Political Gastronomy: Food and Authority in the English Atlantic World

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

P O L I T I C A L G A S T R O N O M Y EARLY AMERICAN STUDIES Series editors: Daniel K. Richter, Kathleen M. Brown, Max Cavitch, and David Waldstreicher Exploring neglected aspects of our colonial, revolutionary, and early national history and culture, Early American Studies reinterprets familiar themes and events in fresh ways. Interdisciplinary in character, and with a special emphasis on the period from about 1600 to 1850, the series is published in partnership with the McNeil Center for Early American Studies. A complete list of books in the series is available from the publisher. POLITICAL GASTRONOMY Food and Authority in the English Atlantic World Michael A. LaCombe university of pennsylvania press phil adelphia Copyright © 2012 University of Pennsylvania Press All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of review or scholarly citation, none of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher. Published by University of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112 www.upenn.edu/pennpress Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data LaCombe, Michael A. Political gastronomy : food and authority in the English Atlantic world / Michael A. LaCombe. — 1st ed. p. cm. — (Early American studies) Includes bibliographical references ad index. ISBN 978-0-8122-4418-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. North America—History—Colonial period, ca. 1600–1775. 2. Food—Political aspects—North America—History. 3. Great Britain—Colonies—America —History—17th century. 4. Great Britain—Colonies —America—Social conditions. 5. Colonists—North America—Attitudes 6. Indians of North America— Food—Political aspects. 7. Indians of North America— First contact with Europeans. I. Title. II. Series: Early American studies E46.L33 2012 973.2—dc23 2011045999 For Christa, Sophia, and Vivian This page intentionally left blank The table constitutes a kind of tie between the bargainer and the bargained-with, and makes the diners more willing to receive certain impressions, to submit to certain influences: from this is born political gastronomy. Meals have become a means of governing, and the fate of whole peoples is decided at a banquet. —Jean Anthèlme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, or, Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy, trans. M. F. K. Fisher This page intentionally left blank ...