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Cooking Narrative
"Twitty makes the case that Blackness and Judaism coexist in beautiful harmony, and this is manifested in the foods and traditions from both cultures that Black Jews incorporate into their daily lives...Twitty wishes to start a conversation where people celebrate their differences and embrace commonalities. By drawing on personal narratives, his own and others', and exploring different cultures, Twitty's book offers important insight into the journeys of Black Jews."--Library Journal
"A fascinating, cross-cultural smorgasbord grounded in the deep emotional role food plays in two influential American communities."--Booklist
The James Beard award-winning author of the acclaimed The Cooking Gene explores the cultural crossroads of Jewish and African diaspora cuisine and issues of memory, identity, and food.
In Koshersoul, Michael W. Twitty considers the marriage of two of the most distinctive culinary cultures in the world today: the foods and traditions of the African Atlantic and the global Jewish diaspora. To Twitty, the creation of African-Jewish cooking is a conversation of migrations and a dialogue of diasporas offering a rich background for inventive recipes and the people who create them.
The question that most intrigues him is not just who makes the food, but how the food makes the people. Jews of Color are not outliers, Twitty contends, but significant and meaningful cultural creators in both Black and Jewish civilizations. Koshersoul also explores how food has shaped the journeys of numerous cooks, including Twitty's own passage to and within Judaism.
As intimate, thought-provoking, and profound as The Cooking Gene, this remarkable book teases the senses as it offers sustenance for the soul.
Koshersoul includes 48-50 recipes.
From the reinvention of French food through the fine dining revolution in America, Daniel Boulud has been a witness to and a creator of today's food culture. A modern improviser with a classical foundation (a little rock 'n' roll and a lot of Mozart, he'd say), he speaks with the authority that comes from a lifetime of preparing, presenting, and thinking about food-an ancient calling with universal resonance. In Letters to a Young Chef, Boulud speaks not only of how to make a career as a chef in today's world, but also of why one should want to do so in the first place. As he himself puts it, it is "a tasty life." The love of food and the obsession with flavors, ingredients, and techniques are the chef's source of strength, helping the young chef to survive and flourish during the long years of apprenticeship and their necessary sacrifices. Part memoir, part advice book, part cookbook, part reverie, this delicious new book will delight and enlighten chefs of all kinds, from passionate amateurs to serious professionals.
Whether you call them franks, wieners, or red hots, hot dogs are as American as apple pie, but how did these little links become icons of American culture? Man Bites Dog explores the transformation of hot dogs from unassuming street fare to paradigms of regional expression, social mobility, and democracy. World-renowned hot dog scholar Bruce Kraig investigates the history, people, décor, and venues that make up hot dog culture and what it says about our country. These humble sausages cross ethnic and regional boundaries and have provided the means for plucky entrepreneurs to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Hot dogs, and the ways we enjoy them, are part of the American dream. Man Bites Dog celebrates the power of the hot dog through a historical survey and profiles of notable hot dog purveyors. Loaded with stunning color photos by Patty Carroll, descriptions of neighborhood venues and flashy pushcarts from New York to Los Angeles, and recipes for cooking up hot dog heaven at home, this book is the ultimate source--informative, fun, and tasty--on the role of hot dogs in American culture. It's a must-have for the dog fan, the foodie, the pop culture maven, and the street-cart obsessed.
AS FEATURED IN NYLON - W MAGAZINE - GLAMOUR - BOOK RIOT - HEYALMA - BUSTLE - ELECTRIC LITERATURE - ROMPER - AND MORE!
"Tender, funny, angry, and sharp as hell. This is an essential book for anyone with a body, anyone with a heart." --Helen Rosner, James Beard Award-winning food journalist and New Yorker staff writer
An unflinching and deeply reported look at the realities of binge-eating disorder from a rising culture commentator and writer for Vogue.
Millions of us use restrictive diets, intermittent fasting, IV therapies, and Ozempic abuse to shrink until we are sample-size acceptable. But for the 30 million Americans who live with eating disorders, it isn't just about less. More, Please is a chronicle of a lifelong fixation with food--its power to soothe, to comfort, to offer a fleeting escape from the outside world--as well as an examination of the ways in which compulsory thinness, diet culture, and the seductive promise of "wellness" have resulted in warping countless Americans' relationship with healthy eating.
