The “97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement” is a narrative that revolves around the foodways of five immigrant families living in one tenement in New York City, America. This book was written by Jane Ziegelman, the director of the Tenement Museum’s culinary center and founder of Kids Cook. The “97 Orchard” represents thorough research of the culinary habits and lives of the five families, particularly their cooking, shopping, and eating behaviors (Ziegelman, 2010). This work was published in 2010 by the HarperCollins Publishers. The writter elaborates the tales of the five New York residents who dwelled in the city between 1863-1935 (Ziegelman, 2010). Essentially, this period served as both the migration age and an era of sweeping demographic changes in America. These immigrants were “the Glockners, the Moores, the Gumpertzes, the Rogarshevskys and the Baldizzis” (Ziegelman, 2010). Apart from this work, the author has written many other books such as A Square Meal and Foie Gras. Although they faced Assimilation pressures in the U.S., the settlers braved on to maintain their food customs and traditional foods.
The five New York families that Ziegelman majors her story represent significant provenances and periods in American immigration history. First the Glockners were antebellum Germans who came to the U.S. in the 1940s (Ziegelman, 2010). Subsequently, in the 1860s, these settlers had constructed a great apartment at 97 Orchard Street, Manhattan, New York (Ziegelman, 2010). The Moores comprised of an Irish couple compelled to move out of their home country by the awful potato bright that happened in the 1840s (Ziegelman, 2010). The Gumpertzes were made up of German-speaking Jews who landed in America in 1840 (Ziegelman, 2010). In addition, the Rogarshevskys consisted of Lithuanian Jews who migrated to the U.S. in 1901 (Ziegelman, 2010). The Baldizzis were Italians who had arrived in American in the early 1920s (Ziegelman, 2010). Given the diversity of these families, the author created a picture of cultural creativity and culinary tenacity that have had tremendous contributions to modern-day America.
In the course of writing the “97 Orchard,” Ziegelman shows her prowess in using primary and secondary sources to support her arguments. She recognizes Ruth Abraham, the lower East Side Tenement Museum’s founder, as the person who inspired her to conduct her research on the five families (Ziegelman, 2010). Additionally, the writer informs the audience that she sought relevant information from genealogists, historians, librarians, and food authorities such as Karen Franklin, Joel Hecker, Amanda Siegel, and Robert Saltzman (Ziegelman, 2010). Furthermore, the author got primary data from stories presented by the immigrants and their close relatives, including children. This information adds to the credibility of the book and its practicability in societal matters of concern, especially about food culture.
Ziegelman describes a story of the self-reliant American based on the influence of the five immigrants. Although she does clearly state whether she is referring to ordinary or native Americans, the author demonstrates how the settlers impacted the U.S. diet as butchers, brewers, bakers, and restauranters (Ziegelman, 2010). The writter states that the immigrants “have played a vital role in feeding America. Working in jobs traditionally rejected by the native-born, they have peddled fruit, vegetables, and fish” (Ziegelman, 2010, p. 77). Outstandingly, the settlers popularized and invented most foodstuffs that are common on modern grocery shelves, such as Crisco shortening, Breakstone dairy products, and German lager beer. In essence, life in most American metropolises would be unimaginable without the delicatessen neighborhood.
Ziegelman portrays a deeper understanding of gender roles relative to the subject matter of the book. Fundamentally, she applies humor to keep the audience engaged and ensure her message is well-received. The author writes that the tenement had neither refrigerators nor indoor plumbing (Ziegelman, 2010). As a consequence, the immigrant housewives served as the “human freight elevators, hauling groceries, coal, firewood, and children up and down endless flights of stairs” (Ziegelman, 2010, p. 29). Additionally, the writer insists that the heaviest loads were water tubs needed for cooking, bathing, house cleaning, and laundry. According to the writer, these forms of manual duties made the women specialists in single-pot cuisine (Ziegelman, 2010). In Zielgelman’s argument, these ladies were more active than their male counterparts, who were struggling to secure jobs. In some instances, men could not persevere the strain, preferring to vanish. For example, Natalie Gumpertz’s husband was forced to flee, leaving his wife to raise fend for their children (Ziegelman, 2010). Such situations show that the immigrant women played a significant role in shaping the current U.S. diet.
The “97 Orchard” creates more emphasis on the celebration as opposed to judgment of the immigrants’ way of cooking. The author seems to consider food as the fundamental social good and the neighborliness matrix (Ziegelman, 2010). While it is highly likely that she may have been tempted to engage in racial biases, Ziegelman chose to insist on the importance of learning and appreciating other people’s foodways. The writer portrays a picture of five neighbors living happily side by side despite their historical and differing adversarial beliefs (Ziegelman, 2010). Markedly, stories of competition, intolerance, incomprehension, and conflict are absent from the book (Ziegelman, 2010). Crucially, the tension between ethnic groups and neighborhoods has culminated in a matter of various culinary traditions.
While it is true that Ziegelman’s work is engaging, the audience should be wary of various assumptions presented by the author. The storyline behind the book lacks the requisite support from other research findings. For example, the five ethnic families whose identities are used as each chapter’s titles make cameo appearances only (Ziegelman, 2010). Thus, the disconnect between the representation of the book’s characters and the stories narrated leads to a work that lacks well-defined geographical and chronological boundaries. Such a situation raises concerns over the credibility of the author’s argument about immigrant diet becoming a force to reckon with across America. In addition, it is uncertain whether Ziegelman’s reference to fictional depictions of tenement lifestyle by writers such as Henry Harland and Andia Yezierska can be presented as fact in a historical dialogue (Ziegelman, 2010). The author also appears to assume that all immigrant women represent an established order of culinary activities. A solid historical argument should be free from unexamined stereotypes and assumptions.
Ziegelman can be applauded for drawing respectively and skillfully on an array of memoirs, cookbooks, and historical sources. However, the reader should note that some aspects miss throughout the larger context of the book in the sense that food appears to stand alone. In reality, food culture is affected by such factors as the ethnic economy, religious rituals, and the ever-rising rate of modernization, which are not accounted for in the work. Thus, although the “97 Orchard” is informative and eye-opening, it is undeniably incomplete. As a result, Historians should conduct further research to fill the gap.
Reference
Ziegelman, J. (2010). 97 Orchard: An edible history of five immigrant families in one New York tenement. HarperCollins Publishers.