Cheap Food
April 6, 2017Wolves and Chronic Wasting Disease
May 5, 2017Food Chain Radio Show #1099
Michael Olson, Author & Urban Farming Agriculturalist
Food Fights and Culture Wars
Guest: Tom Nealon, Owner of Pazzo Books & Author of Food Fights & Culture Wars
What do food trends of the past tell us about trends of the future?
As a teenage herbicide in the bean fields of Montana, I resolved to get as far away from the business as possible, and so studied English and Chinese literature at the University of California.
What I enjoyed most while looking into the classic works of these two cultures was finding conditions shared by both. As the cultures evolved apart from each other, I considered the conditions they shared to be universals. Here is one, by Tang Dynasty poet Li Shen:
Toiling Farmers
Farmers weeding at noon,
Sweat down the field soon.
Who knows food on a tray
Thanks to their toiling day?
One universal shared by all is the dominant relationship of food to culture. Food trends have led cultures about throughout history, and one place to see that leading about in action is in Food Fights & Culture Wars by antiquarian cookbook collector and seller Thomas Nealon. So, let’s ask him…
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Tune in here, for the syndicated Food Chain Radio Show #1100 April 15, 2017 Saturday 9AM Pacific