| The Sausage Rebellion: Public Health, Private Enterprise, and Meat in Mexico City, 1890-1917 Contributor(s): Pilcher, Jeffrey M. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0826337961 ISBN-13: 9780826337962 Publisher: University of New Mexico Press OUR PRICE: $29.65 Product Type: Paperback Published: May 2006 Annotation: One of the great food fads of the 1980s, fajitas, brought widespread acclaim to Tex-Mex restaurants, but this novelty was simply the traditional Mexican method of preparing beef. Hispanic carne asada, thin cuts of freshly slaughtered meat cooked briefly on a hot grill, differed dramatically from thick Anglo-American steaks and roasts, which were aged to tenderize the meat. When investors sought to import the Chicago model of centralized meatpacking and refrigerated railroad distribution, these cultural preferences for freshness inspired widespread opposition by Mexican butchers and consumers alike, culminating in a veritable sausage rebellion. Through a detailed examination of meat provisioning, this book illuminates the process of industrialization in the final two decades of the Porfirio Daz dictatorship and the popular origins of the Revolution of 1910 in Mexico City. Archival sources from Mexico and the United States provide a unique perspective on high-level Porfirian negotiations with foreign investors. The book also examines revolutionary resistance, including strikes, industrial sabotage, and assassination attempts on the foreign managers. Unlike the meatpacking "Jungle" of Chicago, Mexican butchers succeeded in preserving their traditional craft. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Business & Economics | Industries - Agribusiness - Business & Economics | Government & Business - Technology & Engineering | Food Science - General |
| Dewey: 338.176 |
| LCCN: 2005022340 |
| Physical Information: 0.66" H x 6.36" W x 9.02" (0.88 lbs) 256 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 20th Century - Cultural Region - Latin America - Cultural Region - Mexican - Chronological Period - 19th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: One of the great food fads of the 1980s, fajitas, brought widespread acclaim to Tex-Mex restaurants, but this novelty was simply the traditional Mexican method of preparing beef. Hispanic carne asada, thin cuts of freshly slaughtered meat cooked briefly on a hot grill, differed dramatically from thick Anglo-American steaks and roasts, which were aged to tenderize the meat. When investors sought to import the Chicago model of centralized meatpacking and refrigerated railroad distribution, these cultural preferences for freshness inspired widespread opposition by Mexican butchers and consumers alike, culminating in a veritable sausage rebellion. Through a detailed examination of meat provisioning, this book illuminates the process of industrialization in the final two decades of the Porfirio D az dictatorship and the popular origins of the Revolution of 1910 in Mexico City. Archival sources from Mexico and the United States provide a unique perspective on high-level Porfirian negotiations with foreign investors. The book also examines revolutionary resistance, including strikes, industrial sabotage, and assassination attempts on the foreign managers. Unlike the meatpacking Jungle of Chicago, Mexican butchers succeeded in preserving their traditional craft. |
Contributor Bio(s): Pilcher, Jeffrey M.: - Jeffrey M. Pilcher is associate professor of history at the University of Minnesota. He is also author of Cantinflas and the Chaos of Mexican Modernity, The Human Tradition in Mexico, and Food in World History. |