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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until August 07, 2027

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Singular, Fiery, Smoky: A Food History of the U.S.-Mexican War

Turner, James Frank, IV
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9992-8428
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1657825065990404

Abstract Details

2022, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
This project, the first dissertation on foodways during the U.S.-Mexico War, reconstructs Anglo-American soldiers’ experiences with Mexican comestibles. By employing food history’s theoretical framework, this dissertation will argue that Anglo-American soldiers’ experiences with Mexican foodways reflected cultural norms within their own society. In particular, these exchanges illustrated antebellum U.S. cultural perceptions of animal life, ethnicity, gender, race, and the senses. At the same time, their observations varied on a personal level. Some troops readily embraced Mexican foodways, comparing these exotic foods to familiar Anglo-American victuals. Others, viewing Mexico’s cookery as foreign and uncivilized, disliked the country’s provender or regarded it with indifference, consuming Mexican foods solely out of desperation. Still others gradually developed an appreciation for Mexican foodways, finding edibles that satisfied their Anglo-American taste preferences. This dissertation will arrive at three conclusions. First, it will show that American soldiers’ experiences with Mexican foodways could impact their pre-existing cultural mores. Second, it will demonstrate that American soldiers, in their food-related exchanges with Mexicans, developed new ideas about the country’s people. Specifically, it will determine that American soldiers who showed openness to Mexican foodways tended to exhibit more favorable attitudes towards Mexicans. Finally, this dissertation will conclude that American soldiers’ perceptions of Mexico’s foodways improved over time, coinciding with a more enlightened opinion of the Mexican people.
Joan Cashin (Committee Chair)
John Brooke (Committee Member)
Randolph Roth (Committee Member)
Leslie Lockett (Other)
253 p.
History
U.S.-Mexican War, Antebellum U.S., Military History, Food History

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Turner, IV, J. F. (2022). Singular, Fiery, Smoky: A Food History of the U.S.-Mexican War [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1657825065990404

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Turner, IV, James. Singular, Fiery, Smoky: A Food History of the U.S.-Mexican War. 2022. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1657825065990404.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Turner, IV, James. "Singular, Fiery, Smoky: A Food History of the U.S.-Mexican War." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1657825065990404

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1657825065990404
© 2022, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12