Food: "American Eats" the Series

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"American Eats" the Series
Sunday, September 24, 2006

By J.L. Soto

"American Eats" made its debut on the History Channel this summer after the popularity of the two specials from that channel "American Eats: History on a Bun" and "Amercian Eats: More History on a Bun." For those who don't know these specials were devoted to the history of assorted fast foods and celebrated their popularity. An example of topics that were covered was the origin of pizza in the U.S. and the rise of related franchise chains like Pizza Hut and Domino's.

The show follows the same formula as the specials which is pretty basic; a quick intro to the food item followed by its origins and, if invented overseas, how it was introduced to America. Then usually some entrepreneur comes along and popularizes the food and it finishes with the food's status today. According to the History Channel's website for the show it's "a celebration of the foods we love and the remarkable stories behind them."

Episodes shown so far have covered pizza, cookies, chocolate, beer, condiments and hot dogs, among others. As a food lover, I'll have to say that the show does a good job of piquing my interest which is remarkable since I don't usually watch shows about food. It also provides little known facts about said foods. For example, in the show about pizza, it was revealed that in celebration of its 100th anniversary, Lombardi's in New York (reputed by most to be the first pizzeria in America) sold pies for five cents each. Another example was that chocolate was originally a prized drink like coffee whose recipe was a closely guarded secret in Europe. Also the cocoa beans that make chocolate are still an expensive item which is why milk chocolate is used by many manufacturers.

The early segments of the foods' origins are the best part of the show since the story behind them are interesting and well presented. Either they're happy accidents, as was the case with the chocolate chip cookie in that the store owner was trying to bake an all-chocolate cookie with milk chocolate chips but misjudged the melting temperature. Or they're brought on by necessity like with the formula for Hershey's chocolate. In this case, Milton Hershey was unable to find out from the Swiss how to make milk chocolate and was forced to experiment until he came up with a suitable formula that has a slightly sour taste from the milk he utilized.

Nostalgia buffs should enjoy the middle segments that feature beloved food commercials and ads though in some cases the show goes overboard. For instance, in the show about hot dogs an entire segment was devoted to how the jingle "I Wish I Was an Oscar Meyer Wiener" was born. It went on too long and gave the impression that the show was running out of material.

That is a valid criticism about the series. Many times the episodes start to drag roughly three quarters of the way through them. In the show about cookies, the last fifteen minutes was spent on a manufacturing plant that makes cookies for various clients like Paul Newman and it just felt like flat filler. Maybe the show would work better as a half hour series with two-part episodes that warrant the additional time.

Another complaint about the show is that some subjects are left out. With the same show about cookies, the Oreo is barely mentioned which is surprising given its popularity. In the episode "Salty Snack" (devoted to foods like popcorn and chips) the pretzel is left out completely though I think that qualifies as a salty snack. True it was covered in the old specials but so were other foods that warranted an episode. This also happens in the "Condiments" episode when time is spent on hot pepper sauce while mayonnaise is never covered.

Being that the show is still new, it will take some time for it to work out its unevenness. But for the most part "American Eats" sets out to do what it promises, to give a nostalgic look back at some of our more popular foods. It does show viewers in an entertaining way what went into the creation of these foods and it has a side effect whenever I watch it. I get an urge for that item, which isn't always a good thing for some who are trying to diet.

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