Consumed: Why Americans Hate, Love, and Fear Food

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Overview

Something has happened to food in America. It is no longer simply food-- filling, good-tasting, life-sustaining. Rather, it is "fat free" or "high in fiber" or "loaded with calories"-- it is an enemy that will steal life away, or a savior that will prolong it. In this provocative and entertaining look at the uniquely American obsession with food, Michelle Stacey chronicles the psychological and cultural forces that have transformed oat bran and broccoli into magical totems, and steak, butter, and eggs into ...
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Overview

Something has happened to food in America. It is no longer simply food-- filling, good-tasting, life-sustaining. Rather, it is "fat free" or "high in fiber" or "loaded with calories"-- it is an enemy that will steal life away, or a savior that will prolong it. In this provocative and entertaining look at the uniquely American obsession with food, Michelle Stacey chronicles the psychological and cultural forces that have transformed oat bran and broccoli into magical totems, and steak, butter, and eggs into killers. Stacey takes us on a revealing journey through the landscape of American food paranoia-- from supermarkets, to restaurant kitchens, to research labs-- and ultimately suggests a new answer to our fears, one that takes into account our ancient and abiding love for eating. Perceptive and original, "Consumed" will change the way you think about food.
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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Elle columnist Stacey interviews chefs, scientists, high-fat lovers, health gurus and others to examine America's obsession with food. (Apr.)
Library Journal
A contributor to such magazines as The New Yorker and a former editor at Mademoiselle , Savvy , and Outside magazines, Stacey here attempts a look at America's neurotic love-hate relationship with food. Cataloging the long history of food hype and hysteria from the Puritans through the 19th century's health-food revival down to our current low-fat, low-cholesterol present, she examines the paradoxical view of food as both fat-laden killer and sensuous sustainer of life. In conclusion, Stacey calls for a return to ``normal'' eating, asking Americans to rediscover the social and ritual joys of food. Unfortunately, by providing a one-sided polemic, Stacey is guilty of the same sin of which she accuses health-food advocates. She dismisses mainstream concerns for food safety and ignores global environmental and other nonnutritional factors for changing one's diet. By lumping together genuine health concerns such as pesticide residues and chemical additives with zero-calorie fat and designer food, Stacey does a great disservice to the serious issues of food safety and healthier eating habits. It's a shame that a much-needed call for moderation is subsumed by facile arguments and shallow reportage. Not recommended except for some interesting historical trivia.-- Jeffery Ingram, Newport P.L., Ore.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780671501013
  • Publisher: Touchstone
  • Publication date: 4/27/1995
  • Edition description: First Touchstone Edition
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 240
  • Product dimensions: 0.53 (w) x 5.50 (h) x 8.50 (d)

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Pinch of Anxiety, A Dash of Sin: Fin de Siecle Eating in America 9
Ch. 1 Seeds of Self-Denial: The Transformation of Food in the 1890s 27
Ch. 2 Foods from the Lab: Building the Illusion of Fat 60
Ch. 3 Inside the Hype Machine: The Life and Death of Oat Bran 85
Ch. 4 Eating Your Medicine: The Battle Over Superfoods 103
Ch. 5 Designer Foods: Making Breads with a Blueprint 130
Ch. 6 Fear of Fats: The American Diet on Trial 151
Ch. 7 Food Control: An Epidemic of Disordered Eating 172
Ch. 8 Public Eating: Serving the Food Phobes 188
Conclusion: A New (And Old) Way of Eating: Rediscovering Pleasure 206
Notes 219
Index 229
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