating contest pro. In trying to draw a clear path from Plymouth Rock to Rachael Ray, Kaufman muddles the picture. For a clearer guide, try David Kamp's The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation. It might not bring you inside an oyster genetics lab, but it will shed light on why you have what in your pantry. Jen A. Miller, a frequent contributor, blogs about books at bookaweekwithjen.blogspot.com.
[Last modified March 5, 2008, 19:02:49]
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