Of Dishes and Discourse

'A concise, erudite and attractively written study ... Van Gelder's adab-like comilation about adab has the merit of its forebears in being both highly entertaining and instructive, and thus of benefit to both specialists and general readers interested in the history and literary portrayal of food. It is a rich mine of information and constitutes, behind an appearance of light-heartedness and ease, an academic tour-de-force.' - Journal of the Royal Anthropological Society

• Chapter I Introduction; Chapter II Early Poetry: Feeding as Good Breeding; Chapter III Eating and the New Ethos; Chapter IV Adab, or the Text as a Banquet; Chapter V Food for Satire and Parody; chapter VI Alimentary Metaphors;