While PERFECTION SALAD is certainly about food, it is also a rich cultural history of women and food. With a wonderful selection of resources, from a recipe for raisin stuffed marshmallows to a celebration of Fannie Farmer, this is a delightful and interesting treat. Introduction by Michael Stern, co-author of EAT YOUR WAY ACROSS THE U.S.A and Gourmet Magazine?s popular column "Roadfood."

Foodies and feminists alike should read this book. As part of the Modern Food Library reprints, chosen by Ruth Reichl (who is known for her good taste and her own laudable literary contributions - "Tender at the Bone" and "Comfort Me with Apples"), "Perfection Salad" describes all the elements present at the turn of the century that combined to forever change the way Americans view food. Food, its preparation and presentation became a female obsession in an time where the kitchen was really the only arena in which a woman could rule. The female nutritionists and cooks from that era seemed bent upon exerting control on SOMETHING, and that something turned out to be food - with sometimes terrible consequences. After reading "Perfection Salad", I understood the recipes that my grandmother (born in 1898) and my mother after her learned and served. Don't be frightened by the scholarly look of "Perfection Salad" - there are hilarious nuggets in the text - like color-themed menus (everything green and white, for example), putting everything into gelatin for the sake of "daintiness" (no messy lettuce leaves hanging out of your mouth) and covering absolutely anything and everything with "white sauce". For more laughs, peruse "The Gallery of Regrettable Food" by James Lileks in which he has gathered some of the most revolting-looking photos of the consequences of "Perfection Salad".

This highly readable, beautifully researched book provides a fascinating look into American "cuisine" circa 1850-1920. The Boston Cooking School and other institutions promoted Americanization through cooking conducted on scientific principles, although immigrants proved reluctant to give up their "coarse and unsavory" meals for triumphs of digestibility such as the following, served to President Wilson on his first day in office: "cream of celery soup, fish with white sauce, roast capon with two white vegetables, a fruit salad,and a dessert made with gelatin, custard, and whipped cream"(212). Other triumphs included a salad made of bananas and pimentos bound together with mayonnaise and whipped cream and, later, grapefruit pieces mixed with dessert mints. Often funny and always interesting, this book
also helps readers to understand the convenience food mania of the 1950s.

This is a wonderful, warm and personal look into the lives of Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys and Dale Evans Rogers, the Queen of the West. This book gives the stories of Roy's life from his humble beginnings in Duck Run, Ohio and Dale's start in Uvalde, Texas to their present lives in Apple Valley, California. The stories of their joys and hardships are very touching. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is fan of Roy or Dale as well as anyone who wants to read an inspiring story about the Hollywood couple who are heros in real life just as they were in the movies. The only suggestion I would have for the next edition of this book is that it needs an index. The stories are so wonderful you'll be wanting to see more photos and hear more of Roy and Dales personal stories

This book is a MUST for anyone who is a fan of Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Trigger of course! Only three things could make this book better; An index would be a nice addition, MORE of Roy and Dale's own stories about their lives and lots more pictures

This is a wonderful, warm and personal look into the lives of Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys and Dale Evans Rogers, the Queen of the West. This book gives the stories of Roy's life from his humble beginnings in Duck Run, Ohio and Dale's start in Uvalde, Texas to their present lives in Apple Valley, California. The stories of their joys and hardships are very touching. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is fan of Roy or Dale as well as anyone who wants to read an inspiring story about the Hollywood couple who are heros in real life just as they were in the movies

I don't buy cookbooks, but I like food. This book turned me into a real Stern junkie. It's like travelling all over the country with them to the best diners and greasy spoons.

Now you can duplicate what they say makes American food great. I love the New England recipes the most, but everything's interesting.

This is my favorite cookbook of all time. I lent my copy to a friend who has some restraunts and he lent it to one of his chefs and I never saw it again. It is currently out of print, although I don't know why, so I was overjoyed to find a used copy on Amazon.com. Almost every recipt in this book is a keeper from Doe's Eat Place Shrimp to the Yankee Red Flannel Hash. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. If you like to cook do yourself a favor and track down a used copy of this book.

