What do you think?
Rate this book
Offbeat Food: Adventures in an Omnivorous World
Fourth in our internationally acclaimed Offbeat series, Offbeat Adventures in an Omnivorous World explores the unusual, unexpected, and extraordinary aspects of food and food culture. This unique book will provide hours of robust entertainment for even the finickiest gourmet. Everything from food Americana-style to the mysterious durian fruit to the appearance of food in the arts and popular culture to the oddities and delights of the international palette is covered in this "foodie" smorgasbord. Alan Ridenour's postmodern foodlore primer is guaranteed to start-and end-countless dinner table conversations and arguments.
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2000
6 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 7, 2007
This is a collection of food oddities and history, all that stuff you didn't know you wanted to know, for instance there exists a Cracker Jack Collectors Association (CJCA) and a National Potato Chip Institute (NPCI)and Mikey from the 1970's Life Cereal Ads died when he washed his Pop Rocks down with Soda. And someday I'm going on an Architectural Food Road Trip.
"A world's fair makes for an ideal coming-out party for culinary debutantes. All the better if they are jockeying for American icon status." I concur and Culinary Debutante Coming Out Parties is a fabulous image.
"There is even a Korean black market for Spam, and hordes of stolen spiced spam traceable to the larders of the U.S. Army bases..." Who knew?
"Project T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S (Tests with inorganic Noxious Kakes in Extreme Situations." I love it.
"...in 1964...Jello-O conciousness was expanded with a new product line of Jell-O gelatin for salads with flavors like celery, seasoned tomato, mixed vegetable, and Italian." Not just tomato--seasoned tomato. You bet your ass I won't rest until I score a vintage box of these flavors.
"The lusciously rendered exotic lemon, for instance, represented superficial beauty hiding a sour reality." I can not look at Lemons the same post-read.
"Full Throttle All-Beef Preoccupation." Now that's a headline.
"Cibo Matto is Italian for 'food madness." Note to self.
"A world's fair makes for an ideal coming-out party for culinary debutantes. All the better if they are jockeying for American icon status." I concur and Culinary Debutante Coming Out Parties is a fabulous image.
"There is even a Korean black market for Spam, and hordes of stolen spiced spam traceable to the larders of the U.S. Army bases..." Who knew?
"Project T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S (Tests with inorganic Noxious Kakes in Extreme Situations." I love it.
"...in 1964...Jello-O conciousness was expanded with a new product line of Jell-O gelatin for salads with flavors like celery, seasoned tomato, mixed vegetable, and Italian." Not just tomato--seasoned tomato. You bet your ass I won't rest until I score a vintage box of these flavors.
"The lusciously rendered exotic lemon, for instance, represented superficial beauty hiding a sour reality." I can not look at Lemons the same post-read.
"Full Throttle All-Beef Preoccupation." Now that's a headline.
"Cibo Matto is Italian for 'food madness." Note to self.
January 30, 2016
This is always a riot to re-read. Takes you all over the world in order to make you say, again and again, in a sort of drugged horror, "They eat WHAT?" Along with the usual histories of Spam and Twinkies, introduces the reader to fun facts like the one about how in certain Brazilian movie houses, you get to choose between popcorn and roasted and salted ants.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews