The Hamburger: A HistoryAmerica has run on hamburgers for almost a century. This is the story of their sizzle and their symbolism, where they came from and how they conquered the world. What do Americans think of when they think of the hamburger? A robust, succulent spheroid of fresh ground beef, the birthright of red-blooded citizens? Or a Styrofoam-shrouded Big Mac, mass-produced to industrial specifications and served by wage slaves to an obese, brainwashed population? Is it cooking or commodity? An icon of freedom or the quintessence of conformity? This fast-paced and entertaining book unfolds the immense significance of the hamburger as an American icon. Josh Ozersky shows how the history of the burger is entwined with American business and culture and, unexpectedly, how the burger's story is in many ways the story of the country that invented (and reinvented) it. Spanning the years from the nineteenth century with its waves of European immigrants to our own era of globalization, the book recounts how German "hamburg steak" evolved into hamburgers for the rising class of urban factory workers and how the innovations of the White Castle System and the McDonald's Corporation turned the burger into the Model T of fast food. The hamburger played an important role in America's transformation into a mobile, suburban culture, and today, America's favorite sandwich is nothing short of an irrepressible economic and cultural force. How this all happened, and why, is a remarkable story, told here with insight, humor, and gusto. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Agate American culture American food American Graffiti Anderson Andy Warhol barbecue become Big Boy Billy Ingram Bob Wian boom brand burger business burger chains Burger Chef Burger King carhops cars Castle's century cheap company’s cook corporate created Donald's dream drive-in entrepreneurs Eric Schlosser everything everywhere fast food Fast Food Nation Five-Cent Hamburger franchise fries Golden Arches griddle grill Hamburg steak hamburger business hamburger stand hamburger’s historian icon immense industry innovation Insta-Burger invented James McLamore Jeremy Rifkin ketchup Kroc's living Love machine McDon McDonald brothers McDonald's McLamore meat meat loaf Menches minced modern mustard onions operation Ozersky patty pop art Populuxe pork postwar profit prosperity Quoted Ray Kroc restaurant roast Ronald sandwich selling served sold Sonneborn standards story success symbol tea sandwiches teenagers television thing tion took Wendy’s White Castle System Wian York