Book Preview: The United States of Arugula
Thursday, July 20, 2006 | posted by Mike
There is a new book available on pre-order from Amazon.com (ships on September 12th) that looks like it will be of interest to foodies and TV food fans. The United States of Arugula by David Kamp will look at how the US became a “Gourmet Nation” thanks to writers and personalities like James Beard and Patron Saint of Food TV® Julia Child.Given the time frame that Kamp is looking at in his book (the latter part of the 20th century), I’m sure he will address number of factors, including food on television, increasing focus on health and healthy eating and the ways that more recent immigrant groups from Latin America, India and Southeast Asia have influenced the types of food we eat.
The pre-release reviews look good, saying that it’s both an informative and entertaining read.
Of course, I haven’t read the book, so I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it. However, I’m guessing that it was sent to me in one of those “on sale now” e-mails that I get every week or so because I had recently purchased another book by David Kamp, The Rock Snob’s Dictionary. That book takes a playful look at the “rock snob” (If you just can’t understand why EVERYONE doesn’t love Big Star, you’re a rock snob.) and offers comments that are both true and funny.
A snob is a snob, whether you’re talking about food or music or movies or art, so I get the feeling Kamp will "get" it. If his work in Rock Snob is any indication of what we can expect in Arugula, it should make for a very good read.
