Setting the Table: Historians, Popular Writers, and Food History

Extract

In arguably the most influential treatise on food, The Physiology of Taste, the French gastronome and philosopher Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, “The destiny of a nation depends upon the manner in which they feed themselves.” First published in 1826, Brillat-Savarin's observation on how nations produce and consume food has taken on a new urgency over the past twenty years as questions about food sovereignty, genetically modified organisms (gmos), and the health of the planet have been thrust to the fore by popular food writers. Among them is Michael Pollan; his The Omnivore's Dilemma quickly became a staple of the new food movement and was regularly assigned by professors who hoped to channel foodie consciousness toward a deeper understanding of U.S. history. Like Brillat-Savarin, Pollan has heightened our awareness of who we are based on what we eat. Citing the transformation of U.S. agriculture since World War II, especially the increased production and consumption of corn, Pollan notes that Americans have wrested the identity “people of corn” from Mexicans, known for their tamales, tortillas, and the many other maize-based dishes foundational to their famous cuisine. Our conversion of corn into syrup and our consumption of the meat from corn-fed livestock has resulted in a massive infusion of the crop into our national diet. Calling us “processed corn, walking,” Pollan has used the old aphorism “You are what you eat” as the foundation for a new political movement and the rebirth of food studies in America.1