Consuming Passions: The Anthropology of Eating

by Peter Farb, George Armelagos

Explores the anthropological connections between various eating habits and human behavior, with such intriguing examples and Bantu society's dependence on beer and the Chinese culture's avoidance of milkshakes

Genres: Anthropology, Food, Nonfiction, History, Nature

279 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 1980

About the author

Peter Farb (1929 - 1980) was an American author, anthropologist, linguist, environmentalist, biologist, and spokesman for conservation.

In 1950, he graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University. He attended Columbia University graduate school from 1950 to 1951.

Peter Farb was a freelance writer in the areas of the natural and human sciences for many years, authoring many acclaimed books, including several books for young readers, and columns in national magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens, and Reader’s Digest. President John F. Kennedy's Secretary of the Interior, Stuart L. Udall described him as a "... young man with a consuming interest in the land and living things ... one of the finest conservation spokesmen of our period."

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing exploration of shallow assumptions and things-we-take-for-granted

[Hank Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful discovery. Published in 1980 it is still current and Peter Farb and George Armelagos discuss in depth, but in a readable format the history of the culture of food preparation,dietary rules, the role of the feast as a social expression, hunger and so much more. It is only 218 pages plus comprehensive documentation and lists of resources.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do You Know Why --
* Chicken soup is really good for colds?
* Prunes were served in Elizabethan brothels?
* We feed a cold and starve a fever?
* The Aztecs were the most ferocious cannibals in history?
* Men traditionally carve roasts at the dinner table today?

These and hundred of other questions about the culinary habit of people around the world both past and present are answered for the first time.

Why would Bantu society fall part without beer? Why do North Americans prefer canned orange juice to freshly squeezed? Why don['t the Chinese drink milkshakes?

Why we are what we eat is fully and entertainingly explained in Consuming Passions -- the book about everyone's favorite obsession: food!"

I've had this book forever -- probably since the 1980s. Since I joined GR and started listing books in the TBR pile, it became part of the queue and has just now bubbled to the top. I'm an anthro major and I should have adored this book. The blurb on the back sounds fascinating, doesn't it? But somehow I just couldn't get into it. And with so many books in my TBR pile, I felt as if I should move on. So I have. But maybe ... someday ...

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read at https://archive.org/details/consuming...

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting information, although a lot of it struck me as old-fashioned and occasionally vague and unsubstantiated. The chapter on cannibalism felt like it would make a great source of material for underground cartoonists everywhere.

[Hillary Pearce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old info and now out of print, but a very interesting look at the evolution of eating habits and cultures around the world.