Do you like to explore the USA? Do you love regional restaurants? Do you like to cook? Then you'll probably love this cookbook! It's too bad it's so hard to find, because it is without a doubt my favorite cookbook, maybe even my favorite book ever. Jane and Michael Stern, long time food writers of note, have gone out of their way to find local restaurants which feature regional specialties and then replicate the recipes so we can cook "like the locals". From clams in New England and New York delis in the North, through real Buffalo Wings and Cincinnati chili, Pot Likker and Hoppin' John in the south, to Western steak and eggs, they take us around the USA through our stomachs. Where else can you find Basque inspired garlic-laden recipes from Shepherd's Hotels in Nevada? My favorite part are the recipes from the Navajo Indian reservation, with the Hopi lamb stew Nok Qui Vi being the best of the best! If you track this book down and like to cook, buy it immediately! Then have a blast adding new dishes to your resume and dreaming of your next road trip. Happy Eating!

I was in the mood to read the other day but nothing seemed to strike my fancy when I spied my well-thumbed copy of SQUARE MEALS. This is not just a cookbook, but a history of food and culture that takes us back to the white-gloved "ladies who lunch" of the 1940's to the suburbanites of the 50's and 60's. The recipes are wonderfully familiar with pot roast, mac and cheese, and chicken noodle soup taking center stage. These are foods your grandmother cooked and there isn't a bean sprout in sight! Not only are the recipes great the stories and the history make for wonderfully satisfying reading. I would urge anyone with a love of food and a passion for kitchy history to get this and add it to their library.

Absolutely one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, Square Meals is fun to read and the recipes are delicious. Jane and Michael Stern clearly love food, love fun and love our culinary history. Several of my best dependable recipes are in these pages - Mom's Best Pot Roast, Perfect Mashed Potatoes, and Mary Jane's Rice Pudding with Cream. (I can't quite bring myself to prepare "Undescended Twinkies", however.) As a cookbook collector and an avid cook, I can tell you that these recipes stand the test of time. Long after truffle oil and wasabi mashed yams have lost their appeal, you will still pine for Deep Dish Apple Pie and the memories it conjures. And I hope your copy, like mine, is inscribed "from your sweet-lovin' daddy."

There are cooking cookbooks and reading cookbooks, and this is my all-time favorite reading cookbook. This is the kind of cookbook that it's fun to curl up with on a cold night, just to soak in all that good comfort food. Of course, there are many wonderful cookable recipes - the Cincinnati Chili, for example, is absolutely outstanding, and authentic. The roast pork with sinner stuffing is also superb. This is the antithesis to 90's low-fat nouvelle cuisine and other overly fussy fare. Fun illustrations, too.

I have been going to Durgin Park for the past 40 years and it is always the same. Real down home Yankee Cooking. The food is always great and very fresh. I was told that everything is bought daily and it is obvious by the quality of the food. If you are ever in Fanuiel Hall Market Place in Boston, this is a must to go too. Also, buy the book as there are real great recipes to try and there is also the history of Durgin Park in it. You won't be sorry you did............. Enjoy

Chef Tommy Ryan has been referred by many friends, associates and competitors as truly "The Czar of Yankee Cooking." After reading the book and visiting Durgin Park (as I have many times in the last 20 years) the reader will clearly see Chef Tommy Ryan has a basic principle and that is you must start with quality ingredients. Everything from the meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and deserts comes from the purveyors who sell the very best. After the Chef and his team prepare your meal it's truly a culinary masterpiece and this book gives the reader the steps to success in his/her home kitchen.

My daughter and I love to read, and now we have a new favorite book! Kokopelli and the Butterfly is a beautiful story for both children and adults. The pictures are amazing and the writing brings you right into the story. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates family time and wants to encourage reading at home! The book is sized so your child can sit in your lap and hold half of the book while the parent holds the other half. Really neat!