Melding memoir, reportage, and in-depth interviews with some of the most prominent and knowledgeable commentators currently writing about food, fatness, and disordered eating--Virginia Sole-Smith, Virgie Tovar, Aiyana Ishmael, Leslie Jamison, and others--Emma Specter explores binge-eating disorder as both a personal problem and a societal one. In More, Please, she provides a context, a history, and a language for what it means to always want more than you'll allow yourself to have.
For fans of The Measure of My Powers and Notes from a Young Black Chef, a memoir about food, family, and the recipes that brought one woman home when she needed it the most.
Suzanne Barr's journey to become a chef started when she was 30. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer and she moved home to Florida to take care of her. Suzanne escorted her mother to doctor's appointments, bathed her, and kept her company, but the hardest part of the experience was that she didn't know how to cook for her. She didn't even know where to begin. Fast-forward to the summer of 2017 when Suzanne became the inaugural Chef-in-Residence at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. She wanted to create a menu that represented who she was as a chef and it emerged as a love letter to her mother. Her Rite of Passage Menu, as she called it, changed her. It started her on a journey that has brought her closer to her mother, to her ancestors, and to her Jamaican heritage. But a lot has happened before and since. My Ackee Tree tells the story of a woman who is always on the move, always seeking; who battles the stereotypes of being a Black female cook to become a culinary star in an industry beset by dated practices and landlords with too much power. From the ackee tree in front of her childhood home, through New York City, Atlanta, Hawaii, the Hamptons, and France, Suzanne takes us on her unpredictable journey, and at every turn, she finds light and comfort in the kitchen. Told in a voice as fresh and honest as her cooking, My Ackee Tree is a celebration of creativity, soul searching, and motherhood that asks, "How can I keep the things I love?"
Suzanne Barr's journey to become a chef started when she was 30. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer and she moved home to Florida to take care of her. Suzanne escorted her mother to doctor's appointments, bathed her, and kept her company, but the hardest part of the experience was that she didn't know how to cook for her. She didn't even know where to begin. Fast-forward to the summer of 2017 when Suzanne became the inaugural Chef-in-Residence at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. She wanted to create a menu that represented who she was as a chef and it emerged as a love letter to her mother. Her Rite of Passage Menu, as she called it, changed her. It started her on a journey that has brought her closer to her mother, to her ancestors, and to her Jamaican heritage. But a lot has happened before and since. My Ackee Tree tells the story of a woman who is always on the move, always seeking; who battles the stereotypes of being a Black female cook to become a culinary star in an industry beset by dated practices and landlords with too much power. From the ackee tree in front of her childhood home, through New York City, Atlanta, Hawaii, the Hamptons, and France, Suzanne takes us on her unpredictable journey, and at every turn, she finds light and comfort in the kitchen. Told in a voice as fresh and honest as her cooking, My Ackee Tree is a celebration of creativity, soul searching, and motherhood that asks, "How can I keep the things I love?"
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Julia's story of her transformative years in France in her own words is "captivating ... her marvelously distinctive voice is present on every page." (San Francisco Chronicle).
Although she would later singlehandedly create a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, Julia Child was not always a master chef. Indeed, when she first arrived in France in 1948 with her husband, Paul, who was to work for the USIS, she spoke no French and knew nothing about the country itself. But as she dove into French culture, buying food at local markets and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu, her life changed forever with her newfound passion for cooking and teaching. Julia's unforgettable story--struggles with the head of the Cordon Bleu, rejections from publishers to whom she sent her now-famous cookbook, a wonderful, nearly fifty-year long marriage that took the Childs across the globe--unfolds with the spirit so key to Julia's success as a chef and a writer, brilliantly capturing one of America's most endearing personalities.
Although she would later singlehandedly create a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, Julia Child was not always a master chef. Indeed, when she first arrived in France in 1948 with her husband, Paul, who was to work for the USIS, she spoke no French and knew nothing about the country itself. But as she dove into French culture, buying food at local markets and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu, her life changed forever with her newfound passion for cooking and teaching. Julia's unforgettable story--struggles with the head of the Cordon Bleu, rejections from publishers to whom she sent her now-famous cookbook, a wonderful, nearly fifty-year long marriage that took the Childs across the globe--unfolds with the spirit so key to Julia's success as a chef and a writer, brilliantly capturing one of America's most endearing personalities.
