Food Americana: The Remarkable People and Incredible Stories behind America’s Favorite Dishes

by David Page

What is American cuisine? What national menu do we share? What dishes have we chosen, how did they become “American,” and how are they likely to evolve from here? In Food Americana, David Page answers all these questions and more.

Food Americana, engaging, insightful, and often humorous. The inside story of how Americans have formed a national cuisine from a world of flavors. Sushi, pizza, tacos, bagels, barbecue, dim sum―even fried chicken, burgers, ice cream, and many more―were born elsewhere and transformed into a unique American cuisine.

Food Americana is a riveting ride into every aspect of what we eat and why. From a lobster boat off the coast of Maine to the Memphis in May barbecue competition. From the century-old Russ & Daughters lox and bagels shop in lower Manhattan to the Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival. From a thousand-dollar Chinese meal in San Francisco to birria tacos from a food truck in South Philly.

Meet incredibly engaging characters and legends including:

The owner of a great sushi bar in an Oklahoma gas station
The New Englander introducing Utah to lobster rolls
Alice Waters
Daniel Boulud
Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s
Mel Brooks

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, History, Audiobook, Cooking, Food History, Cookbooks

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2021

About the author

David Page was a British journalist, historian, media expert, academic, educator, author and policy researcher. He developed a firm interest in South Asia and he extensively engaged in researching South Asian related demographic aspects and political landscape. He was also responsible for handling majority of the radio broadcasts in South Asian languages. He was a keen observer of the major sequence of events which took place in South Asia. He was also a former editor and manager of the BBC South Asian Services. He spent over 20 years working closely with the BBC World Service as its correspondent.

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, wide ranging survey of the history and transformation of some of the USA's best-loved foods. Old favorites like you'd expect (Hamburgers, Ice Cream, BBQ), foods adapted from other cultures more recently (sushi, Mexican-American, Chinese, bagels), and fish (lobster rolls, oysters) and fowl (fried chicken and wings).

Each chapter followed generally the same trajectory: a discussion of how popular the food is; its history; ways in which it manifests in cuisine today both high and low; and unique artisanal creators. After a while the rhythm gives the book a bit of a feeling of sameness, but there are tidbits in there that are fun and surprising (sushi is the only food on the list that started out elite and spread everywhere; one reason that Ben & Jerry's ice cream is so rich is because Ben Cohen has no sense of smell!). There also were sections that were just lists (types of BBQ; regional variations of pizza), that were a lot to take in but did spark my interest into learning more (I would actually love a book on regional pizzas like the amazing Detroit pizza). And there were some ridiculous moments too (the development of the foodie hamburger and the race have "the most expensive burger anywhere" is a synecdoche for crass opulence gone wild).

On the whole an enjoyable read, and a nice reminder of the depth of the fun (if not always healthy) foods we enjoy.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Page takes a deep dive into the history and development of America's favorite foods including pizza, chicken, Chinese food, Mexican food, hamburgers, and ice cream.

Each section is full of fascinating stories, and Page takes time to visit places that are considered the best at preparing each dish.

There's a recipe after each section, though none of the recipes look doable for an amateur cook like me.

[Lisa of Hopewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
My Interest

This sounded like a fun, foodie treat! It was available in audio on Net Galley so I took it.

The Story

Food-TV personality Dave Page takes us on a culinary tour of America’s favorite foods. Barbecue, burgers, sushi, Chinese food, ice cream, pizza, and more–all the stuff Americans love to stuff our faces with on a regular basis. The chapters end with a recipe, but along the way, we meet local personalities who dominate the market with their food. From a shack barbecue joint to a lobster truck to Ben & Jerry, we meet a colorful cast of food-loving entrepreneurs, food producers, fishermen, chefs, and more. We come to know a brief history of the food, how it has evolved, and who does it well. From a Purdue University favorite burger place with peanut butter and pickles atop the patty, to the best Po Boy shop in New Orleans–and I’d love to road trip ’em all! (Bow could he pick that Purdue place [asks the IU grad, child of two Purdue grads] and IGNORE The Working Man’s Friend in Indianapolis in the burger chapter? How? IU gets in the story with an amazing Chinese restaurant selling both American and “Chinese-Chinese” food).
My Thoughts

There were a few curious omissions though–especially in the last chapter on ice cream. No mentions of the frozen custard or soft serve industry and no mention of either Howard Johnson’s or Baskin Robbins. My Dad once ran an ice cream and milk plant for a dairy company in the years Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s were getting into our bloodstream. He also sold ice cream mix to Dairy Queens and similar outfits. These were curious omissions. Root Beer Stands were another curious omission or even just drive-ins. I suppose he covered those enough on tv?

