A Short History of the American Stomach

American eating patterns run to extremes and ordinarily are blamed on modern living, but Frederick Kaufman provides a history of American dining to prove we've been this way from Mayflower to modern times. From secret Puritan purges to diet gurus of the 19th century, food fads and fanaticism - A Short History of the American Stomach offers a lively, close look at dietary habits, patterns, and fallacies alike, using a lively tone to make it accessible not just to high school and college libraries, but especially for general-interest collections interested in culinary history and health.

Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton It is good to have ideas. Even better to have dreams. But the best thing is to have a God-given vision for your life, a reason to get up in the mornings, and keep going, a life-changing calling to be used for God's glory. _VisionalLife_ examines why some people have no vision and explains why it is important to have one. Not only that, but he teaches us practical ways to catch God's vision for your life or ministry. I enjoyed reading _VisionalLife._ The stories held my interest, and the scripture and teaching seemed well-founded. My husband, as a pastor, has often asked churches what their vision is because it is important that the future pastor's vision matches the vision of the church. The chapters are short and easy to read, yet are packed full with plenty to think about. This is one book that will not leave you high and dry, but each page encourages you to dig deeper, and to approach God for His vision for your life. This is a great book that will take you beyond dreaming, to actually having a concrete vision for the direction you should take. Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.

This is one of those rare books that's nimble enough to move fast and be read in a couple of sittings, but smart enough to actually give some much-needed perspective on its subject, which is a big one: what we eat--and what we don't eat--and why. If FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT explained a great deal about French culture, viewed through the gustatory behavior of its female citizens, A SHORT HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN STOMACH explains us. Whether you are an epicure dreaming of the first morels of spring, or pretty happy with the new three-course $9.99 menu at Applebee's, Kaufman's book will delight you.

- and what a relief! This is one of those books you never knew you wanted until you had it in your hands. Kaufman's sense of history is direct, keen, and alive, informed by a sly, philosophical wit, and presented with a true sensualist's love of his subject. The result is snappy, readable, and laced with a profound, yet hilarious, understanding of Brillat-Savarin's often-misquoted, "Dites-moi ce que vous mangez et je vous dirai qui vous êtes" -- accurately translated by the immortal M.F.K. Fisher (who would have held this volume close to her heart) as, "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are." Kaufman shows us, with clarity and charm, how that aphorism works in both directions, always has, and always will.

In a concise, rollicking and eloquent study, Kaufman manages to bring to bear an immense body of historical research and sharp journalistic chops on the huge, convoluted subject of America's food fixations. By showing us how every diet craze and alimentary fad of the moment in fact represents an eternal recurrence of the same in American gustatory history, he allows us to make out the patterns in our approach to eating. By getting beyond the "food fight" element in all the raging debates about what is and isn't right to eat, he provokes us to think harder about the larger political/theological/aesthetic implications of American appetite as that consumes public attention at home--and chews its way through the world at large. This is one book that makes you think less about what you eat than about how you eat it...