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Ways of Eating

Exploring Food through History and Culture
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( 136 ratings, 23 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Ways of Eating explores the history and anthropology of food through compelling stories and scholarly insights. Authors Merry White and Benjamin Wurgaft examine the journey from the dawn of agriculture to modern culinary debates, illustrating how food practices are influenced by culture, migration, and social identity. The book takes readers from the Venetian spice trade and medieval brewing traditions to contemporary issues around authenticity, making connections between natural and cultural histories.
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Format: Hardback
$5299
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in anthropology, history, and food studies, as well as those curious about the cultural and social forces behind culinary traditions worldwide. Suitable for students and general readers looking to deepen their understanding of how food shapes society.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
What we learn when an anthropologist and a historian talk about food.

From the origins of agriculture to contemporary debates over culinary authenticity, Ways of Eating introduces readers to world food history and food anthropology. Through engaging stories and historical deep dives, Benjamin A. Wurgaft and Merry I. White offer new ways to understand food in relation to its natural and cultural histories and the social rules that shape our meals.

Wurgaft and White use vivid storytelling to bring food practices to life, weaving stories of Panamanian coffee growers, medieval women beer makers, and Japanese knife forgers. From the Venetian spice trade to the Columbian Exchange, from Roman garum to Vietnamese nα»›c chαΊ₯m, Ways of Eating provides an absorbing account of world food history and anthropology. Migration, politics, and the dynamics of group identity all shape what we eat, and we can learn to trace these social forces from the plate to the kitchen, the factory, and the field.

Series: California Studies in Food and Culture

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    Celebrated food scholar Darra Goldstein takes readers on a vivid tour of history and culture through Russian cuisine. The Kingdom of Rye unearths the foods and flavours of the Russian land. Preeminent food studies scholar Darra Goldstein offers readers a concise, engaging, and gorgeously crafted story of Russian cuisine and culture. This story demonstrates how national identity is revealed through...
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  • Yerba Mate
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its engaging narrative and rich detail, Ways of Eating is hailed as a beautifully written exploration of food's role in cultural identity and history. Reviewers describe it as a love letter to food anthropology and history, with both celebratory and thought-provoking insights. It appeals to both students of food studies and general readers, offering an accessible yet richly informative journey.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520392984

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 19 September 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 11 b-w ornaments

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 499g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Benjamin A. Wurgaft is a writer and historian. His previous books include Meat Planet: Artificial Flesh and the Future of Food and Thinking in Public: Strauss, Levinas, Arendt.
Β 
Merry I. White is Professor of Anthropology at Boston University. Her previous books include Coffee Life in Japan and Perfectly Japanese: Making Families in an EraΒ of Upheaval. The Japanese government has honored her work in the anthropology of Japan with the Order of the Rising Sun.

Also by Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft

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  • Ways of Eating
    What we learn when an anthropologist and a historian talk about food. From the origins of agriculture to contemporary debates over culinary authenticity, Ways of Eating introduces readers to world food history and food anthropology. Through engaging stories and historical deep dives, Benjamin A. Wurgaft and Merry I. White offer new ways to understand food in relation to its natural...
    Paperback
    $4799
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

Also by Merry White

View all
  • Ways of Eating
    What we learn when an anthropologist and a historian talk about food. From the origins of agriculture to contemporary debates over culinary authenticity, Ways of Eating introduces readers to world food history and food anthropology. Through engaging stories and historical deep dives, Benjamin A. Wurgaft and Merry I. White offer new ways to understand food in relation to its natural...
    Paperback
    $4799
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Coffee Life in Japan
    This fascinating bookβ€”part ethnography, part memoirβ€”traces Japan's vibrant cafΓ© society over one hundred and thirty years. Merry White traces Japan's coffee craze from the turn of the twentieth century, when Japan helped to launch the Brazilian coffee industry, to the present day, as uniquely Japanese ways with coffee surface in Europe and America. White's book takes up themes as diverse...
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