Bagels and sushi were great additions to the lineup, I love both, but how could he have omitted the great American steak and steak houses? That is almost a sacrilegious omission! No mention of a nice thick, rare steak, baked potato with butter and sour cream, and a wedge salad with blue cheese dressing? No Heinz vs A-1 vs no sauce? Or, no today’s version with hot rolls slathered in cinnamon butter and the potato loaded to the gills with bacon, cheddar, and green onions (if desired)?(But, thankfully, no praise for the modern obsession with creamed spinach as a steak side dish!) No pan-seared versus open flame-grilled? No seasoned vs plain old butter? Lowry's famous seasoned salt vs in-house seasoning blend? Fried chicken and chicken wings both get their own chapter but nary a hotdog or a bratwurst to be found! And, here I was listening in baseball season!! No onions and mustard vs straight ketchup? Not a string of kraut or a scoop of chili? And, where was chili?? And chocolate chip cookies? Nowhere. Nada on muffins, too. These were puzzling.

There was no wrap-up at the end–it just ended after the ice cream recipe. In spite of this and the steak omission, this was a fun book, its story well told in entertaining prose that kept my attention throughout. I listened to the audio version which was great.
My Verdict
3.5

due to the omission of steak

[Rennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. I absolutely love books like this, that highlight the specialness of what American cuisine is and the unique blend of cultures and regions it encompasses. I mention it often but something I heard all the time when I lived abroad full time was that there is no such thing as an American cuisine (eye rolls to infinity). This had a lot of delightful new-to-me bits of history, I just wish it had gone a bit deeper and had less of a TV-show tone, although I suppose I should have known what I was getting into considering the source. Also explains the heavy focus on BBQ, I suppose. That was an excruciatingly long chapter. But I liked learning more about how sushi, bagels, and lobster rolls became uniquely important parts of our culinary landscape.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food Americana is a romp through a handful of popular American foodstuffs. We have chapters on pizza, hamburgers, barbecue, sushi, Chinese-American food, lobster & oysters, fried chicken, and ice cream. These are all foods that may have roots elsewhere on the globe, but that have found themselves becoming some of the most popular foods in the USA. In each chapter, the author takes us through the history of the food in America, its impact on pop culture and America's dining habits.

I like food writing and this was an interesting and entertaining collection of short micro-histories about American food. I listened to it on audio and the narrator was enthusiastic and engaging. This was a pretty quick listen and a great way to keep myself entertained while doing chores. :)

Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook!

[Lilli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book was entertaining enough and it's easy to tell that David Page works in television because I really did feel that I was watching a show like Unwrapped or Diners, Dine-Ins & Drives which I believe he works for or created? Anyways, I picked this up because I was trying to get excited for the 4th of July, which has become increasingly difficult to enjoy as I get older and the country continues to expose itself for the racist, homophobic, all-around problematic place that it is. This book definitely helped me to remember what is good about America; it's been said a million times but we truly are a melting pot of a nation and that is evident nowhere more than in our cuisines. I commend David Page for addressing that specifically in the chapter about Chinese food. I am now more excited about this three-day holiday weekend celebrating Independence Day than I was prior because I can guarantee you I will cram as many of these cuisines down my throat as I can, starting with birria tacos for dinner tomorrow and hopefully moving onto barbecue, pizza, ice cream, and whatever else comes my way over the weekend! Definitely recommend this if you enjoy basically crossover programming of food and travel on television or you're just looking for something to not hate about America.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the introduction, Page establishes the weirdness that is American cuisine by reminiscing about something his grandmother made called Jewish Pasta—“It was pasta, boiled, then fried in a pan with onions and ketchup” (7). This dish is a true example of American food. It’s a mishmash. It’s a “make due with what you have” cuisine. It’s experimental. It’s (mostly) delicious. We’ve certainly created a melting pot: “The history of American food is the story of embracing another country’s cuisine, then changing it” (7).

