Overview

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.

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9780806190693

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Reviews

"""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 ""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 ""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 ""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 ""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 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

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

Author Information

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.

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