The Great American Cook- Off
The subject of American cook-offs is a rabbit hole I fell down a few years ago after a late-night online trawl. This surprised me because I'm not especially interested in British cooking competitions, and I assumed I'd feel the same about their foreign cousins. I'm not sure I know why I dislike British cook-offs so much. Too cosy? Too familiar? Too self-deprecating? Pastel bunting, Cath Kidston and seaside summer show- innuendo versus a greengrocer wanging on about a profession he has yet to master? Dunno.
I do love American cookoffs, though, and I especially love reading about them, particularly those bad-loser style memoirs about why someone's Pillsbury Dough-encrusted pork butt recipe stuffed with Italian-style kimchi didn't win a grand prize, and from then on, the recognition and love of the entire United States. I've read some deliciously bitchy (and often badly-written) memoirs; some are self-published, and some are not, although I won't inflict any of these on you.
This (admittedly niche) book about the American competitive cooking circuit is a big juicy read because I've never met a culinary niche I didn't like. Amy Sutherland doesn't stint in her exploration of the many US-based competitions, including National Chicken, The Great Garlic Cook-Off, and the State Fair juggernauts. She also meets the Tunnel of Fudge Woman (Be still my beating heart!), whose culinary success in the Pillsbury Bake-Off not only changed her fortunes but those of the company, too. Sutherland talks to people from different walks of life (although, judging from the rather white-peopled cover, you'd never know it), and looks at the demographics of contests and the nature of judging. She asks how we gauge a recipe's originality and reports on what happens when a contestant is accused of plagiarism.
Ultimately though, this book is about people and their single-minded pursuit of a goal. It's something I admire about Americans, and I love this book and subject unironically.
PS: If you like reading about state fair food, this by Katy Vine is a TREAT.
Another rabbit hole: a blog about collecting Pillsbury recipe books- and others.
Netflix has a whole series about state fair cooking with the standard format, nothing earthshattering, but I do love a mad-as-a-fish deep-fried concept. It's called Deep Fried Masters. Obvs.