As the author goes through our “Americanized” foods like pizza, Mexican food, BBQ, fried chicken, sushi, bagels, wings, burgers, Chinese food, seafood (lobster roll, caviar, po’ boys, etc.) and ice cream, he points out how each category of food differs greatly from the country of origin (if there is one). I did find it interesting that Ruth Reichl is quoted in the next to the last chapter proclaiming lobster rolls as the most iconic.

‘Hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza all came from somewhere else,’ she says. ‘The lobster roll didn’t come from anywhere else. It is America on a bun.’ (173)

I started reading this book by highlighting all the restaurants, the names of the big players, all the food and I ended up with twenty pages of notes. I highly recommend this book if you’re a foodie, if you’re interested in history, or if you just eat.

Since there’s so much inventive food in this work, I did decide to highlight some of the most inventive and delicious sounding (or just weird combos, too) of the food featured. Plus, I’ve thrown in my “aha” moments and what I learned.

Pizza:
cured anchovy and tomato sauce pizza with hot pepper;
goat cheese, mozzarella, herbs, and prosciutto;
wild mushrooms and green garlic.
salmon pizza with crème fraiche.
barbecued chicken pizza:
“There are only two kinds of “authentic” Neapolitan pizza— marinara, topped simply with tomatoes and mozzarella made from cow’s milk, and Margherita, with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil.” (16)
From Pizzeria Bianco–”There’s the Margherita, with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil; Marinara, with tomato sauce, oregano, and garlic, but no cheese; the Sonny Boy, with tomato sauce, mozzarella, salami, and olives; the Rosa, with red onion, Parmigiano- Reggiano, rosemary, and pistachios; the Biancoverde, with mozzarella, Parmigiano- Reggiano, ricotta, and arugula; and the Wiseguy, with wood- roasted onion, smoked mozzarella, and fennel sausage.”(17)
Old Forge pizza: “It’s a pan pizza baked with a combination of cheeses that often includes processed American. The crust, which looks imposing, is surprisingly light. There are two choices— red, with tomato sauce on top of the cheese; and white, which sandwiches the cheese between two layers of dough.” (19)
“St. Louis pizza, thin and crisp and topped with provel cheese, a processed combination of Swiss, provolone, cheddar and liquid smoke; New Haven style, baked in a coal oven, crunchy, chewy, and often topped with clams; Ohio Valley style, with all toppings added after baking; A trio from Chicago— deep dish, stuffed, and thin crust; Quad Cities style, with a sweet crust topped with fennel sausage and a spicy sauce. And there’s grilled pizza in Rhode Island, grandma pizza, Philadelphia tomato pie, not to be confused with Trenton tomato pie, New York style, Brooklyn style, Midwest style, New England Greek style, and Buffalo style, with cup- and- char pepperoni that crisps and curls up around a puddle of grease as it cooks. And one that in the last few years has rocketed to national popularity after six decades of anonymity: Detroit- style. It’s a rectangular pan pizza, perhaps most notable for a rim of caramelized cheese all around the edges. (20)

Mexican Food:
The history of Taco Bell was truly new to me. I also had never heard of a California burrito but I want to find one soon. ( California Burrito, filled with carne asada and French fries)

BBQ:
I think there’s been enough mentioned about BBQ recently but suffice it to say that the different regional types of barbeque are mentioned along with the classic restaurants.

Fried Chicken:
I had know idea about the Popeye’s Chik-fil-a wars.

Sushi:
I originally was drawn to this book (even before it was a CTB pick) because one of the sushi places mentioned in the book is in a gas station in Oklahoma City where everything is deep-fried. !!!!!

