The Tastemakers
Why We're Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up with Fondue (plus Baconomics, Superfoods, and Other Secrets from the World of Food Trends)
New York : PublicAffairs, [2014]
Format: Book
Edition: First edition.
Description: xvi, 318 pages ; 25 cm
Tastemaker, n. Anyone with the power to make you eat quinoa.
Kale. Spicy sriracha sauce. Honeycrisp apples. Cupcakes. These days, it seems we are constantly discovering a new food that will make us healthier, happier, or even somehow cooler. Chia seeds, after a brief life as a novelty houseplant and I Love the '80s punchline, are suddenly a superfood. Not long ago, that same distinction was held by pomegranate seeds, a�ai berries, and the fermented drink known as kombucha. So what happened? Did these foods suddenly cease to be healthy a few years ago? And by the way, what exactly is a "superfood" again?
In this eye-opening, witty work of reportage, David Sax uncovers the world of food trends: Where they come from, how they grow, and where they end up. Traveling from the South Carolina rice plot of America's premier grain guru to Chicago's gluttonous Baconfest, Sax reveals a world of influence, money, and activism that helps decide what goes on your plate. On his journey, he meets entrepreneurs, chefs, and even data analysts who have made food trends a mission and a business. The Tastemakers is full of entertaining stories and surprising truths about what we eat, how we eat it, and why.
Kale. Spicy sriracha sauce. Honeycrisp apples. Cupcakes. These days, it seems we are constantly discovering a new food that will make us healthier, happier, or even somehow cooler. Chia seeds, after a brief life as a novelty houseplant and I Love the '80s punchline, are suddenly a superfood. Not long ago, that same distinction was held by pomegranate seeds, a�ai berries, and the fermented drink known as kombucha. So what happened? Did these foods suddenly cease to be healthy a few years ago? And by the way, what exactly is a "superfood" again?
In this eye-opening, witty work of reportage, David Sax uncovers the world of food trends: Where they come from, how they grow, and where they end up. Traveling from the South Carolina rice plot of America's premier grain guru to Chicago's gluttonous Baconfest, Sax reveals a world of influence, money, and activism that helps decide what goes on your plate. On his journey, he meets entrepreneurs, chefs, and even data analysts who have made food trends a mission and a business. The Tastemakers is full of entertaining stories and surprising truths about what we eat, how we eat it, and why.
Contents:
The cultural trend: sex appeal -- Agriculture : the slow boat to China Black -- Chefs: a ceviche in every pot -- Health: take two chia seeds and call me in the morning -- Sales: awards night -- Data: the trendwatchers -- Marketing: someday my red prince will come -- Ethnic foods: as American as chicken tikka masala -- Food politics: the taco truck march on Washington -- Money: baconomics 101 -- Aftermath: fondue retires to Florida.
Subjects:
Food habits -- United States.
Food preferences -- United States.
Food industry and trade -- United States.
Food habits -- United States.
Food preferences -- United States.
Food industry and trade -- United States.
ISBN:
9781610393157 (hardcover)
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
SOCIAL SCI Cultures Food Sax | Main (Downtown) | Second Level, Nonfiction | In |
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Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-301) and index.