EP 65 How America Eats: Voices of the People who Satisfy our Hometown Appetites

Giving voice, using our voice, and listening are key to community building. Leigh and Kim explore how the art of sharing recipes can give voice to a nation, as they discuss how Clementine Paddleford documented the voices that satisfy hometown appetites in her seminal cookbook, How America Eats.

All Who Wander…

Join us on a journey with Clementine Paddleford and her seminal cookbook, How America Eats. Kim and Leigh discuss how sharing recipes can give voice to a nation, by highlighting Clem’s remarkable achievement of collecting regional recipes through her extensive travels -  800,000 miles of travel! 

To both of us, How America Eats is a culinary masterpiece that deserves a place on every American cookbook shelf. Though sadly, due unfortunate events and dare we say poor timing she has been overshadowed by other prominent food writers like Julia Child, M.F.K. Fisher, and James Beard. 

From a small town, teenage journalist to Paddleford's successful career as the food editor of the New York Herald Tribune where her weekly column reached an estimated readership of 12 million people, we discuss her accomplishments, codification of regional cuisine, and impact on food writing.

Authenticity v Accuracy - yep, that topic again

If you’ve listened to any of our podcasts, you know that this is a food touchstone topic for both of us. And this episode is no different. Clementine gives us some great fodder to engage in a thought-provoking discussion about the concept of authenticity versus accuracy in cooking. We explore how cooking at home and experimenting with different cuisines may not always prioritize strict authenticity. Instead, we believe that home cooks are more concerned with satisfaction, enjoyment and maybe a bit of entertainment as well as exploring new flavors and relishing the cooking process.

To that end, we ask a thought provoking question about authenticity and accuracy when it comes to cooking. 

In the End

What we would really love for you to do after listening to the podcast is go out and get this cookbook. Let’s all celebrate the accomplishments of Clementine Paddleford by listening to the voices that she so thoughtfully recorded as she documented How America Eats. 

Sources We Found Helpful for this Episode 

Hometown Appetites by Kelly Alexander and Cynthia Harris

Clementine Paddleford: The Badass Lady Pilot Who Revolutionized the Art of Food Writing

Clementine Paddleford’s ‘How America Eats’ Chronicled the Tastes of a Nation

Books We Think You’ll  Enjoy Reading

How America Eats by Clementine Paddleford

A Flower for my Mother by Clementine Paddleford

Hometown Appetites by Kelly Alexander and Cynthia Harris

Recipes You Really Need to Try

Episodes We Think You’ll Like

EP 43 Food Pioneers: Life and Career Highlights of People Who Make Food Great

EP 55 Refinding Home: Edna Lewis, The Taste of Country Cooking, and Me

EP 64 Recipes for Cookouts and Culture Identity

Transcript

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