Bagels:
Loved the history lesson and what makes a bagel truly authentic.

Wings-N-Things:
This section covers most all bar food: the aforementioned wings, plus mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, onion rings, “Bloomin’ onions,” tater tots, potato skins, taquitos, battered mushrooms, fried pickles, nachos and even calamari.

Burgers:
Included is White Castle’s history and the claim that this company was responsible for this meal becoming an American icon (133).

Chinese food:
“There are more Chinese restaurants in America than all the McDonald’s, Burger Kings, Wendy’s, and KFCs combined, at last count, more than fifty thousand” (153). This food may be the most changed from chop suey to Panda Express to Eight Tables. It’s a far cry from a greasy bowl of General Tso’s chicken from the local drive thru to the $1000 a place Eight Tables.

Seafood:
The author starts at the source, talking with farmers and fishermen. Then, he describes the great lobster roll debate with the New England or Maine style vs. the Connecticut-style roll. (I’m on the side with the mayo.) I found it ironic that the best lobster roll restaurant is claimed by Freshie’s Lobster Co. of Park City, Utah (175).

Ice Cream:
Maybe it was because the ice cream chapter was the last, but I really enjoyed learning about the history. Apparently the ice cream cone “became a sensation at the World’s Fair of 1904 and kicked off a boom in ice cream consumption nationwide.” (196). Prohibition helped the great frozen treat cause with ice cream parlors replacing many bars and brewers pivoting to ice cream production (196) .

Maybe the most surprising history and testimony to ice cream’s restorative powers, came during WWII: “It was considered so important for America’s troops to get ice cream during World War Two that an ice cream manufacturing plant was set up on a barge in the South Pacific. Military doctors prescribed ice cream to help soldiers recover from combat fatigue” (196).

I love the inventiveness of some of my local ice cream shops with flavors such as blackberry-sage and goat cheese and honey. But these local places have nothing on Tyler Malek, the head ice cream maker at Salt & Straw ice cream, in Portland, OR. Most of these combos are attributed to him:

Pear and Blue Cheese ice cream
Black Olive Brittle and Goat Cheese
Buttermilk Pancakes, Bacon, and Eggs ice cream
Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero ice cream
Carrot Cake Batter with Praline Hazelnut ice cream
Duck Crackling with Cherry Preserves
Roasted Peach and Cornbread Stuffing
Most surprising is that “The average American eats more than twenty pounds of ice cream a year” (198). That is amazing and I really don’t think I eat that much.

American cuisine is perhaps undefinable because it is totally dynamic and primed for innovation. To recap, I’ll leave you with a couple of thoughts from the chefs that Page interviewed and featured in this book.

Thoughts from the chefs:

“I hope, if I’ve raised the bar, that you dance on that bar one day. And you raise that bar.”— From Chris Bianco (18)

“This is not the food anyone grew up with in China, the dishes some would call authentic. Chen says he is channeling the essence of a great cuisine, not trying to replicate specific dishes. “Authentic is a terrible word for me,” he says. 166

[Roz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Food Americana looks at the history and popularity of some of the most iconic American foods, from hamburgers to pizza to barbecue to Chinese- and Mexican-American foods. Each food has its own chapter that explains what the food is, how it came to the US, and the ways that the food has been made distinctly American. Each chapter ends with a recipe from one of the restaurants or chefs highlighted in the chapter.

It's very clear this book was written by someone involved in the production of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives because it has a similar focus on showcasing a couple of different restaurants in each chapter, including commentary from customers on what they've chosen to eat and why. It definitely makes for a personal look at these different foods. But it wasn't quite what I was hoping for from the book. I thought the book was going to make more of an effort to connect the different Americana foods and discuss why these foods are quintessentially American. And while that was apparent with some of the individual foods, there was no attempt to tie it all together. There wasn't any kind of conclusion at all. I'm just personally more interested in the big picture idea of why certain foods would particularly appeal to Americans and I didn't get that discussion at all in this book. And that may not be what the book set out to do at all, which makes it more of a me problem than a book problem, but I was still left feeling wanting.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly interesting collection of shallow investigations into the origins of various "American" style foods. I enjoyed it enough while I was reading it, but almost as soon as I was done I think I forgot pretty much everything about it.

