A Square Meal

The audiobook explores the transformative impact of the Great Depression on America's relationship with food, detailing how economic collapse shifted dietary practices and social perspectives. As women faced the challenge of feeding their families, President Roosevelt broke with tradition by introducing government-sponsored food assistance, a revolutionary change in federal responsibility for citizen nutrition. Supported by Eleanor Roosevelt and home economists, this era saw the establishment of dietary recommendations that laid the groundwork for modern guidelines, alongside the rise of packaged foods that ushered in a new focus on convenience in American cuisine, sparking a revival of regional cooking that persists today.