I read Gabaccia’s piece and the most interesting point I read was that ultimately it was the economy (specifically during wartime) that encouraged a move toward a diversification of the “American diet.” Today, the state of the economy determines much of how we live our life. In terms of food, cheap meals are what is available to poorer families. In the chapter, I loved the discussion of organizations and groups of people that would teach others how they “made do” during hard times. Gabaccia says that the foreign-born housewives would share their careful food-buying habits,  substitutions and recipes. It is interesting, though not completely surprising that the official organizations in attempts to control consumption of processed and canned foods as well as define a cuisine for a country and each region were the unsuccessful motivators. I liked that the chapter ended “happily” with neighbors being curious about their neighbors’ “pots” and free tolerance of varying foods.

-Lucy Snyder