Watching what we eat : the evolution of television cooking shows / Kathleen Collins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Collins, Kathleen, 1965-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Television cooking shows--United States--History and criticism.

Television cooking shows.

United States.

Physical Description:

viii, 278 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Continuum, 2009.

Summary:

Watching What We East illuminates how cooking shows have both reflected and shaped significant changes in American culture. Sales Points This book is a fascinating social and historical perspective on American culture seen through the lens of the TV cookery show. Author will actively promote the book. It has genuine review potential across several different media. Description Since the first boxy black-and-white TV sets began to appear in American living rooms in the late 1940s, we have been watching people chop, sauté, arrange and serve food on the small screen. More than just a how-to or an amusement, cooking shows are also a unique social barometer. Their legacy corresponds to the transition from women at home to women at work; from eight-hour to 24/7 workdays; from cooking as domestic labor to enjoyable leisure; and from clearly defined to more fluid gender roles. As the role of food changed from mere necessity to a means of self-expression and a conspicuous lifestyle accessory the aim of cooking shows shifted from didactic to entertainment, teaching viewers not simply how to cook but how to live. Cooking shows still attract big audiences and this book explores why it is that viewers still find them irresistible. Book jacket.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-272) and index.

ISBN:

9780826429308

0826429300

OCLC:

231585781