Culture and Cuisine
U.S. News has done it again with "How America Eats" [August 15-22]! Who would have thought that food played such a large part in our history? Some of the articles were a trip down memory lane. I may be 87, but I remember well my visit to the 1939 World's Fair mentioned in "The World's Table." Then there was "A Wolf at the Door" about World War II rationing and "Birth of the Cool" about the icebox being replaced by that gleaming, cold refrigerator. I appreciated all the topics covered. Congratulations to all!
DOROTHY WANAMAKER
Sebring, Fla.
I must comment on victory gardens mentioned and pictured in "A Wolf at the Door." During World War II, my mother was den mother to 15 Cub Scouts. She had half our large yard plowed and gave each Cub Scout a plot on which to grow vegetables. Most came every day after school to tend their gardens. Many of the boys' mothers said it was the first time their sons had eaten their veggies eagerly. They were proud of what they grew.
JACK BREWER
Simi Valley, Calif.
"Birth Of The Cool" made a quantum leap from pioneers harvesting ice from frozen ponds to modern refrigerators. In between, you omitted the discovery of making artificial ice by John Gorrie in Apalachicola, Fla., in 1851. A young physician, Gorrie also pioneered air conditioning when seeking to keep his patients cool during the yellow fever epidemic of the mid-1850s. Gorrie received the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration in 1851 but was unable to market his ice machine before his death in 1855.
CLIF CORMIER
Gainesville, Fla.
While reading "Fresh From The Can," I was reminded of the time after World War II while I was still living in Vienna, my birthplace, when I relied on food from our different liberators. America was good to us in spite of its shortages at home. We were happy to get canned fish with the label "Silver Hake." My mother, a thrifty, seasoned cook, ran this product through her meat grinder and succeeded in baking a cake.
CHARLOTTE DRESSLER
Milford, Del.
I disagree with Prof. Krishnendu Ray of the Culinary Institute of America, who said: "Latino food is tainted as low class" in "A Tasty Melting Pot." The article refers to Asian foods as having the most influence and acceptance in American homes. It has been my experience that most American households prepare variations of Mexican food on a regular basis. Chinese food is great, but in my opinion Mexican food has had far more influence. I am disappointed that the Hispanic influence on American life was minimized.
GUADALUPE LAMAS
Plant City, Fla.
Although I enjoyed the coverage of "America Eats!" I was disappointed that you skimmed so lightly over the impact that diners have had on the eating pleasures of the American public ["A National Treasure"]. A local diner has always been the standby for Americans. Diners have been the local meeting place for townsfolk, business people, and local government. And one of their many assets was the ability to offer a variety of ethnic foods. It's a shame this piece of American history was skipped.
DORIS MINGIONE
Boca Raton, Fla.
"The Booze Ban Backlash" brought back memories to this 95-year-old. In spite of Prohibition, the state of Iowa still had many places where you could wet your whistle. Templeton, a small town in the western part, was well known for its production of Templeton Rye whiskey. Legend has it that to give the product flavor after distilling, it was filtered through a well-worn man's hat. It was reported that a traveler desiring to buy the famous Templeton Rye stopped at a house to inquire where it could be bought. The lady at the door pointed to a yellow house, saying it was the only house that did not sell Templeton Rye.
F. W. FISHER
Spencer, Iowa
Regarding "Don't Read This Over Dinner" about Chicago's early meatpacking industry: Upton Sinclair's The Jungle has horrified readers for nearly a century. What remains relatively unseen, however, is the immense suffering endured by the animals. Factory farms maximize productivity, often at the expense of animal welfare.
MIYUN PARK
Director
Farm Animal Welfare
The Humane Society of the United States
Washington, D.C.
The tortoise pictured with the recipe "Take One Turtle . . ." is of a sulcata (African spurred tortoise) that grows to great size. The tortoise recipe uses the gopher tortoise, which is not pictured. It lives in the southeastern states and is almost extinct.
ELLEN NICOL
Anthony, Fla.
The only mention of barbecue was in "Red, White, and Blueberry," where the author uses hamburgers and barbecue in the same sentence. True southerners believe that to barbecue is to cook low and slow. So whether it's chicken, pulled pork, chopped mutton, ribs, or beef brisket, if it's not cooked at a low temperature for a long time, it's not barbecue.
BLAIR SMITH
Edgewater, Md.
As a history teacher, I find it interesting and important to be reminded that history is not only about presidents and wars and documents. History is about the little things that helped to make us who we are today. Food is an excellent place to begin a regular series focusing on social history.
FRANK PORTO
Hamden, Conn.
Correction: A photograph of students accompanying the article "Using the Rankings" in the 2006 edition of America's Best Colleges newsstand book should have identified the setting as Iowa State University in Ames, not the University of Iowa. [20050905050589]
This story appears in the September 5, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.