What a wonderful book! The dedication of this book to strengthening the bond between parent and child and to promoting book reading in this day of MTV and violent video games make _Kokopelli & The Butterfly_ a true winner! But that's not all! It has a beautiful story with some of the most colorful, eye-appealing illustrations I have ever seen! The pictures will keep a child's attention now and the story of love, nature and goodness will stay with the reader forever. Bravo! This book should be in the hands of every child.

I read this book after reading Mrs. Birkby's book, "Neighboring on the Air", which was a great pleasure to read and cook from. Once again, Mrs. Birkby has hit a home run!

Mrs. Birkby was one of the 'radio homemakers' who broadcast recipes, tips and news to Iowa's rural housewives as well as writing a long-lived newspaper column. Needless to say, after decades she had a very rich collection of recipes and local history to share. This she has done in a book that is very well organized, easy to read, and involves the reader. Having never read her column, I can assume this style is what endeared the author to generations of Iowans.

This book focuses mainly on the years Mrs. Birkby spent with her husband starting and maintaining an Iowa farm for 10 years following WW II. It is broken up into chapters on topics such as 'Grocery', 'Milking', 'Stoves', etc. Recipes in each chapter follow the narration. I prefer this format for historical cookbooks, as it makes it much easier to leaf through and locate recipes.

I've tried several of the recipes, and all have worked well for me.

This book would have rated five stars for me, even if it hadn't had any recipes. Mrs. Birkby's struggles to make a success of a small farm with her family make a valuable documentation of postwar rural life. Reading her accounts, particularly of laundry, illustrates how far we have come as a nation with housekeeping.

Thank you again, Mrs. Birkby, for sharing your personal and professional history with us!

I loved this book! It was chock-full of recipes for the kinds of dishes my grandmothers and aunts prepared. It also gave great stories and details on rural Midwestern life during the 1940's and 50's - the kind of details you won't find in history books. Homey and comforting.

This is a great book for anyone interested in the history of food. It's not one of those hoity-toity food-snob books -- its an irreverant look at the way Americans eat. Learn about food fads from TV dinners to the backyard luau. Includes some interesting recipes.

This 224 page library volume with laminated covers contains more than 850 large, full color, sharp photos of each item. It contains more than 2000 values, however the book was published in 1992. A lot of text is provided and most of the photos are accompanyed by a useful description. A joy to look at. You'll want to add this to your collectibles library and keep it forever !

I have an edition which was published 1984 by Alfreed A Knopf. Now i see that there is a revised edition abd I'll have to get another!

I first ran into yhis book one saturday in '90. By Sunday evening, I Had read the entire thing, been back to the bookstore just before it closed to get another copy as a gift for my mother. I have never read a cookbook that I have so thouroughly enjoyed just Reading! Not to mention the recipies contained in it. The style of wriring is delightful, imagine listening to you favorite "Elder Relatives" talking about the way things were cooked, and WHY they were cooked. It is as much a history of cooking and cooking styles, as a cookcoook.
My favorite sections are Nursery Food, and Victory Dinner and Mothers Sunday Dinner. Wherever you go, in within this book you will find many gems; like how the rationing system chaned eating and menues in WW II. Or the 3 pages on how to properly prepare toast!
You'll love the wit and research that have gone into this book! You can't go wrong with this one! .. Now i'm off to get copy #3 (just in case!)

Only Jane and Michael Stern could have written this hilarious historic cookbook. They combed archives and libraries and found quintessential recipies reflecting American domestic cooking, dating from approximately the 1930's to the early 1970's.

Where else could you find a book that includes a recipie for Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast for 100 (from the World War II chapter,) horrifying things to do with bananas (from the nursery foods chapter), and the hilarious high point--the Luau in Your Living Room circa 1957. I won't ruin this for you other than to inform you that it involves cabbage, vienna sausages, toothpicks and a can of sterno.

I've made a few recipies from the book and they've all turned out great. So, not only is it a hoot, you can find recipies for real down home American cooking.

Where else could you find these recipes, in such a colorful and
humorous collection? A great book - and a great read, even for those who "can't cook"!