I remember him saying that low calorie ice creams were a fad that were frequently tried but generally didn't last very long. Hopefully that's not the case this time around, because I really like my Halo Top and Nick's ice creams.

There was also a long part in there about Chop Suey, which made me realize that I don't even really have a great handle on what Chop Suey is, and I don't recall ever seeing it on a menu in a Chinese restaurant, despite having a general awareness that it's a kind of food that you would get in a Chinese restaurant. Searching for "Chop Suey" in Google maps tells me that it is at least on the menu in some restaurants around here, and when I went to Whole Foods the other day, I found something called American chop suey, which appears to be a pasta dish of some sort.

2.5 of 5 stars

[Jude al-Ghazal Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book with a fascinating history on American favorites that have been developed in the U.S.. I especially enjoyed the perspective Page provided on American-Mexican and American-Chinese cuisine because I always thought of them as less authentic and therefore inferior, but Page highlights chefs who explain the value of hybrid cuisines and their own unique flavor palates. He did leave out some iconic American foods though, like steak, hotdogs, donuts, and more. Also, I could've done with a concluding chapter to wrap it all up -- but I did enjoy that he provided recipes at the end of each chapter! Overall, a fun audiobook.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, breezy read with great stories. Always fun to find great stories told by a talented writer. The best part of this book are the interviews with current cooks/customers/owners of restaurants that specialize in certain types of food. He's clearly as talented an interviewer as a writer. I had been hoping for more history -- each chapter includes a few paragraphs about the history of each food, but doesn't go into nearly as much depth as I'd been hoping for. That's a personal preference, but it also means the book is not so much about putting each food into its broader historical context as it is about discussing each food as it stands in today's culture.

[taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and made me hungry! But I will say - while I love that it felt like reading an episode of Food Network, it felt a little white-washy especially on the BBQ chapter.

Overall, we Americans have a knack for taking other culture’s food, making it bland and calling it our own.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as research for writing my senior history thesis. It has some great information on how our traditional American food became traditional. It's something I'd love to re-read one day when I'm not having to pick it apart for research.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but interesting look into how we've incorporated other countries' food into our own lives and told in an entertaining way.

I received a copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#FoodAmericana #NetGalley

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun light read, some interesting anecdotes and worth the audiobook spin. Relationship between fast food adoption of a cuisine and proliferation of then family owned restaurants now that people are familiar with it was an interesting recurring theme. Possibly fuel for my longstanding dream for a fast food Indian restaurant?

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free ARC of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good microhistory book, and a microhistory book about food is even better! When I first read the description for this book I thought it was going to focus more on American home cooking cuisine but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that each chapter covered a different type of restaurant type dishes that have become staples across the country. Some examples of dishes that are explored are bagels, sushi, Americanized Mexican food, BBQ, and many others. Each chapter begins by delving into the historical roots of the dish, how it became popular in the United States, how it's changed over the years, and what innovations and creative directions the food it being taken in at the moment. Did you know that currently there is such a thing as duck fat ice cream? Because I certainly did not.

Most of the foods originally come from other countries, and that truly reflects that the United States is a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds. Something that is sadly being forgotten in recent times. Another theme is how foods and cuisines brought to the United States slowly begin to evolve into something completely different than the original inspiration. I could see Page being able to do a sequel to this book exploring things such as Cajun food, apple pie, Americanized Indian food, poke, Thanksgiving Turkey, grits, brunch staples, and cheesecake. This book is such a great beginning but it only scratches the surface of what I believe could become an anthology of what has developed into the American cuisine overtime.

If other microhistories such as A History of the World in 6 Glasses have interested you in the past, or you're curious as to how American cuisine developed and what direction it's going towards today then I highly recommend this book. It's filled with history, interesting facts, trivia, restaurant recommendations, and interviews with pioneers in their field.

5 out of 5 stars and one of my favorite reads in 2021.

