Reviewed by: Food Studies in Latin American Literature: Perspectives on the Gastro-Narrative by Rocío Del Águila and Vanesa Miseres Lara Anderson Del Águila, Rocío and Vanesa Miseres. Food Studies in Latin American Literature:Perspectives on the Gastro-Narrative. U of Arkansas P, 2021. 280 pp. ISBN: 978-1-68226-181-1. Food Studies in Latin American Literature is a welcome addition to the growing fields of Iberian, Latin American and Hispanic Cultural Food Studies/Food Studies. This volume offers many strong chapters, which look at topics such as culinary fusion at the time of colonialism, nineteenth-century modernity and transnational foodways, gender and food consumption, as well as issues pertaining to food writing. The aim of the introduction is mainly clear and well argued, that is to show how the different chapters are linked to key moments of Latin American history and Latin America literature. Although the authors state that gastro-narrative is both object of study and methodology, I would suggest that the term gastro-criticism, a recognised [End Page 157] subcategory of socio/cultural-criticism, be also used to describe the study's methodology. It is not clear how all the chapters and/or food texts fall under the rubric of literature since some are recipe books, commentary, advertising, and chronicles. If the aim of the current volume is indeed to understand the essence of Latin American literary food studies, then the focus of this study should be just on literature rather than other cultural texts as well. The texts could be described as food texts, literary or otherwise which make up Latin American Food Cultural Studies and are part of a body of texts that take part in the creation and or subversion of identities and mapping of food and foodways onto the continent. Part 1 focuses on indigenous traditions, food legacies and exchanges starting from the time of colonialism, Part 2 on 19th century food cultures, Part 3 on gender and food, and Part 4 on food writing. Chapter 1 offers a fascinating account of how the Crown used food to control the Andeans, yet there were often ways of subverting hegemonic food discourse with indigenous writings that reflected a deep pride in native cuisine. Chapter 2 which focuses on the potato has lots of fascinating material but is too broad in its focus which includes chronicles, songs, and drawings from the early modern period to film prose and poetry from the contemporary Peruvian and Chilean contexts. Chapter 3's discussion of the culinary word of Sor Juana is most fascinating and provides insight into the material culture of New Spain. Her recipes which evince a mix of European, Arab-Andalusian, and Mesoamerican culinary traditions are cultural reflections of the time and demonstrate how food texts most often transcend the kitchen. She also upturns gender dictates in her fusion of cuisine and philosophy. Chapter 4 which starts Part 2 provides a most interesting discussion of how food changed in Mexico and Peru in the 19th century because of waves of migration. Food in this context was used to show class status and domestic imported foods was one of the ways to enhance status. Chapter 5 shows how male travel writing was replete with reactions of disgust in the face of food that was considered inedible thereby reinforcing the racist logic of colonialism which was based on white male supremacy. And in a similar fashion Chapter 6 describes Eduarda Mansilla's trip to New York during which she wrote travel literature with a multitude of references to how bad American food was, she judges American eating habits poorly indeed. I have written a great deal about the potential for food to act divisively during times of conflict or intercultural conflict and these negative descriptions of other people's food culture reminds us that we must find ways of using food as a force of good. Chapter 7 provides a fascinating account of homemaking in 1950's Mexico showing how through the food discourse they read or consumed, housewives were instructed in the uptake of modernization and mestizaje, deemed as superior to traditional indigenous culinary traditions. Chapter 8 focuses on Rosario Castellano's...
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Sep 30, 2024
Chan-Chia Hsu + 2
Open Access