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Scoff
Scoff: A History of Food and Class in Britain | Pen Vogler
7 posts | 3 read | 8 to read
'Sharp, rich and superbly readable... Fascinating' Sunday Times 'A brilliant romp of a book.' Jay Rayner 'An absolute gem.' Regula Ysewijn The entertaining story of British cuisine and the hidden role it plays in our political, social and cultural lives. Avocado or beans on toast? Gin or claret? Nut roast or game pie? Milk in first or milk in last? And do you have tea, dinner or supper in the evening? In this fascinating social history of food in Britain, Pen Vogler examines the origins of our eating habits and reveals how they are loaded with centuries of class prejudice. Covering such topics as fish and chips, roast beef, avocados, tripe, fish knives and the surprising origins of breakfast, Scoff reveals how in Britain we have become experts at using eating habits to make judgements about social background. Bringing together evidence from cookbooks, literature, artworks and social records from 1066 to the present, Vogler traces the changing fortunes of the food we encounter today, and unpicks the aspirations and prejudices of the people who have shaped our cuisine for better or worse. 'With commendable appetite and immense attention to detail Pen Vogler skewers the enduring relationship between class and food in Britain. A brilliant romp of a book that gets to the very heart of who we think we are, one delicious dish at a time.' Jay Rayner
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review
jenniferw88
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Pickpick

The only reason this isn't 5 stars is that some of the chapters are slower than others.

#pop22 #cutleryoncoverorintitle
#52books52weeks #technologythemed (a bit of a stretch but then we never used to use forks, we used bread and knives, so I'd say that was a technological improvement!)

@Cinfhen @alisiakae @KarenUK @Cortg @Megabooks @Laughterhp @squirrelbrain @RaeLovesToRead

Cinfhen Agreed!!! Creative interpretation 👍🏽😁 1y
jenniferw88 Meant to say two things in my review. 1) It would work for #booked2023 about a pandemic, because it was written during lockdown and the author mentions it a few times @Cinfhen @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage . 2) Quite a few mentions of Jane Austen's novels #PemberLittens @sprainedbrain . 1y
Cortg Nice job! 1y
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readingjedi
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Pickpick

This commentary discusses how and why the socio-economical and the gastronomical intersect in Britain in short, easy to digest (pun intended) chapters. It covers the contentious issue of what the evening meal is called (tea, obviously) as well as specific foods (cornish pasty, white bread) and other aspects of food/eating such as meal times and implements used. It's interesting rather than fascinating, thorough rather than in depth but good fun.

everlocalwest Uncultured America swine here, but tea is the evening meal?? I thought tea was equivalent to an afternoon snack that was just like literally tea and toast, but you're saying tea is dinner? *mindblown* 2y
readingjedi It's very much a class AND regional thing in England. I grew up working class & had breakfast, dinner (at noon) and tea (5, 6ish in the evening). As I got older I encountered people who had breakfast, lunch and dinner - they were "posh"! Really posh folks have supper - to me that's a cup of tea and a biscuit before bed! There's a north-south divide as well - tea is used more in the North. 2y
73 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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readingjedi
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Starting the tagged book today - quite appropriate really as I've spent the last few weeks doing mostly scoffing!

Also testing out my new book stamp. Can't quite get it right - too much pressure & it loses detail, too little pressure & the letters are patchy. This attempt had too much ink and has spread - frustrating 😤

thegirlwiththelibrarybag Is it a rubber stamp that you press into an ink pad or a self inking one? 2y
readingjedi It's one with an ink pad - the one it came with seems a bit too inky! 2y
perfectsinner I have a book stamp, too! Haven't tagged a ton of my books yet, though. It feels daunting to take everything off the shelf, stamp it, and put it back 🤣 2y
DivineDiana It is a lovely stamp! 2y
54 likes4 comments
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shanaqui

This is surprisingly slow going for me, I thought I'd be riveted. And I am *interested*, but not totally fascinated. Ah well.

The section about Cornish pasties gave me cravings, though. Gah.

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shanaqui

Just getting started on this. Feeling like a bad British person because I don't recognize the "unmistakable" class symbols the writer talks about...

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readingjedi
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Got this one for free on my Waterstones loyalty card. I really loved Taste: The Story of Britain Through its Cooking by Kate Colquhoun so I couldn't resist this one.

Sadly it has to go to the bottom of my physical TBR pile - luckily it's a mercifully small pile compared to the behemoth that is my eTBR so I should get round to it within a year. Or so.

Tamra Looks fun! 3y
72 likes1 comment
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shanaqui
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After a no-spend January, now my indulgence is here! A bunch of books for my random new urge to deep-dive onto food-related microhistories, a book club book, three books featuring post/mail to review for Postcrossing, and a f/f romance that sounded cute. It's quite the mixture, to be sure!