Monday, November 30, 2009

The Kitchen Reader

I've joined a new group! This one is called The Kitchen Reader. It's aptly named, because we read together and post reviews about "foodie" books. The book this month is called The Warmest Room in the House: How the Kitchen Became the Heart of the Twentieth-Century American Home by Steve Gdula.

It's an interesting read. It talks about how kitchens have grown and evolved according to what was going on in the world. Some things that really struck me was the concept of a "scientific" kitchen. In making things "cleaner" and "sanitized", lots of food traditions were being eroded away. Instead of using familiar ethnic seasonings, people in the early 2oth century were encouraged to use more mass produced foods. It's also interesting to see how certain advances, the microwave for example, came about. I enjoyed this book. In some places it was a little slow, but overall, the information was compelling. I liked following along over the course of the years to see where we've been and where we are going.

Next month instead of a book, we'll be sharing a favorite holiday cookie recipe. See you then!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the group! I didn't get to this book, unfortunately, but I'll have a cookie recipe next month and then I'll be back on track with reading in January.

Megan said...

Sounds like an interesting read. I didn't join the group because I barely have time to read my food magazines - much less an entire book. Can't wait for the cookie recipe!

TeaLady said...

I am still reading this one. So far, I like it.

looks like so far you are the ONLY one who has reviewed it online. You Rock.

Cakelaw said...

Yes, I enjoyed this one - took me a while to get into it, but was worth the effort.

Unknown said...

WElcome to our group and my apologies for the late comment!

I didn't get to finish this, but what I've read so far is very interesting and documents quite a change in the kitchens we use today. I'm happy that it interested you.:)