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Much Depends on Dinner

The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal

by Margaret Visser · 1986

Cover of Much Depends on Dinner
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Food. We spend a good part of every day buying, preparing, eating, and savouring it. Only sleep and work take more time out of our lives. Margaret Visser uses the ingredients of an ordinary meal as a jumping-off point for an engaging, thoroughly researched look into one of our essential obsessions. Did you know that lettuce is a member of the daisy family? That sea salt is cultivated in salt gardens? From a mini-history of Will Kellogg and his corn flakes to the staple dish of the Tibetans (tsampa: barley flour, salted tea, and yak butter), Visser feeds our endless hunger for stories and anecdotes on food that can be shared around the groaning board.

Dinners and diningFolkloreFoodFood habitsHistorySocial aspectsSocial aspects of FoodSocial aspects of Food habitsSocial life and customsEating customsHabitudes alimentairesHistoire