Lecture 29: Big Business and the Homogenization of Food
Levenstein, Paradox of Plenty.
Murray, Moveable Feasts.
Siegers, Exploring the Food Chain.
Wilson, Swindled.
Woloson, Refi ned Tastes.Think of the ways new mass-manufactured products have been used in
recipes, sometimes in the end becoming classics like green bean casserole
and Rice Krispies treats. We now take for granted that cans and boxes will
have recipes on them or that manufacturers will produce their own recipe
booklets. In this exercise, think of a brand-name, industrially manufactured
product. See how quickly you can fi nd a recipe online that incorporates that
product. Simply type in the product name and the word recipe. How and why
did food manufacturers get in the business of writing recipes? How and why
did these become traditional? Think of as many brand-name products as you
can that are used in now-classic recipes. Chocolate-chip cookies are a good
example. Now choose one of these classics and try to cook it using entirely
fresh ingredients. For example, the recipe for a green bean casserole might
be as follows.Trim the ends off two pounds of string beans, cut them in half lengthwise,
and blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Then, immediately plunge
them into cold water. Meanwhile, sauté sliced mushrooms in butter with
a little salt and a tablespoon of fl our, and stir. Then, add milk and chicken
stock, and continue stirring until slightly thickened. Drain the string beans,
put them in a casserole dish, pour the mushroom mixture on top, and stir well
to coat the string beans. Then, thinly slice two onions, and toss lightly with
seasoned fl our. Fill a pan halfway with oil, and heat to about 350 degrees.
Fry the onion slices in small batches, and place on top of the casserole. Then,
bake it for 40 minutes in a 325-degree oven. Serve.Culinary Activity