Search all library resources

Que vivan los tamales! : food and the making of Mexican identity

Food in world history

The second edition of this concise survey offers a comparative and comprehensive study of culinary cultures and food politics throughout the world, from ancient times to the present day. It examines the long history of globalization of foods as well as the political, social, and environmental implications of our changing relationship with food, showing how hunger and taste have been driving forces in human history. Including numerous case studies from diverse societies and periods, Food in World History explores such questions as: * What social factors have historically influenced culinary globalization? * How did early modern plantations establish patterns for modern industrial food production? * Were eighteenth-century food riots comparable to contemporary social movements around food? * Did Italian and Chinese migrant cooks sacrifice authenticity to gain social acceptance in the Americas? * Have genetically modified foods fulfilled the promises made by proponents? This new edition includes expanded discussions of gender and the family, indigeneity, and the politics of food. Expanded chapters on contemporary food systems and culinary pluralism examine debates over the concentration of corporate control over seeds and marketing, authenticity and exoticism within the culinary tourism industry, and the impact of social media on restaurants and home cooks.

Cantinflas and the chaos of Mexican modernity

Cantinflas and the Chaos of Mexican Modernity is a revealing probe into the life and times of Mario Moreno, Latin America's most famous film star from the 1940s to the 1970s. This book helps to illuminate the social and cultural history of twentieth-century Mexico. Cantinflas (Moreno's film persona) was the most popular movie star in Mexican history. A fast-talking, nonsensical character, he helped Mexicans embrace their rich mestizo identity and cope with the difficulties of modernization. For thirty years he served as a weapon of the weak, satirizing corrupt officials and pompous elites who victimized Mexico's urban poor. This is a valuable text for courses on Mexican history and Latin American film.Why was Cantinflas, actor Mario Moreno's film persona, the most popular movie star in Mexican history? Was it because every Mexican - rich or poor, Creole or Indian, man or woman, young or old - could identify with him? A fast-talking, nonsensical character, Cantinflas helped Mexicans embrace their rich mestizo identity and cope with the difficulties of modernization. For 30 years he served as a "weapon of the weak", satirizing corrupt officials and pompous elites who victimized Mexico's urban poor. This account probes the life and times of Mario Moreno, Latin America's most famous film star from the 1940s to the 1970s.