"In this outstanding memoir, chef and restaurateur Matsuhisa...shares lessons in humility, gratitude, and empathy that will stick with readers long after they've finished the final chapter." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) A fascinating and unique memoir by the acclaimed celebrity chef and international restaurateur, Nobu, as he divulges both his dramatic life story and reflects on the philosophy and passion that has made him one of the world's most widely respected Japanese fusion culinary artists. Nobu needs no introduction. One of the world's most widely acclaimed restaurateurs, his influence on food and hospitality can be found at the highest levels of haute-cuisine to the food trucks you frequent during the work week--this is the Nobu that the public knows. But now, we are finally introduced to the private Nobu: the man who failed three times before starting the restaurant that would grow into an empire; the man who credits the love and support of his wife and children as the only thing keeping him from committing suicide when his first restaurant burned down; and the man who values the busboy who makes sure each glass is crystal clear as highly as the chef who slices the fish for Omakase perfectly. What makes Nobu special, and what made him famous, is the spirit of what exists on these pages. He has the traditional Japanese perspective that there is great pride to be found in every element of doing a job well--no matter how humble that job is. Furthermore, he shows us repeatedly that success is as much about perseverance in the face of adversity as it is about innate talent. Not just for serious foodies, this inspiring memoir is perfect for fans of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Danny Meyer's Setting the Table. Nobu's writing does what he does best--it marries the philosophies of East and West to create something entirely new and remarkable.
Baja California is extreme. It is a strip of desert and cacti more than a thousand miles long, with the Pacific on one side and the Sea of Cortez on the other. Swept by strong winds, battered by giant waves, seared by the blistering summers, and surrounded by a sea rich in fish, it is nothing if not unique. This gastronomic and photographic adventure enables us to explore Baja California and its cuisine, a synthesis of traditional Mexican cooking and powerful influences coming from the American Southwest. For those who love pungent dishes, with chili packing a powerful punch, there is no place in the world better than Mexico. Burritos, huevos rancheros, guacamole, and tacos are dishes that everyone craves; and revisited in a Southern Californian key they become the cornerstones of a frontier region often neglected and, for this very reason, all the more authentic.
"Kwame Onwuachi's story shines a light on food and culture not just in American restaurants or African American communities but around the world." --Questlove By the time he was twenty-seven years old, Kwame Onwuachi had opened--and closed--one of the most talked about restaurants in America. He had sold drugs in New York and been shipped off to rural Nigeria to "learn respect." He had launched his own catering company with twenty thousand dollars made from selling candy on the subway and starred on Top Chef. Through it all, Onwuachi's love of food and cooking remained a constant, even when, as a young chef, he was forced to grapple with just how unwelcoming the food world can be for people of color. In this inspirational memoir about the intersection of race, fame, and food, he shares the remarkable story of his culinary coming-of-age; a powerful, heartfelt, and shockingly honest account of chasing your dreams--even when they don't turn out as you expected.
With the 1933 repeal of Prohibition, America was thrust into a cocktail fever. After 13 years of bootleg gin and unscrupulous speakeasies cheating their customers, people were ready for better booze and creative cocktails they could make at home with friends. But the new generation of drinkers came of age during Prohibition, and they didn't know what to make, much less how make it.
The solution was a flood of cocktail books hitting the market in the mid-1930s. The most famous-and longest lasting-is Old Mr. Boston's DeLuxe Official Bartender's Guide. This recipe book, first published in 1935, was intended to be both a useful resource and a marketing tool for the Old Mr. Boston distillery in Boston, Massachusetts. The distillery was opened the same year that Prohibition ended, in 1933. Producing budget gin, bourbon, rum, brandy, cordials, and liqueurs, the distillery used the guide to promote their brand. Gin cocktails called specifically for Old Mr. Boston Dry Gin. Any old apricot nectar wouldn't do-it had to be Old Mr. Boston's.
The book was compiled by Leo Cotton with contributions by David Lubin, John A. Fitzpatrick, Thomas J. Kane and Chris Lane-four Boston-area "bartenders of the old school." Printed in a slim volume, it was the perfect size to tuck into the bookshelf at home, or slide under the cash register at a bar. The book proved so popular with both amateur and professional mixologists that it would eventually be edited and re-released in 68 editions between 1935 and 1985, printing 11 million copies.
Why did this guide prevail over all the others at the time? It was thorough, well-researched, and each recipe was tested by Leo Cotton's squad of experienced bartenders. Plus, there was the character of Old Mr. Boston himself, present on each red cover. His cheerful face and dandy top hat told Americans good times were ahead. Prohibition had ended, the Great Depression was a thing of the past, and everything was going to be okay.
