A Short History of the American Stomach

by Frederick Kaufman

The extremes of American eating―our separate-but-equal urges to stuff and to starve ourselves―are easy to blame on the excesses of modern living. But Frederick Kaufman followed the winding road of the American intestine back to that cold morning when the first famished Pilgrim clambered off the Mayflower, and he discovered the alarming We’ve been this way all along. With outraged wit and an incredible range of sources that includes everything from Cotton Mather’s diary to interviews with Amish black-market raw-milk dealers, Kaufman offers a highly selective, take-no-prisoners tour of American history by way of the American stomach. Travel with him as he tracks down our earliest foodies; discovers the secret history of Puritan purges; introduces diet gurus of the nineteenth century, such as William Alcott, who believed that Ònothing ought to be mashed before it is eatenÓ; traces extreme feeders from Paul Bunyan to eating-contest champ Dale Boone (descended from Daniel, of course); and investigates our blithe efforts to re-create plants and animals that we’ve eaten to the point of extinction.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, History, Food Writing, Cooking, Sociology, Microhistory

224 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2007

Reviews

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not just short but pretentiously uninformative history of the American stomach. Yeah, I get it, Kaufman is trying to be irreverent, funny, hip, and coolly chic; he reads more annoying than animated, more crass than cool. I get it, I just don't like it.

There are some small edible nuggets of information and humor buried amongst the offal, and it doesn't take long to read, so you're only wasting a couple of hours of time to buzz through 194 small pages of "short history" that still manage to seem longer than the title suggests. Kaufman never makes an attempt to tie any of his brief insights together. This is more like a random set of ironically comic observations by an unknown standup comedian. Some are funny or insightful, most are not.

The chapter on kosher foods is the most interesting, the chapter comparing cable television's cooking show fad to pornography the most egregiously offensive and forced. Like a good marketer, Kaufman places the porn chapter first to capture the browsing reader's eye. But like pornography, the chapter offers more than it and the rest of the book can deliver.

[missy jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

After hearing a funny and compelling NPR interview with the author some weeks ago, I was expecting a lot from this book. For me, it didn't deliver. The book had plenty of interesting little tidbits (there are people who engage in competitive eating in categories like butter, mayonnaise, cabbage, cow brains, tater tots and grapes?!), but the narrative as a whole felt unfocused and all-over-the-place. And I was unconvinced by Kaufman's assessment of the Food Network as "gastroporn." I mean, his "expert" was a woman who has made a career out of directing pornography... Is there a chance this woman might be able to sexualize ANYTHING given the chance? Anyway, the first chapter kind of turned me off (no pun intended) and although I really WANTED to love it, I ended up kind of skipping around, absorbing little pieces here and there, rather than reading it start to finish.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

The short history of the American stomach is a remarkable idea, but it was done in the most unremarkable way. History is best read in chronological order; however, the history the title discusses is jumbled and garbled throughout the entire book. The narrative bounces around way too much and the tone, which I'm sure was meant to be casual and easily accessible, often made it seems like the author was talking down to me, but was trying to make it okay by using the f-word.

Putting aside my total confusion as I read the approximately 200 pages, I must say that there was some interesting tidbits of information. Honestly, I don't remember many of them because I was too busy trying to figure out where the tidbits went in the overall history, but because of this book, I now know that oysters can change their gender every 12 months!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed how it was organized! Mapping it out historically would have been really difficult to follow, as it would have involved looking at how several ideas evolved simultaneously. I actually thought it was interesting to juxtapose with Pollan, because the author doesn't express any particular central belief about food, save that it should not involve triploid crab. Comparing the food network to porn struck me as apt, although not particularly original.

[Cissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read, as it wanders wildly throughout various aspects of history to make the author's points about the way food influences our behavior and the USA's character. A lack of notes detailing some of Kaufman's sources was, I thought, a serious omission, since I would have liked to know more about some of his data; thus, more entertaining than scholarly. A fun read..

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I chose this as the first book to read in 2018 because, with the word "short" in the title, I thought I could read it all in one sitting as we drove home from Christmas vacation. I WAS able to do that, which was good; alas, it was the only good thing about reading this book.

The book had the potential to be amusing and quirky, but instead it was vitriolic and utterly not worth the time it took to read it. Best I can tell, the author hates Jews, despises Christians (and I suspect finds all religious beliefs condemnatory, but he didn't go after Muslims and halal practices post-September 11th since there might be consequences for dishing out judgment and scorn to that people group) and knows precious little about either (especially Puritans). Further, his "higher power" seems to be Freud because the book presents everything as, ultimately, sexual. . .whether porn, or his assessment of sexual repression.

Worst of all was the chapter likening The Food Network to pornographic movies! Just because something appeals to the senses, doesn't make it sexual, or cheap and degrading. Frankly, his little, "Lookie here, I found a purveyor of porn to show that Rachel Ray and Giada are whores making shot for shot food smut films" was offensive and ridiuclous. You could do that with documentaries about saving the whales, Disney movies, and just about every commercial ever made!

