Customer Reviews

From Hardtack to Home Fries: An Uncommon History of American Cooks and Meals

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Read this "delicious" book slowly and savor it. What a task the author has undertaken; I am dazzled by the amount of research Barbara Haber evidenced. What a wealth of detail. I found the material fascinating -- especially as it is a book that would not ordinarily cross my path.
Although I have never actually sat down and read a cookbook, I was familiar enough with the diet books to enjoy Haber's exploration of them. I, too, enjoy "fat narratives," but had never before considered diet books as "barometers of culture" It was also interesting to learn more about familiar names: Kellogg, and Graham, for example. And I, too, shared the hope that the magic idea of merely reading diet books would solve weight problems.
It was neat to learn more about the Harvey Girls, whom I only knew through the 1946 Judy Garland movie. The FDR story -- completely unfamiliar to me (and I would guess, most readers) -- was hilarious, and interesting throughout. What a glimpse behind the scenes with Mrs. Nesbitt, the inept White House cook.
My favorite moments in the book, however, are when the author steps out and speak personally about her own life and work, and I wish the book had more of this personal voice.
Laced with recipes culled from cookbooks, memoirs and diaries, this book a unique contribution to women's history

Barbara Haber, Curator of Books at the Schlesinger Library, has compiled a basic history of America's food. The topics covered include the Irish famine, the Civil War, food reformers such as Graham and Kellogg, the abominable food served in FDR's White House, how food has maintained familial, cultural, and racial bonds, and even cookbook collecting (and I thought I was the only one!). Each topic is a basic history, and for more in-depth study and knowledge, one will likely need to dig through some of the resources provided in the bibliography. But for someone who wants just a basic overview, this book is perfect.

This book consists of essays concerning different aspects of the history of food and cooking in the United States, and, much like a buffet, some "dishes" are more appetizing than others. Make no mistake, this is well-written from beginning to end, but the subject matter of some chapters held little interest for me personally, while I found others quite fascinating. As a rule (with exceptions), the better the food, the more interesting the essay, so I found the first two chapters rather tedious. Finally, when I got to the chapter about the health food fads that originated from Battle Creek did I find the writing riveting and quite interesting. Other favorites include the chapter about the FDR White House food, which had a notoriously bad reputation, the essay on the Harvey girls, and the chapter about African-American cooks. In summary, this book is a mixed bag where the good outweighs the bland. What more could you ask for in a buffet?

This is not an intense "History of America Through Food", but rather a fun and witty serious of anecdotes about various chapters in American culinary history. It's in no way encyclopedic, nor is it a reference book, but it does make for a nice read for those who love American history or food. I look forward to Haber's next book... a sequel of this one might be nice, I'm sure there are a dozen more similar examples of American food stories.

Barbara Haber has spent years investigating stories of changing ways of cooking meals in America: this gathers the best of these insights from the 1840s to modern times, using cookbooks and menus from all classes, regions, and eras to explore the changing world of food. From the role of food in luring adventurers to the undiscovered American west to how cooking kept POWS alive during World War II, From Hardtack To Home Fries is packed with intriguing history.

This is a very interesting history lesson about American meals over the last hundred years. While some chapters are more interesting than others, the book as a whole provides a glimpse into kitchens of the last century.

Entertaining and well researched. It is not a history of American food or cooking. Instead, the author has researched a few selected moments in the history of American cooks, with special emphasis on women's issues. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the upper class ladies who organized the field kitchens for the armies during the Civil War. Also of interest is the information about the Harvey Girls, and Kellogg and the Seventh Day Adventists.

Some of the history here was interesting.... although she drones on and on about Eleanor Roosevelt's unqualified housekeeper... and is as boring and repetitive as that lady's meals were reputed to be....
but why on earth would you modify or adapt a recipe in what is essentially a history book... when the whole point is how people used to cook....
for anyone who is really interested in the topic, it would probably make more sense to read the sources from the thoughtfully annotated bibliography.... than to read this book.
either this author is naturally boring herself, or she had to write this book to get a promotion at the library where she works... and gets to handle all the luscious originals...
maybe this is all unfair... but i was quite disappointed by this book.