The Taste of America

Inspired by a post from Bakerina a few weeks back, I ordered The Taste of America by John L. Hess and Karen Hess. It took a few weeks to arrive but is now in hand. I've only read as far as the updated introduction, written for the 2000 edition. (The rest of the text hasn't changed since the 1970s). These people sound a bit like Cook's Illustrated magazine, out to single-handedly save cuisine, but I have to admit they've got me thinking. They've got me on the lookout for corn syrup in my bread--one place I hadn't thought to look for it--they've got me raising an eyebrow when the New York Times publishes a feature on the favorite takeout haunts of local celebrities, and they've got me wondering whether Ruth Reichl can really be all that bad (truth be told, I haven't read much of her stuff). Whatever the merits of slamming Julia Child and James Beard -- I haven't gotten to that part of the book -- thirty-odd years after publication, their comments on the triumph of fashion over food seem to hold up pretty well. I'll have to keep reading.