The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation

by David Kamp

I have to start by pointing out that the subtitle of this book is a wee bit deceptive. I might change it to something like, “Who Helped Us to Become a Gourmet Nation.”

Why? Because this is more of a “who” than a “how” book. Really, it’s all about the food people (mostly chefs) who changed our nation into a gourmet nation. From Julia Child, James Beard, and Craig Claiborne to Wolfgang Puck and Emeril, this tome is a who’s who of American cuisine. Some of it is interesting, and some of it is not. Kamp devotes a lot of time to Alice Waters and Chez Panisse. All I can say about that is: I’ve never heard of her, and I don’t care to read about her. I enjoyed the more interesting or quirky stories, such as the stories behind Dean & DeLuca, Williams-Sonoma, etc.

Mostly, I wish that Kamp had written more about the food and its evolution and less about the people.

8/30/10