American Eating

Cuisine

After WWII Julia Child hits the

(1939-1945), scene with her
WWI (1914- Quality vs.
soldiers return cookbook (1961) and
1918) causes Quantity: The
home with cooking program on
rationing in debate of the 21st
ethnic tastes TV (1963)
America century

1900s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1990s 2000s-Today

The first self-service Great depression “Value sizing”

food market “Piggly hits from 1929- Convenience becomes a VS.
Wiggly” introduced 1939  make becomes key with priority in
in 1916 in Memphis, fast food restaurants American diet
more with less
TN franchising and TV in the 1990s
dinners make their
debut
Timeline Notes:

1916: Food Markets

 On September 6th 1916, first self-service food market opened under the name Piggly Wiggly in Memphis, TN by
Clarence Saunders
o At that time, grocery stores (and chain stores) did not allow customers to gather their own goods
o A clerk would assemble your order for you by weighing out dry goods from large barrels
 Piggly Wiggly saved time and money all around
 Piggly Wiggly now owns A&P, Safeway, and Kroger
 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bizarre-story-piggly-wiggly-first-self-service-grocery-store-180964708/

1914-1918: WWI
 Less food was coming from different countries because ships bringing supplies were attacked (by Germany)
o As a result, food became very expensive
 A lot of the food Americans did have was sent to feed the soldiers fighting in WWI
 In 1918, new laws set by the government introduced rationing (a way of sharing food fairly)
o “Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allotted portion of the resources being distributed on
a particular day or at a particular time.”
 Sugar, meat, flour, butter, margarine and milk were all rationed so that everyone got what they needed
o Families given cards that could only be used at certain stores
o Fun fact: even King George and Queen Mary had to ration
 Essentially: MAJOR/radical portion control

1929-1939: Great Depression

 1929-1939 after stock market crash; worst economy has been
 When one dish suppers, casseroles, and potlucks became popular
o Chilli, mac & cheese, soups, chicken & biscuits also popular
 Cheap, nutritious, and filling foods were the priority
o Ingredients weren’t related to each other or made sense
 But if it made a meal and filled you up, it worked
1939-1945: WWII
 “World War 2 was fought between two groups of countries. On one side were the Axis Powers, including Germany, Italy and
Japan. On the other side were the Allies. They included Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, the Soviet
Union, China and the United States of America.”
 GIs returning from tours in Europe and the Pacific developed new tastes
 A lot of asian and italian cuisine
o "Americanized" versions of sukiyaki, egg foo yung, chow mein, enchiladas, pizza, lasagna, and barbecued meats with
Polynesian sauces

1950s: Restaurant Chains and TV Dinners

 McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, White Castle, KFC, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Dominos, etc. all
franchised in the 1950s
 1949 frozen dinners hit the market but a marketing push in 1954 helped them grow
o Started b/c of overflow of thanksgiving leftovers
 Too much made, how do we decrease???
 Aluminum portioned trays on airplanes were inspiration
o Turkey, potatoes and vegetables to start
 Pre-portioned, easy clean up, no room for leftover possibility
o 1960’s lunch and breakfast hit the market
o 1973: portions increase in TV dinners; marketing targeted “hungry man”

1960s: Julia Child

 Studied culinary in 1950’s in France and opened a cooking school (L'Ecole des Trois Gourmandes) with a fellow chef/friend
 Cookbook in 1961: “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”
o Taught consumers to view food/meals as pleasure and tried to draw away from convenience
o Inspired consumers to move beyond pot roasts, etc. and made cooking less intimidating
o “She refused to worship at the traditional American alter of convenience and efficiency. Rather she viewed cooking as
an activity worthy of your time and intellectual energy.”
 https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/how-julia-child-transformed-american-cooking
 First cooking program aired in 1963 on PBS (TV show)
o http://www.pbs.org/food/chefs/julia-child/

1990s: Food portions get bigger

  Processed shelf-ready food and new agriculture policies means food is cheaper than it was in 1970s
 Value sizing: Most food for least amount of money
o Essentially: what am I getting for what I’m paying for? Consumers want more for less
o Super-size value meal introduced in 1993 by McDonald’s
 Fun fact: this came about after wanting to “dino size” meals after partnered with jurassic park
 Introduced large fries in 1972 (70s were when bigger sizes were introduced but costed more money for
consumers)
 Burger itself was around 70 cents in 1990
 https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/supersized-why-our-portion-sizes-are-
ballooning-7852014.html
 Portions increased by 138% from 1970s to 1990s
o The more you’re served, the more you’ll eat

2000s: Local vs. Seasonal

 Local foods (within 250 miles) sold directly to consumers through farmers markets, roadside stands, and community
supported agriculture
o Direct sales through these and other outlets are a growing part of agriculture in the U.S. and are especially important
for small farms
o Other outlets: local products may show up in supermarkets, restaurants, and schools, and a growing number of major
food retailers are introducing local food sourcing initiatives
 (i.e. Wal-Mart is investing in products that are grown, baked, butchered and manufactured in the same
communities where their stores operate)
 Seasonal foods
o Seasonal food is produce that is purchased and consumed around the time that it is harvested
 Food are tastier and fresher when consumed while “in season”
 “Studies have shown that fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients when they are allowed to ripen naturally
on their parent plant”
 Crops picked at their peak of ripeness are also better tasting and full of flavor
 Out of season produce is harvested early in order to be shipped and distributed to local retail stores
https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/why-eat-seasonally
 Quality over quantity
o “Organic plant foods contain, on average, 25 percent higher concentrations of 11 nutrients than their conventional
counterparts. In particular, they tend to be higher in important polyphenols and antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E,
and quercetin.”
 o “This is why buying your produce at local farmers markets, or even better, picking it from your backyard garden, are
better options than buying conventional produce shipped from hundreds or thousands of miles away.”
o Nutrient dense vs. food safety
o https://life.institute/health/think-quality-not-quantity-local-organic-food/
 Organic stats/notes
o Organic food sales in 2016: $43 billion (more than 5 percent of the nation’s total food sales)
o Reason people go organic: avoid pesticides, chemicals, etc. (i.e. better health and environment
 “Better educated” population about what they are eating
 http://www.startribune.com/americans-are-eating-more-organic-food-than-ever-survey-finds/424061513/
o “More than 82% of U.S. households in the lower 48 states buy organic food on a regular basis, according to a survey
summary published Thursday by the Organic Trade Association (OTA)”
 https://www.agweb.com/article/study-82-of-us-households-buy-organic-food-regularly-naa-nate-birt/
Rationing photos on top,
Great depression on bottom
(“cartoons” are clipart)