Sunday, August 19, 2018

Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman

genre: non-fiction, food

In a country as new as ours (in the grand scheme of countries) and with the mesh of cultures we enjoy, our food customs are as colorful and varied as our citizens.  What this book does, however, is lay out eight different FLAVORS that have made themselves an integral part of American kitchens and cuisine.  These flavors are as varied as we are and while I was a bit dubious of her choices at first, our author convinced me.  By laying out the history and how each flavor became integrated into the fabric our our food, I not only found a new appreciation for the way (and what) I eat and enjoy, but I learned a lot about the past of different flavors also.

Black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha: do I think these are ALL the integral flavors that Americans typically appreciate or use in their food? No. But she does make the case for their relevance, even if my own food experience hasn't been quite as varied. I think that's a tiny bit about what rubbed me a tiny bit wrong about the book - she is SUCH a foodie that I sometimes felt a little out of touch with what she was saying.  I've never lived an incredibly thrilling food life full of SO many food-obsessed friends. I'm at home with five kids and I was raised by a third generation Czech-Irish mom who made good but essentially bland meals. But, even still, several of the dishes she referred to are things I have enjoyed either as a child, growing up, or that I've found as an adult, so I did still find meaning and appreciated what I learned, especially the history. I also appreciated learning about the different ways foods are made/processed and in the end, this book made me want to stretch out of my food-comfort-zones a bit and try to add more curry and Sriracha to my life :)  That's gotta be a good thing.

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