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Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food

2007; Wiley; Volume: 40; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1540-5931.2007.00486.x

1540-5931

Trevor J. Blank,

Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development

Warren Belasco. Berkeley: University of California Press , 2006 . In his preface, Warren Belasco makes a poignant understatement: “Food is important. In fact, nothing is more basic” (vii). Given that food is our most basic need, we humans have a long history of worrying about our future food supply. With Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food, Warren Belasco, Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, provides an in-depth analysis of the history of ideas about the future of food that is sure to entertain and educate. Belasco opens Meals to Come with “Debating the Future of Food: The Battle of the Think Tanks,” which examines two hundred years of anxiety-inducing debates propagated by the food policy establishment—the predominately male, Anglo-American “think tanks” that have heightened concern over the future of the world's food supply. In times of uncertainty, food has become a central concern for the sustainability of human life and naturally has been a focus of those entrusted to prevent a future reminiscent of Soylent Green (1973). Belasco astutely informs readers of the cyclical patterns of food security anxiety, arguing that many of these debates occurred during times of increased birth rates, demographic and migratory change, and food price inflation. Part two, “Imagining the Future of Food,” examines the portrayal of ideas about the future of food in speculative fiction. He surveys several visionary texts, such as Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward (1889), Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932), and H. G. Wells' literary classics: The Time Machine (1895), The War of the Worlds (1898), When the Sleeper Awakes (1899), and A Modern Utopia (1905). Belasco also notes the continuities and discontinuities in more contemporary pieces like Robert Block's This Crowded Earth (1968), Marge Piercy's Women on the Edge of Time (1976), and T. C. Boyle's A Friend of the Earth (2000). He keenly contrasts the utopian and dystopian depictions of the future of food portrayed in these texts. While all of Meals to Come is fascinating, popular culture scholars will be particularly interested in the discussion of three cornucopian future scenarios in part three, “Things to Come,” which surveys classical, modernist, and recombinant visions of the future. Drawing on case studies of World's Fairs, Disney's manifestations of the world of tomorrow, and NASA's space food, Belasco offers a riveting overview of how ideas about the future of food have evolved over time. He examines the historical contexts of ideas such as the meal-in-a-pill, instant food at the push of a button, and the role of the kitchen in futuristic forecasts, reminding us that these seemingly innovative ideas are nothing new. Readers who plunge into the bibliography and notes will be delighted with the breadth of literature that is highlighted, which may aid scholars in further study of food that is (or is not) to come. In short, Meals to Come is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of ideas about the future of food. Belasco's writing is thorough and captivating without being overbearing. The scope of this book is both broad and deep; and it is a bold and important contribution to food and future studies scholarship. Well-organized, brilliantly written, and thoroughly enjoyable to read, Meals to Come is sure to delight popular culture scholars, foodies, and any readers interested in food studies and futurism.