The Life of Cheese: Crafting Food and Value in America (Volume 41) (California Studies in Food and Culture) Paperback – December 10, 2012 by Heather Paxson (Author)

Description

Cheese is alive, and alive with meaning. Heather Paxson’s beautifully written anthropological study of American artisanal cheesemaking tells the story of how craftwork has become a new source of cultural and economic value for producers as well as consumers. Dairy farmers and artisans inhabit a world in which their colleagues and collaborators are a wild cast of characters, including plants, animals, microorganisms, family members, employees, and customers. As “unfinished” commodities, living products whose qualities are not fully settled, handmade cheeses embody a mix of new and old ideas about taste and value. By exploring the life of cheese, Paxson helps rethink the politics of food, land, and labor today. Read more

Review “[The Life of Cheese] offers a unique glimpse of people who have taken food-making into their own hands. “ ― Mit-Ejmes Published On: 2013-01-02“The Life of Cheese is one way to better understand that food is never just a thing to put in your mouth.” ― Scientific American Published On: 2013-01-02“Both scholarly and accessible, the book profiles people who make cheese and delves into the science, art, politics, and culture, as it were, of these artisan products.” ― Boston Globe Book Section Published On: 2013-03-19“A first rate read in understanding how and where our food comes from, and the artisanal life.” ― Gothic Epicures Writing Published On: 2013-04-02“For those who are true cheese aficionados and fascinated by its culture, this is the book for you.” — Aron Row ― City Book Review Published On: 2013-02-21 From the Inside Flap “Paxson’s book, like her subject matter, is lively, evocative, and masterfully crafted.”–Susanne Freidberg, author of Fresh: A Perishable History”Through vivid storytelling, Heather Paxson advances a post-pastoral food ethos that reconsiders contemporary beliefs about America’s food commerce and culture, reimagines our relationship to the natural world, and redefines how we make, eat, and appreciate food. For cheese aficionados, activists, and food scholars alike, reading The Life of Cheese will be a transformative experience.”–Amy Trubek, author of The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir”The Life of Cheese is the definitive work on America’s artisanal food revolution. Heather Paxson’s engaging stories are as rich, sharp, and well-grounded as the product she scrutinizes. A must read for anyone interested in fostering a sustainable food system.”–Warren Belasco, author of Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food”This vivid ethnography of contemporary artisan cheesemakers explores both the labor of hand crafting and the moral overtones of this calling. For those who participate, ‘the life of cheese’ is indeed a calling in the spiritual or philosophic sense, entailing a journey through the biopolitical world of agribusiness, bacterial cultures, and the FDA. After reading this book, visiting a cheese counter will never be the same!”–Theodore C. Bestor, author of Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World”Anyone who loves cheese will find The Life of Cheese a fascinating read, illuminating layers of meaning in the artisan cheese revival that are rich and complex, like the flavors and textures of cheese itself. Heather Paxson is simultaneously documentarian and theoretician in her explorations of cheesemaking and its values, culture, socio-economics, and ‘microbiopolitics.'”–Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation and Wild Fermentation From the Back Cover “Paxson’s book, like her subject matter, is lively, evocative, and masterfully crafted.”―Susanne Freidberg, author of Fresh: A Perishable History“Through vivid storytelling, Heather Paxson advances a post-pastoral food ethos that reconsiders contemporary beliefs about America’s food commerce and culture, reimagines our relationship to the natural world, and redefines how we make, eat, and appreciate food. For cheese aficionados, activists, and food scholars alike, reading The Life of Cheese will be a transformative experience.”―Amy Trubek, author of The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir“The Life of Cheese is the definitive work on America’s artisanal food revolution. Heather Paxson’s engaging stories are as rich, sharp, and well-grounded as the product she scrutinizes. A must read for anyone interested in fostering a sustainable food system.”―Warren Belasco, author of Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food“This vivid ethnography of contemporary artisan cheesemakers explores both the labor of hand crafting and the moral overtones of this calling. For those who participate, ‘the life of cheese’ is indeed a calling in the spiritual or philosophic sense, entailing a journey through the biopolitical world of agribusiness, bacterial cultures, and the FDA. After reading this book, visiting a cheese counter will never be the same!”―Theodore C. Bestor, author of Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World“Anyone who loves cheese will find The Life of Cheese a fascinating read, illuminating layers of meaning in the artisan cheese revival that are rich and complex, like the flavors and textures of cheese itself. Heather Paxson is simultaneously documentarian and theoretician in her explorations of cheesemaking and its values, culture, socio-economics, and ‘microbiopolitics.’”―Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation and Wild Fermentation About the Author Heather Paxson, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, author of Making Modern Mothers: Ethics and Family Planning in Urban Greece (UC Press). Read more

Refund and Returns Policy

Due to the nature of digital products, pdfTextbook does not offer refunds or returns  for this product and all sales are final. please contact our customer service team before your purchase at [email protected].