Does it not occur to him that Rachel Ray is a real human being--a kind hearted, genuinely friendly one by all accounts--who might not like being likened unto a cheap tart? (Because it seemed pretty clear that the author meant the porn analogy to be degrading.)

Giada is a degreed, experienced chef and working mother with multiple businesses. Because she is also beautiful, apparently, the author felt free to degrade her. I was mortified on her behalf. If she read this crap, I'm sure she'd be good humored about it because she is also lighthearted and generous, but I think it is abhorrent. (And I did not particularly find the portrayal of Emeril Lagasse as a dirty old man gracious, or appetizing.)

I found the whole book to be wrong-headed in its worldview and approach, which is a crying shame since the subject matter had wonderful potential and the author seemed a skillful wordsmith.

[Wesley Van Hoosen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It contains a decent amount of general American food history, but unfortunately dates itself with now-irrelevant references. The overall writing style is what keeps this book from being what it really could be. It just tries too hard.

[Carol Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other reviews made me a bit leery, but overall, glad I gave it a go. I found some sections more interesting than others - frankly, as it was a shorter book this was not a large impediment. Might work well as an OK introduction to food history.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. What an interesting concept! But the delivery seemed scattered, and generally unfocused.
Oh well.

[Fledchen]

I wanted to like this book. I listened all the way to the end, hoping that it would get better. It seemed like it would be an excellent social history companion to the recent writings of Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma", "In Defense of Food". In fact, if you search Amazon.com for this book, you'll often be presented with a special discount if you buy the book in combination with Pollan's books.

I expected better of an author who is supposed to be an English professor. Mr. Kaufman appears to have been so engrossed in the task of finding the most bizarre and horrifying food-related tidbits from history that he has forgotten how to tie them together into a coherent narrative. He often resorts to coarse language to get his point across. I think there's a time and a place for strong language to make a point or add emphasis, but this seemed more like a rebellious teenager drawing naughty pictures in the margins of his math homework than the efforts of someone who has supposedly devoted his life to the study of English literature. The information he found was fascinating, but the manner in which it was presented left much to be desired.

Maybe I come across as a prude. Honestly, I'm not complaining about the content, but rather the context and manner in which it was presented. If Kaufman had handed off his research notes to a different author, this would be a much more worthwhile book. The choice of narrator was also ill-advised, as she didn't know how to pronounce some of the words in the book. I consulted a dictionary, thinking that perhaps the errors were in reality regional variations in pronounciation, but, no, she goofed and QA didn't catch it.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a riveting, often hilarious, and unforgettable account, Frederick Kaufman has written a witty polemical exploration of American history via its culinary history - or rather, to be so blunt, American stomachs - in his "A Short History of the American Stomach". Kaufman's surprisingly terse account echoes the young Tom Wolfe in crafting a most riveting narrative; one which cites the likes of Cotton Mather, Washington Irving, Mark Twain and Julia Child. He demonstrates how cooking can be seen as a metaphor for American sexual behavior, with the photographer Barbara Nitke - known for her sexually explicit photographs - as a most passionate, quite suitable, guide. Kaufman introduces us to eating contest champion Dale Boone (a direct descendant of Daniel Bone) as he surveys the history of extreme eaters ranging from Paul Bunyan to the present. He also bemoans the substantial decline - to the brink of extinction - of the American oyster due to overfishing and offers an informative account describing how genetic engineering might revive American oyster fisheries. Without a doubt, Kaufman has written a wonderful example of narrative nonfiction that should interest even those who have ample disinterest in American culinary history.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think American fad dieting started in the 20th century? Think again. Professor Kaufman, takes the reader on an in-depth food tour of America’s obsession with eating, food prepartion, dieting, feasting, fasting, food-related illnesses and food-related treatments for almost every ailment under the sun.

Invoking the names of men and women who’ve made their way into the history books because of food or non-food related matters, the professor digs earnestly into our notions about food and shows us that gastronomic thoughts have preyed on the American mind since the first Pilgrims landed here on Plymouth Rock.

