Review: Much depends on dinner
Editorial Review - Kirkus ReviewsThough Visser's dish-by-dish dissection of a simple company dinner begins with some obligatory post-structuralist references to modern mythologies and how to ""read"" an elaborate dessert, her engagingly informative discourse is really less like a cool and stylish nouvelle creation than a light but satisfying clean-out-the refrigerator stew: a casual mixture containing large chunks of history, contrasting samples of ancient and modern harvesting and processing methods, and a sprinkling of ancient food-related myths. The discussion meanders, without noticeable breaks, like a well-greased dinner table conversation: Thus separate chapters on corn and rice take up the tragic consequences of the Green Revolution; a chapter on chicken considers divination, cock fighting, and probably more than you want to know about hens' ovulation; and the lettuce coverage ranges from the vegetable's symbolic associations to Chavez and the California farm labor disputes. Visser's pronouncements on food as fashion or symbol can be strained or self-evident, but they're saved by her easy touch; and if much of her research reporting covers tediously familiar ground (the factory farming of poultry; the citrus solution to scurvy-at-sea), her research is so thorough and her reporting so precise that even such familiar topics as the designation of cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil or the intricacies of Japanese table etiquette take on new polish. Finally, over dessert, Visser even comes up with an apt, down-to-earth reconstruction of ice cream's contradictory messages and mythology. In the increasingly popular arena of literate food-chat, a winning entry.
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Lisagray - GoodreadsLoved this book and the fascinating details and history of our food. Read full review
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Jada Roche - GoodreadsDated, but fun. The ending was abrupt and didn't do anything to tie the book together. Interesting to read something that illustrates the coming mistrust (or rather, increasing mistrust) of the food industry. Read full review
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Kim - GoodreadsDull and pedantic. And the ending is really abrupt. It took me well over a year to finish this book in fits and starts. Read full review
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Rhea Tregebov - GoodreadsBeautifully written book I've been meaning to read since it came out decades ago. While I'm sure some of the information is now dated, reading it at this stage makes me realize how incredibly influential Visser's ideas and insights have been and continue to be. Still a wonderful read. Read full review
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Megan - GoodreadsSlightly out of date but fascinating all the same. Read full review
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Karl - GoodreadsMichael Pollan (who lives down the street in Berkeley) owes a great deal to Ms. Visser's academic approach. After reading Omnivore's Dilemma and this book, I can appreciate the difference in their ... Read full review
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Chris Bauer - GoodreadsInsightful, entertaining and (believe it or not) thought-provoking historical perspective of common food items. Covers the whole table from salt to lettuce to chicken to corn. I found the author going ... Read full review
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Anne - GoodreadsVisser's unusual approach to delving into the history of common foods left me far more informed at the end but also exhausted. She makes up for a lack of grace in writing by stringing together ... Read full review
Review: Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
User Review - Stefanieq Banner - GoodreadsInformative and interesting, but a bit dry and long-winded in writing style Read full review
