Eating Up Route 66
Foodways on America’s Mother Road
Published by: University of Oklahoma Press
Imprint: University of Oklahoma Press
432 Pages | 7 x 10 | 50 b&w illus., 1 map
$34.95
$29.95
From its designation in 1926 to the rise of the interstates nearly sixty years later, Route 66 was, in John Steinbeck’s words, America’s Mother Road, carrying countless travelers the 2,400 miles between Chicago and Los Angeles. Whoever they were—adventurous motorists or Dustbowl migrants, troops on military transports or passengers on buses, vacationing families or a new breed of tourists—these travelers had to eat. The story of where they stopped and what they found, and of how these roadside offerings changed over time, reveals twentieth-century America on the move, transforming the nation’s cuisine, culture, and landscape along the way.
Author T. Lindsay Baker, a glutton for authenticity, drove the historic route—or at least the 85 percent that remains intact—in a four-cylinder 1930 Ford station wagon. Sparing us the dust and bumps, he takes us for a spin along Route 66, stopping to sample the fare at diners, supper clubs, and roadside stands and to describe how such venues came and went—even offering kitchen-tested recipes from historic eateries en route. Start-ups that became such American fast-food icons as McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Steak ’n Shake, and Taco Bell feature alongside mom-and-pop diners with flocks of chickens out back and sit-down restaurants with heirloom menus. Food-and-drink establishments from speakeasies to drive-ins share the right-of-way with other attractions, accommodations, and challenges, from the Whoopee Auto Coaster in Lyons, Illinois, to the piles of “chat” (mining waste) in the Tri-State District of Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, to the perils of driving old automobiles over the Jericho Gap in the Texas Panhandle or Sitgreaves Pass in western Arizona. Describing options for the wealthy and the not-so-well-heeled, from hotel dining rooms to ice cream stands, Baker also notes the particular travails African Americans faced at every turn, traveling Route 66 across the decades of segregation, legal and illegal.
So grab your hat and your wallet (you’ll probably need cash) and come along for an enlightening trip down America’s memory lane—a westward tour through the nation’s heartland and history, with all the trimmings, via Route 66.
Author T. Lindsay Baker, a glutton for authenticity, drove the historic route—or at least the 85 percent that remains intact—in a four-cylinder 1930 Ford station wagon. Sparing us the dust and bumps, he takes us for a spin along Route 66, stopping to sample the fare at diners, supper clubs, and roadside stands and to describe how such venues came and went—even offering kitchen-tested recipes from historic eateries en route. Start-ups that became such American fast-food icons as McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Steak ’n Shake, and Taco Bell feature alongside mom-and-pop diners with flocks of chickens out back and sit-down restaurants with heirloom menus. Food-and-drink establishments from speakeasies to drive-ins share the right-of-way with other attractions, accommodations, and challenges, from the Whoopee Auto Coaster in Lyons, Illinois, to the piles of “chat” (mining waste) in the Tri-State District of Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, to the perils of driving old automobiles over the Jericho Gap in the Texas Panhandle or Sitgreaves Pass in western Arizona. Describing options for the wealthy and the not-so-well-heeled, from hotel dining rooms to ice cream stands, Baker also notes the particular travails African Americans faced at every turn, traveling Route 66 across the decades of segregation, legal and illegal.
So grab your hat and your wallet (you’ll probably need cash) and come along for an enlightening trip down America’s memory lane—a westward tour through the nation’s heartland and history, with all the trimmings, via Route 66.
T. Lindsay Baker, who holds the W. K. Gordon Chair in Industrial History at Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas, is Director of the W. K. Gordon Center for Industrial History, Thurber, Texas, and editor of the Windmiller's Gazette. He is the author of A Field Guide to American Windmills and North American Windmill Manufacturers' Trade Literature: A Descriptive Guide.
“Drawing upon his admirable skills as a researcher and a raconteur, T. Lindsay Baker has fashioned a thoughtful and engaging examination of the culinary character of America’s celebrated Route 66.”—Peter Blodgett, author of Motoring West, Volume 1: Automobile Pioneers, 1900–1909
“The best parts of any road trip are the memories the traveler brings home. With Eating Up Route 66, author T. Lindsay Baker offers Route 66 fans a chance to savor recipes from the Mother Road and experience (or re-experience) the flavor and texture of the road itself—from the topography and climate as it winds through the southwestern and midwestern United States to the often-eccentric people who spent their lives and earned their livings at the highway’s edge.”—Susan Croce Kelly, author of Route 66: The Highway and Its People and Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery
“T. Lindsay Baker takes readers on a unique trip down America’s favorite highway with a focus on one of the best ways to experience it—through the food. This is a must-read for American history lovers and foodies alike.”—Matt Pinnell, Seventeenth Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
“Fill your gas tank and bring your appetite. T. Lindsay Baker’s new book takes readers on a culinary and historic adventure down the Mother Road…This book is a must-own for Route 66 restaurant enthusiasts. Highly recommended.”—Route 66 News
“A very special, unique, and comprehensive study that is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library American History collections, "Eating Up Route 66: Foodways on America's Mother Road" will have a very special appeal for readers with an interest in the history of Route 66 with travel dining, hospitality, and tourism.”—Midwest Book Review
“For anyone who has eaten a few meals on Route 66, or anyone who plans to, Baker’s Eating Up Route 66 is an indispensable culinary guide to what once was and what is now.”—OzarksWatch
“Numerous scholars have looked at the cultural and economic significance of Route 66, which lingers in the American mind as a significant source of nostalgia. Now historian T. Lindsay Baker has turned attention toward the food along the road, documenting the eating establishments that sprang up to serve travelers and locals alike. One of the hallmarks of all Baker’s work is his consideration of race and ethnicity. In EatingUp Route 66, he pays thorough attention to racial segregation under the tyranny of Jim Crow. He carefully notes establishments that either catered exclusively to African Americans—for example, the Atlas Hotel in St. Louis and Alberta’s Hotel and Snack Bar in Springfield—or the rare spots that allowed African Americans to eat with white people, such as the Garbage Can Café in Marshfield and Graham’s Rib Station in Springfield. But he also notes the influences of German immigrants and the Italians who sold grapes outside of Rosati. And so the book travels, through the eight states on the route, ending in Santa Monica, California. Baker takes the reader along for the ride and along the way teaches a great deal of history. Eating Up Route 66 is a tasty way to learn about the past.”—Missouri Historical Review
“Readers may know author T. Lindsay Baker from his several books on the material culture of Texas. Eating Up Route 66: Foodways on America’sMother Road finds him exploring territory well beyond the Lone Star State. The book is arranged geographically from east to west, from Chicago to Los Angeles, and includes a number of recipes from historic Route 66 eateries. Eating Up Route 66 will interest readers who want the histories of individual eateries along the highway and to know some of the recipes of specific dishes they served.”— Southwestern Historical Quarterly
2024 -
Southwest Books of the Year, Pima County Public Library -
Winner
Related Books
