Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom: Excursions into Eating, Power, and the Past

by Sidney W. Mintz

A renowned anthropologist explores the history and meaning of eating in America.

Addressing issues ranging from the global phenomenon of Coca-Cola to the diets of American slaves, Sidney Mintz shows how our choices about food are shaped by a vast and increasingly complex global economy. He demonstrates that our food choices have enormous and often surprising significance.

Genres: Food, Anthropology, History, Nonfiction, Food History, Academic, Food Writing

170 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Sidney W. Mintz was Research Professor and William L. Straus, Jr., Professor, Emeritus, in the Department of Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University. He was the author of Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History and Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom: Excursions into Eating, Power, and the Past, among others.

Reviews

[Bob Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to Digest
Sidney Mintz had long been an expert on the history of sugar and its role in Western history (slavery, colonialism, capitalism, cultural mixing) when he published this book in 1996. It is a clear and most easily read book of anthropology dealing with food and food habits over time. Although his general topic is 'Food', his prior interests can't help influencing his direction towards sugar and sweetness. For example, one chapter is devoted to the contrasting stories of honey and sugar, a contest overwhelmingly won by sugar as European powers established colonies in the West Indies and elsewhere devoted to growing sugar cane. In another short chapter, Mintz ponders the two contrasting desires in Western culture (and maybe in others too), that is, the wish to live in and see around us "pure" nature, unspoiled and unsullied. Food from such environments is seen as better. There are whole supermarket chains devoted to bringing you such food. On the other hand, everyone likes comfort, ease, and safety. People see science as providing such things. They tend to follow "scientific" advice. But, as the author points out, these two desires are often contradictory. He cloaks these views with a history of marzipan! A long essay asks if there is any such thing as American cuisine. Mintz argues that regional cuisines are the only real cuisines----take French, Italian, Chinese or Indian cuisines----is there really a "national" cuisine in any of these well-known cases? He says no, cuisine being based on local food supplies and traditions of cooking. He condemns the American habit of seizing on any local food, turning it into a fad, but on the way totally changing it from its original form in the interest of packaging, storage, and quick sales. There are many other interesting observations and stories to be found, though a few of his ideas may not prove very long lasting.
I really enjoyed reading this book which is at once thought-provoking and entertaining. If history and anthropology are at all interesting to you, I suggest reading TASTING FOOD, TASTING FREEDOM.

[Dorine Ruter]

Mintz schrijft onderhoudend en biedt interessante invalshoeken. Niet heel diepgaand en het is uiteindelijk ook een vrij beknopt boekje. In enkele essays doet Mintz redelijk wat aannames (ook wel als zodanig verwoord) aangevuld met oproep voor meer onderzoek. Meerdere onderwerpen worden aangestipt waar ik wel meer over had willen lezen, of meer onderbouwing voor had willen zien. Zal ook eens op zoek gaan naar ander leesvoer.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a required text for an anthropology class at Fort Lewis College and I picked it up used because I thought I would really enjoy it--being both a foodie and having a layman's interest in anthropology. How wrong I was. The overall gist of the book is as follows:

Anthropologist X defines Term Y as Z. However, I think we should define Term Y as A; therefore, I think we need more study on topics relating to Term Y since we don't know much about them, and we should.

The writer's torturing to death the definition of the term "cuisine," is a classic example of this. Worse, his attempt to draw some linkage between his version of "cuisine" and enslaved people groups and their view of personal autonomy/freedom was near meaningless. Shockingly, he thinks we should study this more since we don't really know much.

The chapter about marzipan was a serious stretch--I can't imagine why anyone thought it was worth writing in the first place, much less assigning it to poor college students and then forcing them to study and be tested on its content.

I read a whole book, cover to cover, and my main take-away is: Anthropologists don't even use the same dictionary, have flubbed looking at food issues in history and don't know much about issues that some anthropologists put forward at important. I can't help but wish for those hours I spent reading this book back and feeling pity for the students who paid good money to do so!

