Benjamin J. Cohen Bücher

In the late nineteenth century, significant changes in food and agriculture sparked new tensions around how people understood, obtained, and trusted their food. This period, known as the Era of Adulteration, raised critical questions that persist today: How can consumers ensure that the food they purchase is what it claims to be? Is it acceptable to manipulate nature to create new foods, and how do we determine the safety of such practices? In Pure Adulteration, Benjamin R. Cohen explores the pure food crusades, offering insight into the origins of manufactured foods and the challenges they presented. He examines the experiences of farmers, manufacturers, grocers, hucksters, housewives, politicians, and scientists as they navigated the complex and often contentious boundaries between purity and adulteration. By the end of the nineteenth century, the concept of pure food had evolved significantly. Ultimately, there is no inherent distinction between pure and adulterated food; it is a decision we must make. While today's world differs from that of the past, the ongoing challenge of distinguishing acceptable from unacceptable food practices remains crucial in our daily choices about what we eat and how it is produced.

How modern food helped make modern society between 1870 and 1930: stories of power and food, from bananas and beer to bread and fake meat.The modern way of eating--our taste for food that is processed, packaged, and advertised--has its roots as far back as the 1870s. Many food writers trace our eating habits to World War II, but this book shows that our current food system began to coalesce much earlier. Modern food came from and helped to create a society based on racial hierarchies, colonization, and global integration. Acquired Tastes explores these themes through a series of moments in food history--stories of bread, beer, sugar, canned food, cereal, bananas, and more--that shaped how we think about food today. Contributors consider the displacement of native peoples for agricultural development; the invention of Pilsner, the first international beer style; the "long con" of gilded sugar and corn syrup; Josephine Baker's banana skirt and the rise of celebrity tastemakers; and faith in institutions and experts who produced, among other things, food rankings and fake meat.

Benjamin Jerry Cohen perceives himself as fortunate despite never having been labeled "Lucky Jerry" by others. His introspective journey reveals a unique perspective on luck and self-identity, challenging conventional notions of success and fortune. As he navigates his life, readers are invited to explore themes of perception, resilience, and the personal definitions of luck.