Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The narrator here has a funny way of pronouncing many words: "inventory" has an accent on the second syllable, and "scones" has no long vowel sound. That aside, the fork is not considered until the second half of the book, as a polticized prelude to the culture of chopsticks. (Forks were, at times, pro-Republican and anti-Christian.) Ahead of all that there is spoon, boiling puts, dogs in spit-turning wheels, and more.
Appliances, peelers, ice cream makers, and more, this is an excellent microhistory covering centuries of cultural change from the vantage point of the kitchen. However, it maybe should be called "Considering the History and Development of Appliances, Utensiles, and Kitchen Gadgets". :)
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