Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 244
Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-1-4422-7101-2 • Hardback • April 2019 • $38.00 • (£24.95)
978-1-4422-7102-9 • eBook • April 2019 • $36.00 • (£24.95)
Julia Skinner, PhD, is a food historian, chef, visual artist, and cultural heritage professional. She is Director of Root, a food history and community building organization, and a professional fermenter. She has authored numerous articles and books across several academic disciplines, and has served as Editor for several academic and trade publications, including her current position at Parenthesis.
Introduction
Chapter One: A Tradition is Born
Chapter Two: The Empire and the Teacup
Chapter Three: Afternoon tea in the postcolonial world
Chapter Four: The present and future of afternoon tea
Conclusion
Under its appealing cookbook cover, this volume by food writer Skinner is a sociocultural history of afternoon tea—as an established Western meal and a social performance—in the wake of the previous books in the "Meals" series, such as Barbecue (CH, Mar'15, 52-3628) or Brunch (CH, Jan'15, 52-2619). Skinner debunks widely held anecdotes about the tradition's invention and its etiquette and codification. . . . The author underlines how changeable the custom has been—as well as the ways in which its gendered origin as a private social gathering for women, its intersections with national identity, and its class perceptions were responsible for its waxing and waning popularity.— CHOICE