Over the years, recipes have been added or removed based on the popular drinks of the day. In this original edition, for example, you won't find any vodka cocktails. Vodka was relatively unknown in the United States until the 1950s, so it would several years before Leo Cotton would add it to the hallowed pages of Old Mr. Boston.
Recipes are listed alphabetically, and indexed by base liquor, from absinthe to whiskey, or by style, from cobbler to toddy. Although many of the ingredients will be familiar to the modern mixologist, there are some that only the best educated classic cocktail connoisseur will recognize.
Russian Kümmel, for example, is a sweet liqueur flavored with caraway seed, fennel, and cumin. And Amer Picon is a bittersweet orange-flavored French aperitif. These liqueurs are available today, so home cocktail-makers can still experiment with these classic recipes. And there are plenty of recipes with familiar ingredients as well, like grenadine, vermouth, Creme de Menthe and Curacao.
The book closes with this note: "Champagne is the only wine that may be served with any course and at all times during the meal." Hear, hear.
"Outstanding . . . a wide-ranging invitation to think through the moral ramifications of our eating habits." --The New Yorker One of the New York Times Book Review's Ten Best Books of the Year and Winner of the James Beard Award Author of This is Your Mind on Plants, How to Change Your Mind and the #1 New York Times Bestseller In Defense of Food and Food Rules What should we have for dinner? Ten years ago, Michael Pollan confronted us with this seemingly simple question and, with The Omnivore's Dilemma, his brilliant and eye-opening exploration of our food choices, demonstrated that how we answer it today may determine not only our health but our survival as a species. In the years since, Pollan's revolutionary examination has changed the way Americans think about food. Bringing wide attention to the little-known but vitally important dimensions of food and agriculture in America, Pollan launched a national conversation about what we eat and the profound consequences that even the simplest everyday food choices have on both ourselves and the natural world. Ten years later, The Omnivore's Dilemma continues to transform the way Americans think about the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating.
Full of lighthearted humor, sumptuous food, the wisdom of an Italian mother-in-law, and all the atmosphere of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels, this warm and witty memoir follows American-born Katherine Wilson on her adventures abroad. Thanks to a surprising romance--and a spirited woman who teaches her to laugh, to seize joy, and to love--a three-month rite of passage in Naples turns into a permanent embrace of this boisterous city on the Mediterranean. When I saw the sea at Gaeta, I knew that Naples was near and I was coming home. "There is a chaotic, vibrant energy about Naples that forces you to let go and give in," writes Katherine, who arrives in the city to intern at the United States Consulate. One evening, she meets handsome, studious Salvatore and finds herself immediately enveloped by his elegant mother, Raffaella, and the rest of the Avallone family. From that moment, Katherine's education begins: Never eat the crust of a pizza first, always stand up and fight for yourself and your loved ones, and consider mealtimes sacred--food must be prepared fresh and consumed in compagnia. Immersed in Neapolitan culture, traditions, and cuisine, slowly and unexpectedly falling for Salvatore, and longing for Raffaella's company and guidance, Katherine discovers how to prepare meals that sing, from hearty, thick ragu to comforting rigatoni alla Genovese to pasta al forno, a casserole chock-full of bacon, bechamel, and no fewer than four kinds of cheeses. The secret to succulent, tender octopus? Beat it with a hammer. While Katherine is used to large American kitchens with islands and barstools, she understands the beauty of small, tight Italian ones, where it's easy to offer a taste from a wooden spoon. Through courtship, culture clashes, Sunday services, marriage, and motherhood (in Naples, a pregnancy craving must always be satisfied!), Katherine comes to appreciate carnale, the quintessentially Neapolitan sense of comfort and confidence in one's own skin. Raffaella and her famiglia are also experts at sdrammatizzare, knowing how to suck the tragedy from something and spit it out with a great big smile. Part travel tale, part love letter, Only in Naples is a sumptuous story that is a feast for the senses. Goethe said, "See Naples and die." But Katherine Wilson saw Naples and started to live. Praise for Only in Naples "In a world filled with food memoirs, this one stands out. Katherine Wilson gives us more than the fabulous food of Naples. She offers us a passport to an exotic country we would never be able to enter on our own."--Ruth Reichl, author of My Kitchen Year "Warmhearted . . . an exuberant account of love and great Italian food."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Sweet and humorous."--Publishers Weekly "Wilson has written a glorious memoir celebrating the holy trinity of Italian life: love, food, and family. Her keen eye and sense of humor take you through the winding streets of Naples at a clip, on a ride you hope will never end."--Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker's Wife
"How lucky we are to get these hilarious and wise perceptions filtered through a sincerely loving eye."--Julie Klam, author of Friendkeeping "This thoroughly enjoyable love letter to Naples is a tribute to the author's irrepressible mother-in-law."--Luisa Weiss, author of My Berlin Kitchen and founder of The Wednesday Chef
"How lucky we are to get these hilarious and wise perceptions filtered through a sincerely loving eye."--Julie Klam, author of Friendkeeping "This thoroughly enjoyable love letter to Naples is a tribute to the author's irrepressible mother-in-law."--Luisa Weiss, author of My Berlin Kitchen and founder of The Wednesday Chef
Perfect for home cooks, Julia fans, and anyone who simply loves to eat and drink--a delightful collection of the beloved chef and bestselling author's words of wisdom on love, life, and, of course, food. "If you're afraid of butter, use cream." So decrees Julia Child, the legendary culinary authority and cookbook author who taught America how to cook--and how to eat. This delightful volume of quotations compiles some of Julia's most memorable lines on eating--"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook"--on drinking, on life--"I think every woman should have a blowtorch"--on love, travel, France, and much more.
