A Short History of the American Stomach - by Frederick Kaufman (Paperback)

About the Book

Frederick Kaufman offers a piquant sampling of American history by way of the stomach.Travel with him as he tracks down our earliest foodies; discovers the secret history of Puritan purges; introduces diet gurus of the nineteenth century such asWilliam Alcott, who believed that "nothing ought to be mashed before it is eaten"; traces extreme feeders from Paul Bunyan to eating-contest champ Dale Boone (descended from Daniel, of course); and investigates our blithe efforts to re-create the plants and animals that we've eaten to the point of extinction.With outraged wit and an incredible range of sources that includes everything from Cotton Mather's diary to interviews with Amish black-market raw-milk dealers, Kaufman takes readers on a Bourdainmeets- Pollan tour of the American gut.

Book Synopsis

Frederick Kaufman offers a piquant sampling of American history by way of the stomach.Travel with him as he tracks down our earliest foodies; discovers the secret history of Puritan purges; introduces diet gurus of the nineteenth century such asWilliam Alcott, who believed that "nothing ought to be mashed before it is eaten"; traces extreme feeders from Paul Bunyan to eating-contest champ Dale Boone (descended from Daniel, of course); and investigates our blithe efforts to re-create the plants and animals that we've eaten to the point of extinction.With outraged wit and an incredible range of sources that includes everything from Cotton Mather's diary to interviews with Amish black-market raw-milk dealers, Kaufman takes readers on a Bourdainmeets- Pollan tour of the American gut.

From the Back Cover

"This rollicking survey of our national food manias from Cotton Mather ('Look after thy stomach') to Rachael Ray is amiably peripatetic."--New York ObserverFrederick Kaufman offers apiquant sampling of American history by way of the stomach. Travel with him as he discovers the secret history of Puritan purges; introduces diet gurus of the nineteenth century; traces extreme feeders from Paul Bunyan to eating-contest champ Dale Boone (descended from Daniel, of course); and investigates our blithe efforts to re-create the plants and animals that we've eaten to the point of extinction. With outraged wit and an incredible range of sources that includes everything from Cotton Mather s diary to interviews with Amish black-market raw-milk dealers, Kaufman provides a revelatory look at how we eat now. "Witty and polemical... [Kaufman]makes some valuable points about how the stomach influences the ways Americans view themselves."--Los Angeles Times"This brief, chatty tour offers a fascinating interior view of the nation's gut-centricity."--Christian Science Monitor"For the foodie on your gift list."--zagat.comFREDERICK KAUFMANis a professor of English at the City University of New York and CUNY's Graduate School of Journalism. He has written about American food culture and other subjects for Harper's Magazine, the New Yorker, Gourmet, Gastronomica, Saveur, and the New York Times Magazine, among others. He lives in New York."

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR A SHORT HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN STOMACH"This rollicking survey of our national food manias from Cotton Mather ('Look after thy stomach') to Rachael Ray is amiably peripatetic."--New York Observer "Witty and polemical . . . [Kaufman] makes some valuablepoints about how the stomach influences the waysAmericans view themselves."--Los Angeles Times