“Consider the
Fork” is a work of technological history. One doesn’t normally think of how technology
relates to food, but not all technology is computers. Sticking a piece of meat
on a stick over an open fire is using technology. Cutting that meat is using
technology. Wilson takes us from that open fire, through cooking containers
which enabled foods to be cooked with liquid- which allowed people with bad or
no teeth to eat and survive- right on up to the cutting edge kitchen tools like
the sous vide machine.
Every change in
food technology changed how people lived. Refrigerators allowed the keeping of
perishable foods; people didn’t have to shop every day and there could be
leftovers that were safe to eat. The turnspit- a rotisserie for roasting large
cuts of meat in an open hearth- created a breed of dog with the proper build
for going round in small circles turning said rotisserie. The fork (and chop
sticks) meant that foods needed to be in small pieces, which actually changed
how our teeth come together- we no longer had to pull meat off of larger pieces
with the strength of our jaws. Food technology touches the lives of every
single person and always has.
The book is
fascinating and a very fast read despite being filled with details. Wilson writes charmingly of domestic history
and science. It’s like visiting the kitchen of a really smart friend and
listening to her over tea and biscuits.
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