Download The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance AudioBook Free

In the 1950s, America was a land of overdone roast meat and canned renewable beans-a gastronomic wasteland. Most restaurants relied on iced, second-rate elements and offered bogus "Continental" dishes. Authentic French, Italian, and Chinese language foods were virtually unknown. There was no such thing as food criticism at the time, no such thing as a restaurant critic. Preparing food at home wasn't regarded as a source of pleasure. Guests didn't chat around the kitchen. Professional equipment and cookware were used only in restaurants. One man altered all that. From the best-selling author of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse comes the first biography of the ardent gastronome and stressed genius who became the most effective force in the history of American food - the founding daddy of the American food trend. From his first day in 1957 as the meals editor of The NY Times, Craig Claiborne would take his viewers where they had never been before. Claiborne extolled the pleasures of spectacular cuisines from all around the world, and along with his inspiration, restaurants of every ethnicity blossomed. So many things we neglect now were released to us by Claiborne: crème fraîche, arugula, balsamic vinegar, the Cuisinart, chef's kitchen knives, even the salad spinner. He'd give Julia Child her first major book review. He brought Paul Bocuse, the Troisgros brothers, Paul Prudhomme, and Jacques Pépin to countrywide acclaim. His $4,000 evening meal for just two in Paris was a front-page account in the Times and scandalized the world. Even though he defended the real French nouvelle dishes against bastardization, he also reveled in a well-made stew or a good hot dog. He made home cooks into stars: Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Diana Kennedy, and many more. And Claiborne made evening meal a meeting - whether dining out, delighting friends and family, or simply cooking food for your family. His own evening meal parties were legendary. Claiborne was the perfect Mississippi gentleman, but his interior life was one of turmoil and self-doubt. Constrained by his position to cover up his sexuality, he was imprisoned in solitude, never in a position to find a well balanced and enduring love. Through Thomas McNamee's painstaking research and eloquent storytelling, The Man Who Changed just how We Eat unfolds a brief history that is largely undiscovered and also tells the full, deep story of the great man who until now hasn't been truly known whatsoever.

Category: Journalists