Red Meat Republic: A Hoof-to-Table History of How Beef Changed America (Histories of Economic Life)
How beef conquered America and gave rise to the modern industrial food complex By the late nineteenth century, Americans rich and poor had come to expect high-quality fresh beef with almost every meal. Beef production in the United States had gone from small-scale, localized operations to a highly centralized industry spanning the country, with cattle bred on ranches in …
Uncorked quenches our curiosity about the inner workings of one of the world’s most prized beverages. Esteemed for its freshness, vitality, and sensuality, champagne is a wine of great complexity. Mysteries aplenty gush forth with the popping of that cork. Just what is that fizz? Can you judge champagne quality by how big the bubbles are, how …
Tea has been one of the most popular commodities in the world. Over centuries, profits from its growth and sales funded wars and fueled colonization, and its cultivation brought about massive changes–in land use, labor systems, market practices, and social hierarchies–the effects of which are with us even today. A Thirst for Empire takes a vast and in-depth …