There's a lot that goes into defining a location. Environment, the types of buildings, even the smells in the air. But most importantly, there's the people. Understanding the people making up a place is a key prerequisite for grasping the true essence of a time and space. Even the true wilderness is defined by its relationship with people or, rather, the absence of one. But then we're posed with a question: what makes man? According to the Kingsman movies, "Manners maketh man". I, however, don't think that it is so simple. It isn't just one's behavior that defines them. Humans are a spiderweb of contradictions and emotions, tightly strung within the confines of these fleshy bodies. And one of those emotions is food. Unless you survive off gray tasteless mush, there is emotion associated with the food you eat - an example of this is memories. Certain foods evoke nostalgia, remind you of family, of holidays good times...
I'm sure I'm far from the only one who is so fascinated with what food means to people (and to me). In Food Americana by David Page, he expresses a very similar mentality. To him, the fabric from which these United States are woven can be expressed by the foods we love - burgers, buffalo wings, fried chicken. Each chapter of the book follows a certain food. And he tells of it in a creative manner. Both the history and modern approaches are covered, with each chapter followed up by a recipe for the food item that chapter was about. In a way, it's like those online recipes that try to game Google's search criteria, and so have a few pages of story telling before they get to the instructions. But here, it's frankly better written and more interesting. No offense to the online cooks, just being honest.
Overall, it's a mildly entertaining and fairly informative book. No must read, but as a light distraction, it does well.
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