Max Hauser wrote:

> In truth, American cooking reached its highest level
> in the second quarter of the nineteenth century, with Miss Leslie
> as its guide. From then on, it was downhill all the way.

Falling into the trap of romanticizing the past, I see.
That was an era before refrigeration, when meats
were preserved by being saturated with salt.
A fortunate few could afford a meager selection
of locally grown produce when it was in season,
but most vegetable products were dried or
pickled. Food adulteration was common, as
was food poisoning due to improper storage and
handling.

Today, we live in a Golden Age. We have access
to artisan chocolates far superior to anything enjoyed
by the Aztec emporers or their European conquerors.
We have freshly roasted coffees made from our
choice of beans from all over the world. We have
fresh fruits and vegetables all year round, both from
local sources and Latin America. We rightly complain
that our out-of-season avocados are lacking in full
flavor, but in the 19th century they had no avocados.

There are a few foods today, such as the tomato,
which have become industrial commodities, with
all the flavor and delicacy bred out of them. But
it is unfair to point to those as representative of
the entire food industry, while simultaneously filling
your cart with genuine Parmesean cheese and
prosciutto, red bananas and plantains, a dozen
different types of olives and goat cheeses, etc.

We have a greater abundance today at a lower
prices than at any time in the past, and the situation
is improving. Only in the past few years have
hot house tomatoes become widely available.
They are available at any time of the year, and
they look great -- like my mother had grown them
in her garden. They're still flavorless, but I have
expectations that within a few years that problem
too will be licked. Food today is better than it's
ever been, and it's getting better.