The Tastemakers: Why We're Crazy For Cupcakes But Fed Up With Fondue (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
Misleading promises.I got this book because of what I read in the introduction - the author wanted to figure out why some foods become trendy, how that happens, who are the people that make it happen, what is the impact, and what happens to industries when the food is no longer trendy. As someone who works in the food and nutrition industry (on the health side), I was really curious to see his journalistic investigation into these questions. However, instead of a comprehensive narrative, the story is divided by foods. He tells very long and drawn out stories of how specific items became popular, biographies of the people that made them so, but he does not draw any comparisons between the stories, nor does he draw any conclusions from their similarities and differences.I read the whole book waiting for those conclusions, but instead all I got was the biography of a lot of restaurant makers. The questions are still unanswered. Well researched and rendered in high octane, humorous prose, but Sax is mostly an uncritical enthusiast for the energetic lunacy of food trends. Though he acknowledges the environmental and nutritional consequences of profit-driven food economy, overall he believes "Food trends represent capitalism at its finest." Not so sure about that myself, but this is a good read with lots of astute reporting.
What do You think about The Tastemakers: Why We're Crazy For Cupcakes But Fed Up With Fondue (2014)?
A good inside look at the global food industry, for the curious.
—suzy
An interesting look into food trends and their causes.
—shareen_08
an interesting take behind the scene on food trends.
—Heather
A must read for foodies and food bloggers.
—smurfytinkerbell