[Eric Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick but fun read. David Page, the creator and producer of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," delves into a wide array of "American" food -- even if at first glance some of the food doesn't seem like it's actually American.

Mexican, Chinese, pizza, bagels, sushi -- all of these would appear to be ethnic foods with roots outside the borders of the U.S. And most of them do have roots elsewhere, but after they came to American shores, various factors (including culture, palates, availability of ingredients, and more) caused them to be adapted to American use, and in many cases they're virtually unrecognizable today as compared to their origins.

In addition to the foods listed above, chapters in the book tell the story of seafood, barbecue, wings and other fried foods, hamburgers, fried chicken, and ice cream. In fact, the book is a full-on tour de force of writing about some of America's favorite foods. The author talks to food experts and historians, restaurateurs and cooks, and the diners themselves in seeking out the straight truth about why these foods (even the guilty pleasures) appear regularly in Americans' diets.

My only quibble was that, as a Kansas Citian, I was disappointed that the barbecue chapter focused almost exclusively on Memphis in May, whose barbecue contest is known as the Super Bowl of BBQ, rather than the American Royal contest, which is the World Series of BBQ. But that was a minor point, and Kansas City is mentioned in the bit of that chapter about regional barbecue styles. KC also makes one or two other appearances throughout the book.

If you're curious about how Americans fill their bellies and why they choose the foods they do, this book will go a long way toward answering your questions. It will also give you some great trivia to share with your friends the next time you're out to eat and waiting for the appetizers to come to the table.

[Eric Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this book. Usually I only re-read books after decades, to see how I perceive them now versus when I was younger. In this case I re-read it because I put it on the calendar for my book group to read, and I find it difficult to lead a discussion about a book that I haven't read (or can't remember very well).

It was as I remembered it. There's nothing particularly heavy here. It's written by the guy who created that Diners and Drive-Ins television show with Guy Fieri, so it reads a lot like a pop culture take on America's favorite foods. Each chapter focuses on a different food or cuisine -- barbecue, ice cream, seafood, bagels, sushi, Mexican food, Chinese food, etc. -- and tells the story of that subject by talking to food historians, along with people who create and eat those foods.

There are lots of fun little nuggets in here (one of my favorites is about the sushi restaurant that was finding it more and more difficult to get affordable access to ingredients due to overfishing or poor practices, so instead they took the other angle and use invasive species in their dishes -- fish and other organisms that are just fine to eat, but that throw off the ecology of areas where they were introduced by various means. So you might not be able to grab a bite of bluefin tuna, but you can still follow your own ethics somewhat and get a tasty morsel of Asian carp or something else that would damage its ecology were it allowed to remain.

Because everything is divided up by cuisine or dish, some readers can jump around to their favorites or the topics they find most interesting. Personally, I read it straight through because that's how I do things; it helps that it's a quick read. Oh, and as an added bonus, each chapter concludes with the recipe for one of the foods discussed in the chapter.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food Americana is a book about defining what American cuisine really is. We all go about our lives every day eating a relatively a selection of foods that have been considered "American" without even knowing the history or origin of those foods. Much of America's cuisine comes from bits and pieces of the foods from other countries and cultures. Using humor, research, and anecdotes, the author tells us the story of how Americans have come to love our favorite foods like sushi, pizza, tacos, bagels, barbecue, fried chicken, and burgers.

Sushi's a perfect example of how food becomes part of our cuisine. Sushi came to America with Japanese businessmen posted in California as Japan rebuilt its economy after World War II. There is also a whole chapter on the evolution of pizza, who made it, and how the crust even was different because of the dough.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/dav...

[Mark Chimel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big foodie and I also enjoy history, especially lesser known histories, so I was excited to get an advanced audiobook recording from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book as it was a cross between Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi and Diner, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I watched Taste the Nation last year and there was some overlap in the "American" foods that were explored in this book as from the first season of that show. However, there are also some different foods featured and also some different perspectives on even the foods they both profiled. It's very interesting to learn more about the origins of the foods that have now become ubiquitous in America and also seeing how these foods continue to evolve. I would definitely recommend this to any fellow foodies!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction American cuisine. I debated a 3 or 4 star rating just because the author sometimes gets off on weird tangents. And there is also the current TV show, Food that Built America that in all honesty, does this better (they even share some of the same stories). However, it was an enjoyable read overall and a fascinating look that this history of American cuisine.

