There is more than one way to engage with the food of the past. One way is to use food as a way to learn about the past, to learn about historical processes, to understand cultural and social dynamics of the time. The goal is to arrive at a better, sometimes different, understanding of the past. Another way is to indulge in culinary nostalgia. In that case, it doesn’t matter if we learn something, in fact, reinforcing already established ideas and beliefs might actually be the point. It serves to advance the notion that the particular past in question was better, and, in the process, people lament the state of the time in which they find themselves.
Yes! Fantastic insights that I feel need much more discussion! I've encountered this in my studies of 1940s cookbooks. Cross Creek Cookery (1942) by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is touted as a Southern cookbook, but she's a Southern transplant herself and makes very racist comments about her Black servants and how lazy they are. I was shocked at how blatant it was. Since You Went Away is a 1944 novel by Margaret Buell Wilder. In her book is a Black woman mammy character, Fidelia, who cooks for the white middle class family and is an integral part of providing their home comforts.
Talking about those aspect of food history is so important. Food nostalgia is certainly a thing to be aware of and cautious about. (And I totally agree with you about people gushing about the quality being so much better "back then" when it wasn't necessarily!) Gosh, so much to unpack from this post. Thanks for your thorough research!
Thank you for such a lovely comment. I'm glad the post resonated with you. I am human and I do feel some food related nostalgia sometimes, but it's definitely something to beware of. A lot of times how I see people express food nostalgia gives me the heebee jeebees though.
I do as well. Food is so relatable across generations and cultures. It's when people get erased, like you said, that we need to start paying attention to how healthy that nostalgia is. I've been triggered by the health nostalgia of times past. From everything I've read of WWII we were definitely not a healthy nation and were just as addicted to sugar. So I'm not sure what they're fantasizing. 😏
Excellent piece and, sadly, relevant today.
Yes! Fantastic insights that I feel need much more discussion! I've encountered this in my studies of 1940s cookbooks. Cross Creek Cookery (1942) by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is touted as a Southern cookbook, but she's a Southern transplant herself and makes very racist comments about her Black servants and how lazy they are. I was shocked at how blatant it was. Since You Went Away is a 1944 novel by Margaret Buell Wilder. In her book is a Black woman mammy character, Fidelia, who cooks for the white middle class family and is an integral part of providing their home comforts.
Talking about those aspect of food history is so important. Food nostalgia is certainly a thing to be aware of and cautious about. (And I totally agree with you about people gushing about the quality being so much better "back then" when it wasn't necessarily!) Gosh, so much to unpack from this post. Thanks for your thorough research!
Thank you for such a lovely comment. I'm glad the post resonated with you. I am human and I do feel some food related nostalgia sometimes, but it's definitely something to beware of. A lot of times how I see people express food nostalgia gives me the heebee jeebees though.
I do as well. Food is so relatable across generations and cultures. It's when people get erased, like you said, that we need to start paying attention to how healthy that nostalgia is. I've been triggered by the health nostalgia of times past. From everything I've read of WWII we were definitely not a healthy nation and were just as addicted to sugar. So I'm not sure what they're fantasizing. 😏