Scan barcode
A review by tx2its
Ten Restaurants That Changed America by Paul Freedman
4.0
Reading 2023
Book 20: Ten Restaurants That Changed America by Paul Freedman
Another book I found searching for nonfiction last November. I also love foodie books. Read this on audio.
Synopsis: Combining a historian’s rigor with a foodie’s palate, Ten Restaurants That Changed America reveals how the history of our restaurants reflects nothing less than the history of America itself. Whether charting the rise of our love affair with Chinese food through San Francisco’s fabled The Mandarin, evoking the richness of Italian food through Mamma Leone’s, or chronicling the rise and fall of French haute cuisine through Henri Soulé’s Le Pavillon, food historian Paul Freedman uses each restaurant to tell a wider story of race and class, immigration and assimilation.
Review: Ten Restaurants was a big book, 560 pages. I do wish I had a hard copy so I could look at the pictures and the menus. The audio was good, and I enjoyed listening to the history of restaurants in the US and the evolution of how we eat out. This book will not be for everyone, it is a slog in some places. Others might find the history dry. The Howard Johnsons chapter was definitely my favorite. I remember going to HoJos and there were a few around where I grew up in CT. My rating 4⭐️.
Book 20: Ten Restaurants That Changed America by Paul Freedman
Another book I found searching for nonfiction last November. I also love foodie books. Read this on audio.
Synopsis: Combining a historian’s rigor with a foodie’s palate, Ten Restaurants That Changed America reveals how the history of our restaurants reflects nothing less than the history of America itself. Whether charting the rise of our love affair with Chinese food through San Francisco’s fabled The Mandarin, evoking the richness of Italian food through Mamma Leone’s, or chronicling the rise and fall of French haute cuisine through Henri Soulé’s Le Pavillon, food historian Paul Freedman uses each restaurant to tell a wider story of race and class, immigration and assimilation.
Review: Ten Restaurants was a big book, 560 pages. I do wish I had a hard copy so I could look at the pictures and the menus. The audio was good, and I enjoyed listening to the history of restaurants in the US and the evolution of how we eat out. This book will not be for everyone, it is a slog in some places. Others might find the history dry. The Howard Johnsons chapter was definitely my favorite. I remember going to HoJos and there were a few around where I grew up in CT. My rating 4⭐️.