Change of Plans

It must be pretty obvious by now that I shot my wad on the Culinary Arts Institute dinner party. When I started this blog, my intentions where quite narrow: Make some food and blog about it. But the project itself was larger--I was researching for a book. Of course I'll still post the awesome treats from the cookbooklets, but I will also share some of the other interesting things that I've run across in my studies.

I just finished reading Many Meals and Mom's Home Cooking: Cookbooks and Gender in Modern America (2003) by Jessamyn Neuhaus. This book addresses gender roles and how they are reflected/reinforced by cookbooks, but really it is an examination of the role of media in the formation of gender identity, specifically national gender identity. Manly Meals is one of the best books I've read this year. Every single chapter was interesting. I was particularly fascinated by the chapter that dealt with the early part of the century and the introduction of recipes by food processors, companies we would know today--General Mills, Knox, Swans Down. What I found interesting is that I have products by these companies on pantry shelves right now. I would reccomend this book to anyone with an interest in food and culture.

Currenltly, I'm working on a series of essays about food and nostalgia. Wish me luck!!!