The World on a Plate (2003); Bubbler

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

BUBBLER

   Rhode Island claims "bubbler" as one of its local words.

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THE WORLD ON A PLATE:
A TOUR THROUGH THE HISTORY OF AMERICA'S ETHNIC CUISINE
by Joel Denker
Boulder, CO: Westview Press
196 pages, hardcover, $24
2003

   Just as Hillary Clinton "has written the book" on the Clinton years, Joel
Denker "has written the book" on America's ethnic cuisine.  I retire.
   The back cover has "Praise for THE WORLD ON A PLATE" from Joan Nathan,
Jane & Michael Stern, Betty Fussell, and Elisabeth Rozin, and all say that this
slim book is the greatest thing since orgasms.  Did they read this book at all?
   Pg. 4:  "_The World on a Plate_ does not pretend to be a complete or
exhaustive account of this vast subject.  Nor does it offer a seamless history or a
chronological narrative of the development of ethnic food.  I have chosen
instead to offer tantalizing tastes of the food experiences of seven ethnic
groups, past and present."
   I un-retire.
   On this limited basis, the book is still not worth $24 and the title is
very misleading, but it's OK.  Most interesting is "SOURCES" on pages 163-185,
which can take you to things such as Andrew F. Smith's "Tacos, Enchiladas, and
Refried Beans: The Invention of Mexican-American Cookery."  On the hot dog, it
cites the National Hot Dog and Sausages Council's web site and Bruce Kraig's
work, but not COMMENTS ON ETYMOLOGY.  No one cites COMMENTS ON ETYMOLOGY.
   The seven chapters are:
1.  That's Amore: Italian Food in America
2.  From the Fertile Crescent: Yoghurt Peddlers and Falafel Kings
3.  "Cheezborga, Cheezborga, Cheezborga, No Coke, Pepsi": The Greek
Restaurant Odyssey
4.  The "Heartburn of Nostalgia": Jewish Food in America
5.  From Chow Mein to Singapore Noodle: Inventing Chinese Food
6.  Currying Favor: Indian and Pakistani Food
7.  Papaya and Plantain: Latin Cooking in America
   "Pizza" is on page 62.  We learn: "In Connecticut, the Italians, who began
opening pizza shops in the 1920s, dominated the trade until the mid-1950s."
That's it.  Yep, it's all here.
   Chop suey?  Pg. 97:  "The most famous Chinese food tales concern the
invention of chop suey.  Li Hung Chang, an envoy of the Chinese emperor, became
infatuated with the dish during a visit to America in 1896.  In various tellings,
he enjoyed the dish either at a banquet or at a New York Chinatown
restaurant; in either case, he relished a dinner that cooks whipped up from leftover
bits of meat and vegetables."  Yes, "chop suey" was invented in 1896.
   Maybe Joan Nathan, Jane & Michael Stern, Betty Fussell, and Elisabeth
Rozin have never had orgasms?