[May Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thematically this book is fantastic. The linkage between food consumption and political and sociological change is in fact rarely consider in the march of progress. His linkage of sugar, the sugar trade, to both the evolution of what is considered upper and lower caste is fascinating. I also loved the idea that sugar and coffee allowed for the greater than 8 hour work day and allowed for a certain type of domination over others. I wish he'd also considered tea (the other caffinated beverage).

Where the book could be expanded upon is to include greater comparison among a variety of cultures Eastern and Western. It would be interested to have greater discussions about the triangular trade (although I suspect he believes he is building upon this). I also think that his conclusions may not show a true appreciation for all the variables/probabilities in such a dire direction for food. I do not agree that the US may be doomed as a function of population to an Asian diet which would put us in competition with the world for food.

[Victor Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting dissertation on the link with food and society; how food can be related to freedom, purity and morality. Each chapter explains a new concept and the relationship of food. It's interesting to read the association made by the author and the power that food can have. The last two chapter focus in the definition of cuisine and their association to a nation. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and contemplating the ideas the author had regarding the relationship of food and society.

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a very dry read for such an interesting topic. It felt like a required reading for a college course rather than my pleasure reading - not a good feature! Some parts were interesting such as the way certain areas have incorporated various new foods into their "traditional" cuisine, but overall this collection of essays felt disjointed and bland.

[fleetofhorses · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little overview of Sidney's core themes. His preface and introduction are definitely must-reads.

[Nathaniel Wilder · Rating 3 out of 5]

a heated argument about the typical american cuisine resulted in too much wine drunk and a copy of this book shoved in my hands as i was leaving. what is american cuisine? we yelled. its thai to me, its italian to her, its pizza and hotdogs to our mexican boyfriends who sat chuckling in the corner; WE have a cuisine, they mused, YOU do not. maybe we don't. i'm a little more confused after reading this book. it's beautifully written by a master of food gastronomic anthropology, but sometimes he comes off a bit pedantic. the last two essays, specifically about the american cuisine debate, were wonderful.

[Tom Zalatnai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it’s because it’s a collection of heady essays, maybe it’s because it was written before I was born and lacks some of the nuance of the insights we’ve gotten into food and culture in the thirty years since; whatever the case, this book was, at best, thought-provoking in the questions it raised, and, at worst, fell flat in its delivery and in the author’s conclusions.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit like a mashup of Mintz classix, like Sweetness and Power lite, at a range somewhere between overview and aerial--quite condensed. But still undeniably linked to the 1985 book, which I found pretty astounding. Its 1996 pub date makes me realise how much this discussion has taken off--or the one about consumerism/health/pleasure anyway, not necessarily about the "power" part of slavery & empire. Reads like a bunch of lectures. Interesting on warification of sugar (coca-cola promotion!), but less successful on current event topical stuff, like weird metonymic foray into anorexia to show "food as a social construct," one of a bunch of phrases that bring out the klunkiest in academic writing. Other people do a better and less bland job with that lurid terrain. My fave chapter was probably "the triumph of sugar over honey," and I now realise that my own fondness for spice & savory things over sweet things is rather medieval, so perhaps I have a lizard tongue, as well as a lizard brain. Finally, I also liked the name-dropping about big anthro books on food. And remember, "gentlemen garrawae onely in Wine" (59).

[Sandy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book on the anthropology of food by a professor who specializes in the Caribbean, the history of slavery, and sugar.

I got bogged down in the jargon once in a while (and I read this particular jargon for a good ten years), but overall it was pretty interesting. I liked the chapters "The Conquest of Honey by Sucrose" and "Sugar and Morality" the most.

Sugar used to be thought of as pure, medicinal, king's food, and sought after (except for those who saw it as contributing to slavery in the Caribbean), and now those that abstain from it claim the higher moral/medicinal ground.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative in spots with a lot of thoughts scattered throughout that were often a stretch as supporting evidence of the author's claims.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book