|
|
|
|
||
|
HELP | |
|
  $17.50 List price:
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beefby Betty Fussell
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:In Raising Steaks, Betty Fussell saddles up for a spirited ride across America on the trail of our most iconic food. When we bite into a steak's charred crust and pink interior, Fussell finds that we bite into contradictions that have branded our national identity from the start. We taste the colliding fantasies of British pastoralists and Spanish ranchers that erupted in land wars between a wet-weather East and a desert West. We savor the ideas of wilderness and progress that clashed when we replaced buffalo with cattle, and then cowboys with industrial machines. We take in the contradictions of rugged individualism and the corporate technology that we use to breed, feed, slaughter, package, and distribute the animals we turn into meat. And we participate — as do the cattlemen and chefs, feedlot operators and rodeo stars, boot makers and scientists Fussell talks with — in the mythology that inspires cowboys to become technocrats and presidents to play cowboy. Raising Steaks is a celebration of, and an elegy for, a uniquely American Dream. Review:"Fussell (My Kitchen Wars; The Story of Corn) follows beefsteaks from cattle pens in 17th-century Manhattan to Brooklyn's Peter Luger Steak House today. On her visits to an independent Vermont butcher, ranching couples in Colorado and Oregon and feedlot owners in Kansas, Fussell critiques the polemical meat writing of Michael Pollan and the mythology of a rare, bloodied 'he-man food' by giving an evenhanded look at the many sides of beef. One visit with Temple Grandin explores the work of the 'outsider' cattle researcher who wants to foster a cow's-eye view of animal husbandry; similarly, Fussell's research into the lives of the men — and, particularly, the women — who raise and research cattle presents a human-eye view of an industry riddled with impersonal jargon and machismo. Fussell also participates in grading and weighing cuts of beef, attending an industry conference and even dressing in a pair of heels to play a part as a rodeo cowgirl. The breadth of her observations is impressive — from congressional decisions to simplified anecdotes from the voyage of Lewis and Clark and quotes from Woody Allen — but such details might become tedious for casual readers. Illus., with recipes." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"Less harsh and judgmental than many critics, Fussell worries most about the dangers of the beef industry's sheer immensity." Booklist Review:"An engaging, eclectic examination of the role of beef in the formation of American myth and reality." Kirkus Reviews About the AuthorBetty Fussell is the author of ten previous books, including The Story of Corn and My Kitchen Wars. A contributor to the New York Times, the New Yorker, Saveur, Food & Wine, Gastronomica, and other publications, she has also lectured widely on food history. Western born, she lives in New York City. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
Other books you might like
Related Aisles
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Don't Miss
