Feast A History of Grand Eating Book

Perhaps the most thorough, comprehensive, and expansive documentation of formal dining I have ever read or considered. Strong's knowledge of the classics is remarkable, his breadth of detail is impressive and so is his personal relationship to history perhaps because of his museum background. He writes clearly and in a familiar, almost informal manner that is eminently readable. Feasting - how preparing, presenting and sharing food is an exercise of political and cultural power that morphs to meet the times.

I am so hesitate to seem critical of this magnificent work, but there are a couple of points that I think could have been strengthened. Strong identifies at least two, perhaps three, major transitions in culinary history but doesn't provide sufficient justification for these transitions, leaving me hungry for more detail (yes, I know the book long as it is). These are: the development of the cook book as a means of formalizing a culinary tradition (literacy); the movement from food as a magical, medical concern to a gastronomic experience (science revolutionizes medicine); and lastly restaurants (refrigeration and transportation). Finally, I would have loved to see Strong include some reference to how the culinary timeline he defines is reflected in population health and disease.

Feast: A History of Grand Eating should be required reading for all food studies scholars, food producers and makers. It is a delight and a revelation. Thank you Roy Strong.