I especially loved the part on Mexican (and Tex Mex) and Chinese (and American Chinese) foods. the author did a fantastic job of highlighting that the Americanized versions of those traditional foods have become a culture of their own and it is not a bad thing. It also mentioned that while traditional recipe are great, even in somewhere like Mexico or China, there is great variation from region to region or household to household and even in those countries, recipes are adapting with the times.

[Callie Oakman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers the evolution of certain foods or food types in the US. The chapters are broken up by food type, such as chapters on pizza, barbeque, the burger, ice cream, and bagels. The end of each chapter showcases a recipe from one of the restaurants visited in the chapter. It was interesting to learn about the history of certain foods in the US. My favorite chapter was probably on the bagel.

The author is the creator and former producer of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives and this book carried the shows vibe throughout it, as he hops to several different places in each chapter across the US.

I received an audio book copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review,

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read when you don't have anything to do, to put it simply.

It's a silly, lighthearted book that the author, David Page, spent much of his time writing and studying the food's history so that he can give a better insight into food.

Each chapter is a collection of short stories that transition to the next, ranging from current restaurants, historical events involving America, and the origins of that food. Which was a pleasant surprise when I first started reading.

This is more of a personal preference, but I would have liked it if some of the chapters (ex: ice cream, barbeque, etc) went more in-depth into the history of the food.

[Lauren (: · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook and it felt like a fun food history podcast. I enjoyed the different types of food that were brought up and think it’s an interesting idea to explore what is American food. I loved learning the small origin stories of some of the biggest names in the game: burgers, Mexican, Chinese, wings, lobster rolls, pizza, ice cream and I’m definitely forgetting one or two. I think it was an interesting study of how regionally things vary so much and how many of the little cultural things I’ve been exposed to having grown up on the East Coast. The narrator was also amazing and really spoke well.

[Carolyn Jeziorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun listen! It covers all those american food staples, such as chicken wings, barbecue, and hamburgers, to name a few. It includes the history of the food and how it evolved, and features many local restaurants. I appreciated the regional variations on many of the foods—I had no idea there was a mayonnaise based white barbecue sauce. Each section ends with a recipe. The only downside to having an audio version is that you can’t go back and find the restaurants mentioned or read the recipe. I can’t complain—it was an ALC from libro.fm.

[Heather Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was two pages from the end for about six weeks as I got interested in other books.

I had hoped this book would have been more about trends and regional flavors but it was a little more restaurant focused - which of course one way trends pass though different areas in the US. Also where there is research because that is typically centered on business and money. So a little interesting and a little disappointing at the same time.

I have another foodie book waiting in the wings - we shall see…

[Brad Bevers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was supposed to be just a fun book to read between more serious things, but I ended up really enjoying it. The author is the same guy who started Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and he does a great job of exploring American food and helping the reader appreciate it. From fried chicken to sushi to mexican food to ice cream to chinese food, this book will entertain as much as it informs. I've already tried a few things based on his recommendations. Fun read.

[franz aliquo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had great stories about food but, felt like half a book.

It's about 200 pages and while the stories are interesting, it feels like they could have gone deeper into the various stories ad given us a meatier, more well-thought-out book.

Instead, we get the literary equivalent of a few episodes of a 30-minute TV show. This kinda makes sense considering who the author is but, I would have rather consumed this as a show than as a book.

[Dina Horne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun enough book with chapters focusing on all the American food greats. Some interesting tidbits of history sprinkled in, I mean is anything actually American? But then at times the author would quote people at a restaurant like a news article which seemed like an odd take. But overall easy and enjoyable book.

[Joy L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. More importantly, I love this remarkable and incredible author. Thanks for finding truly interesting back stories surrounding my favorite foods and sharing them in a very amusing way. I want to share a month of dinners with this man or at least have him over for the holidays!!
Thanks for a fun read.