This book doesn’t profess to offer health tips for eating better or living longer through a healthy diet; it’s not that kind of book. It’s meant as a primer (or warning) about how just plain silly or deadly our preoccupation with consumption can be. Whether you’re anorexic, bulimic, a binge-eater, a prize-winning food hog (like Takeru Kobayashi, the guy who won the Coney Island Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest for nearly six years) or just plain curious about where American obsession with food came from, this book is an absorbing feast for the eyes and mind.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kaufman's slim (196 pp) volume was not at all what I expected when I picked it up "on sale" at the University Bookstore. I thought I would learn his perspective on how the melting-pot population of the United States influenced the stew pot of American gastronomy. Instead, his fascination with regurgitation, nut-ball diets, regurgitation, nut-ball theories of nutrition, genetic manipulation of food sources and regurgitation produced a curious book. I finished reading on Thanksgiving Day, which added a bit of irony. While I would not rush to read something else by (English) Professor Kaufman, I would suspect that another book might present me with some challenging ideas about gastronomy, not all of which need to be accepted to make the reading worthwhile.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not exactly what I was expecting, but it was interesting none-the-less. Written in a light-hearted tone with a fair amount of humor and the facts related were fascinating to a point. However, after a while it began to feel like an exhaustive list of things Americans have eaten, are eating, will likely eat in the future... And eventually it began to seem as though the author was claiming that the ruination of the world will come from man's obsession with food (the last two chapters certainly adopt this feel). While it was, overall, an interesting read I think the author took too long to come to his point - it was a bit of a ramble in the middle of the book, which can be hard to follow even if it is an interesting ramble.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author seemed to overly concerned with appearing clever to ever get to a point with this book. The history was unfocused, bouncing back and forth between time periods that made me question any of his points when he chose to make them. The overuse of witty asides was aggravating and made him appear as if he was trying to be the poor man's Sarah Vowell. When he found a favorite subject he just seemed to beat it to death. I had to skip the last half of the first chapter because I just couldn't take his over use of the phrase "gastroporn". It took him over twenty pages to explain what every girl who has ever stayed home on a Saturday night knows, Ben and Jerry's equals sublimation.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really thought this book had a lot of potential, but Kaufman just never really pulls it together. The chapters are organized in chronological order, but within each section there are a million things going on. Kaufman assigned a general theme to each chapter, but I thought most of them were stretches. Overall, there was just too much random information for me to retain.

I would recommend this book for someone who is already knowledgeable of food systems and policy, but not as an introduction. There was just too much going on to make sense of it all!

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure that Frederick Kaufman knew where he was going with this book. Its as if, one night he decided that there was some sort of connection between the Puritans and today's food epidemic. Drawing heavily on Cotton Mather and a few other dignitaries he desperately tries to make a meaningful connection about early American history and the food we eat today.

It read like a sophomoric essay that needed to spew x amount of pages to be turned in.

A truly fantastic actual history of American food is Ann Vileisis' Kitchen Literacy.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book from a $1 bin, not because it looked good but because I can't pass up a $1 bin and wasn't too interested in Animorphs novels (I'm not judging, I just have moved into adulthood and this is a tiny step toward getting a job and whatever the female equivalent of a prostate exam is).

Anywho...it was a good book. Light reading, not really meaty (cause' I wanted to make a pun), and it was funny. As educational as a 3 minute spot on Nightline would have been but not bad for $1.

And the equivalent of a prostate exam is a pap smear.

[Iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

The American digestive history consists of feasting and fasting, including such diverse habits as eating raw meat and in some cases parading carts of it around town, and drinking urine. Then there is the Food Network which had its debut in 1993 and now offers "Debbie Does Salads".
Chapters focus on things large: competitive eating and 900-pound cheeses. Ending with sad story of the disappearing banana, this book offers fascinating information on why and how we eat.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting exploration of various aspects of American gastrosophy, essentially viewing the American obsession with food (Cotton Mather as early advocate of purification through vomiting, Giada de Laurentis as food's version of Jenna Jameson) as indicative of our own history. Structure seems odd--historically whiplashing from 2006 to 1624--but some excellent self-contained essays, which would work well in a classroom setting (as I'm planning on using them).

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very readable trace of American foodways from the earliest native and immigrant (English, Dutch and Spanish) peoples, to the massive melting pot of the late 1800s and early 1900s, to big agribusiness everywhere. Why we eat what we eat, personalized by Kaufman's family narratives and culinary experiments. Indexed (good), but references are in text so harder to dig out for later reading.

-- Ashland Mystery

[Ashlie aka The Cheerbrarian]

I love food, I mean, I REALLY love food. I would consider myself to be a foodie but not a snooty foodie so it was just not as interesting to me. I figured I could trick myself into learning some history if there was food involved but it was still a struggle. If their had been more organization and flow to this read, I think that would have helped.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars if Goodreads allowed half stars.

Despite many reviews to the contrary, I found this to be a short, to the point, overview of American food preferences from colonial times to today. I liked Kaufman's writing style and found this to be a quick and interesting read. I also appreciated that I could put this down for a day or two and pick back up again with no problem.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like this could have been good, in theory. The topic is something that interests me. But in practice, it was just a bunch of quotes from early American authors about food strung together with no real analysis or cohesion. Bummer.

[Sandy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puritan puking, 19th century food fundamentalists, oyster breeding, competitive eating contests, Ben Franklin's philosophies on digestion, and raw milk covens in NYC - this little book has it all. Go ahead, gorge yourself.

[David R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kaufman tries to be informative and funny, but I thought both fell flat in this strange treatment of Americans' food philosophies since Puritan times. There's also a little too much elitism for my tastes, if I might use that turn of phrase.

[Eileen Hendriksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it! A bunch of little tidbits about stuff I didn't know about. I know a lot about oysters now. Actually, I'm motivated to start reading the Kurlansky books I bought ages ago...soon anyway...

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing that I will remember from this book is the sentence "Watching food tv is like taking an Ativan". How true!

[Tama · Rating 2 out of 5]

Learned some cool things--hated the Food Network part. The Food Porn talk is a yawner...however, I have to admit to an ongoing desire to kiss Tyler Florence...grrrr.....

[Coki · Rating 3 out of 5]

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