Americans spoon it out of the jar, eat it in sandwiches by itself or with its bread-fellow jelly, and devour it with foods ranging from celery and raisins ("ants on a log") to a grilled sandwich with bacon and bananas (the classic "Elvis"). Peanut butter is used to flavor candy, ice cream, cookies, cereal, and a wide variety of other foods. It is a deeply ingrained staple of American childhood and cuisine. Creamy and Crunchy features the stories of Jif, Skippy, and Peter Pan; the resurgence of natural or old-fashioned peanut butter; the five ways today's product is different from the original; the plight of black peanut farmers; the role of peanut butter in fighting Third-World hunger; and the Salmonella outbreaks of 2007 and 2009. The story of peanut butter is the story of twentieth-century America, and Jon Krampner writes its first popular history, rich with anecdotes and facts culled from interviews, research, travels in the peanut-growing regions of the South, and recipes.
Preface Acknowledgments 1. Peanuts 101 2. The Social Rise of the Peanut 3. The Birth of Peanut Butter 4. Peter Pan: "Improved by Hydrogenation" 5. How Peter Pan Lost Its Groove 6. Skippy: "He Made His First Jar of Peanut Butter in His Garage" 7. Skippy on Top 8. Jif: "But Is It Still Peanut Butter?" 9. "Choosy Mothers Choose ..." 10. Peanut Butter Goes International 11. The Music of Peanut Butter 12. Deaf Smith: What's Old-Fashioned Is New Again 13. The Rise and Fall of the Florunner 14. The Peanut Butter Crisis of 1980 15. "You Mean It's Not Good for Me?" 16. The Short, Happy Life of Sorrells Pickard 17. Peanut Corporation of America: "There Was No Red Flag" 18. Peanut Butter Saves the World 19. Where Are the Peanut Butters of Yesteryear? Appendix 1. Author's Recommendations Appendix 2. Peanut Butter Time Line Notes Index
Jon Krampner is the author of The Man in the Shadows: Fred Coe and the Golden Age of Television and Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley. He received an A.B. in English literature from Occidental College and an M.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Los Angeles. Web site: www.creamyandcrunchy.comE-mail: pbj@creamyandcrunchy.comTwitter: @pbj06
Jon Krampner's Creamy and Crunchy is a delightful book about America's most popular nut butter and sandwich spread. It is action-packed, peopled with medical professionals and corporate giants, captains of industry and hard-hitting advertisers, vegetarians and health-food advocates, and farmers and peanut-butter lovers. It is a well-written, fast-paced, surprising tale about the delicious food we thought we knew. One nibble, and you can't stop reading! -- Andrew F. Smith, editor in chief, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America As a peanut-butter aficionado, I found this an excellent, convincing book written in a casual, journalistic, almost folksy style that cleverly disguises the real research done for it. -- Noel Riley Fitch, author of Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child Creamy and Crunchy is a witty, encyclopedic history of one of America's most iconic processed foods. It is chock-full of fun facts and surprising insights into the way we eat today. -- Aaron Bobrow-Strain, author of White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf Enjoyable and informative. -- Jon Michaud New Yorker well written and at times very witty... -- Justin Peters Washington Monthly A great book has been born. Yum.fi A comprehensive and entertaining account of peanut butter and how this popular food assumed its place in American food culture... This informal, folksy discussion will likely appeal to curious consumers and those interested in the history of food. Library Journal Jon Krampner is a wonderful guide to the many paradoxes of this all-American food... -- Bee Wilson Times Literary Supplement A lively and entertaining book. -- Rob Hardy The Columbus Dispatch Creamy and Crunchy is the definitive history of this scrumptious staple, an entertaining and informative read. The Past in Review ...an enjoyable, interesting overview of an important part of American culture...highly recomended. Choice charming and entertaining -- Tim Sullivan Harvard Business Review Krampner's fascinating history of peanut butter is loaded with anecdotes and tidbits, drama and humor. The Sacramento Bee
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