The bestselling author of Lunch in Paris takes us on another delicious journey, this time to the heart of Provence. Ten years ago, New Yorker Elizabeth Bard followed a handsome Frenchman up a spiral staircase to a love nest in the heart of Paris. Now, with a baby on the way and the world's flakiest croissant around the corner, Elizabeth is sure she's found her "forever place." But life has other plans. On a last romantic jaunt before the baby arrives, the couple take a trip to the tiny Provencal village of Céreste. A chance encounter leads them to the wartime home of a famous poet, a tale of a buried manuscript and a garden full of heirloom roses. Under the spell of the house and its unique history, in less time than it takes to flip a crepe, Elizabeth and Gwendal decide to move-lock, stock and Le Creuset-to the French countryside. When the couple and their newborn son arrive in Provence, they discover a land of blue skies, lavender fields and peaches that taste like sunshine. Seduced by the local ingredients, they begin a new adventure as culinary entrepreneurs, starting their own artisanal ice cream shop and experimenting with flavors like saffron, sheep's milk yogurt and fruity olive oil. Filled with enticing recipes for stuffed zucchini flowers, fig tart and honey and thyme ice cream, Picnic in Provence is the story of everything that happens after the happily ever after: an American learning the tricks of French motherhood, a family finding a new professional passion, and a cook's initiation into classic Provencal cuisine. With wit, humor and scoop of wild strawberry sorbet, Bard reminds us that life-in and out of the kitchen-is a rendez-vous with the unexpected.
Provence, 1970 is about a singular historic moment. In the winter of that year, more or less coincidentally, the iconic culinary figures James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Richard Olney, Simone Beck, and Judith Jones found themselves together in the South of France. They cooked and ate, talked and argued, about the future of food in America, the meaning of taste, and the limits of snobbery. Without quite realizing it, they were shaping today's tastes and culture, the way we eat now. The conversations among this group were chronicled by M.F.K. Fisher in journals and letters--some of which were later discovered by Luke Barr, her great-nephew. In Provence, 1970, he captures this seminal season, set against a stunning backdrop in cinematic scope--complete with gossip, drama, and contemporary relevance.
Fresh off winning 1st place in the Italian category and 2nd place in the rice category at the 2019 Gourmand International Cookbook Awards, this book is a definitive guide to the Italian rice-cookery repertoire.
From acclaimed Chicago chef and restaurateur John Coletta comes a recipe collection focusing on a relatively unexplored area of Italian cuisine--rice cookery. Rice is a staple of northern Italy, where all Italian rice is produced. A rich and varied rice-based cookery has developed in this region. These 100 authentic dishes bring the full range of Italian rice cooking into the home kitchen, from familiar dishes--arancini, crochettes, risotti, and rice puddings--to more unusual offerings such as rice salads, soups, fritters, bracioli, and gelatos. Coletta shares his expertise about Italian rice types and cooking methods, and provides foolproof instructions for making perfect rice every time. He also includes background about the rice varieties and where they can be purchased. Among the recipes are Rice Crostini with Ricotta and Oregano; Rice Soup with Shrimp and Leeks; Rice Salad with Bresaola and Parmigiano Reggiano; Risotta alla Carbonara; Artichokes Stuffed with Lemon and Thyme Risotto; Braised Turkey Rolls with Chestnut Risotto, Pancetta, and Sage; and Rice Crepes with Nutella. This volume will appeal to lovers of Italian food who are looking for a cookbook that includes many of their favorite Italian ingredients all with rice as the new star.
