I’ve just finished reading Three Squares: The Invention of the American Meal by Abigail Carroll and found it to be a fantastic text filled with historic food facts!
Three Squares treats us to a food timeline in US history. Carroll begins with what mealtime likely usually looked like for settlers in the 17th century (when European colonists began planting roots and observing the foods Native Americans consumed)…
I was absolutely fascinated to learn what and why settlers were eating/growing/harvesting what they were and how they prepared these items. It was also interesting to learn how settlers viewed their native neighbors (rampant with cultural clashing and ugly stereotyping when it came to the meal)…
In the 18th century, patterns began to change. Where many crops, food items and ways of preparation had been originally rejected in the 17th century, new generations of Americans began to do the opposite, rejecting their European food pasts and clinging to what made their crops and tables uniquely American…
As Carroll’s timeline progresses, we learn how the hours at which meals were taken, what was being consumed, and how food was being prepared and presented, changed and why. I found it really awesome to learn how consumption has changed so dramatically over the years, due to changes in American culture, wartime, industrialization and technology…
Three Squares spans a great many topics…
- What foods were uniquely native to North America vs. crops that were introduced.
- The strong cultural bonds we make with our food.
- How food associates with our notion of social status.
- The way structured family meals affects our social skills and intelligence.
- Nutrition, school lunches, government reforms.
- The powers of packaging, advertising, and the impact of television.
- Snacking and American leisure time.
- And much, much more…
Though folks who love food will find interest in this book, I think it is especially for anyone who enjoys history, and particularly American history. It is a highly digestible (tee-hee) historic timeline that will have you learning something new and interesting at the turn of every page! I cannot recommend it enough, it was truly a gastronomic pleasure!
Inspired By Venice 
Sounds interesting, and once again you have made me hungry 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Laurette! Ha-ha! Now you know to eat a snack before you read my blog posts! Happy Weekend!
LikeLike
This looks great! Great review. I am going to share it on my blog. I love reading, food and history so this could be the perfect book!
LikeLike
Thank you so much! This book is sincerely a fun and interesting read from start to finish and I hope you enjoy it! Best wishes, and thank you for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It arrives at my house Sunday from Amazon!!
LikeLike
Awesome! I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! It’s filled with so many interesting facts, and by the last chapter it really makes you ponder our meal culture in the U.S. today (of which WE are a part), and what the next chapter in American food habits might look like? Enjoy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Great Blog Review by Abigail Carroll on the book, “Three Squares: The Invention of the American Meal” – melindalittleblogs.com
beautiful autumn photos and I love those chipmunks and eggs
LikeLike
Thank you! Fall is just about to settle in, it’s so refreshing!
LikeLike
Michelle, The magic continues. I am a docent at a small local museum in northern California; our town sits on what was the Noble’s Emigrant Trail that brought thousands of pioneers to California and Oregon. I’ve always been amazed at the heartiness of these pioneers; your review tells me this book may tell the story. I will suggest it for distribution from our museum.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a splendid position you hold! I love small museums that can tell a specific story https://inspiredbyvenice.org/2016/06/07/mitchell-museum-of-the-american-indian/. The first chapters of this book absolutely give interesting insight into what it would have been like acclimating to a new world (particularly as food is concerned). I love books like this, which open my eyes to a history I thought I knew more about, but didn’t really. Each new day is a day to learn something new!
LikeLike