From acclaimed Chicago chef and restaurateur John Coletta comes a recipe collection focusing on a relatively unexplored area of Italian cuisine--rice cookery. Rice is a staple of northern Italy, where all Italian rice is produced. A rich and varied rice-based cookery has developed in this region. These 100 authentic dishes bring the full range of Italian rice cooking into the home kitchen, from familiar dishes--arancini, crochettes, risotti, and rice puddings--to more unusual offerings such as rice salads, soups, fritters, bracioli, and gelatos. Coletta shares his expertise about Italian rice types and cooking methods, and provides foolproof instructions for making perfect rice every time. He also includes background about the rice varieties and where they can be purchased. Among the recipes are Rice Crostini with Ricotta and Oregano; Rice Soup with Shrimp and Leeks; Rice Salad with Bresaola and Parmigiano Reggiano; Risotta alla Carbonara; Artichokes Stuffed with Lemon and Thyme Risotto; Braised Turkey Rolls with Chestnut Risotto, Pancetta, and Sage; and Rice Crepes with Nutella. This volume will appeal to lovers of Italian food who are looking for a cookbook that includes many of their favorite Italian ingredients all with rice as the new star.
An illustrated glovebox essential, Road Sides explores the fundamentals of a well-fed road trip through the American South, from A to Z. There are detours and destinations, accompanied by detailed histories and more than one hundred original illustrations that document how we get where we're going and what to eat and do along the way.
Learn the backstory of food-shaped buildings, including the folks behind Hills of Snow, a giant snow cone stand in Smithfield, North Carolina, that resembles the icy treats it sells. Find out how kudzu was used to support a burgeoning highway system, and get to know Edith Edwards--the self-proclaimed Kudzu Queen--who turns the obnoxious vine into delicious teas and jellies. Discover the roots of kitschy roadside attractions, and have lunch with the state-employed mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida.
Road Sides is for everyone--the driver in search of supper or superlatives (the biggest, best, and even worst), the person who cannot resist a local plaque or snack and pulls over for every historical marker and road stand, and the kid who just wants to gawk at a peach-shaped water tower.
"A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola . . . is actually a serious and measured chronology of the storied history of these human beverages, accessible to readers of all ages . . . A sober, serious, yet eminently readable examination of thorny social issues surrounding everyday beverages, A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola is highly recommended." --Midwest Book Review (Library Bookwatch)
"If you hate the War on Drugs, Ricardo Cortés should be one of your favorite illustrators." --Vice
A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola is an illustrated book disclosing new research in the coca leaf trade conducted by The Coca-Cola Company. 2011 marked the 125th anniversary of its iconic beverage, and the fiftieth anniversary of the international drug control treaty that allows Coca-Cola exclusive access to the coca plant. Most people are familiar with tales of cocaine being an early ingredient of "Coke" tonic; it's an era the company makes every effort to bury. Yet coca leaf, the source of cocaine which has been banned in the U.S. since 1914, has been part of Coca-Cola's secret formula for over one hundred years.
This is a history that spans from cocaine factories in Peru, to secret experiments at the University of Hawaii, to the personal files of U.S. Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry Anslinger (infamous for his "Reefer Madness" campaign against marijuana, lesser known as a long-time collaborator of The Coca-Cola Company).
A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola tells how one of the biggest companies in the world bypasses an international ban on coca. The book also explores histories of three of the most consumed substances on earth, revealing connections between seemingly disparate icons of modern culture: caffeine, cocaine, and Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola is the most popular soft drink on earth, and soft drinks are the number one food consumed in the American diet. Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance. Cocaine . . . well, people seem to like reading about cocaine. An illustrated chronicle that will appeal to fans of food and drink histories (e.g., Mark Kurlansky's Salt and Cod; Mark Pendergrast's For God, Country & Coca-Cola), graphic novel enthusiasts, and people interested in drug prohibition and international narcopolitics, the book follows in the footsteps of successful pop-history books such as Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation--but has a unique style that blends such histories with narrative illustration and influences from Norman Rockwell to Art Spiegelman.