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What can Jell-O tell us about the United States during the Gilded Age? What about Spam during World War II?

According to Anna Zeide, food historian and author of the new book “US History in 15 Foods,” they can tell us a lot about the evolution of American values, government — and of course, the American economy.

“We all have to eat every day, and nothing else we do can really happen without food. And yet, at the same time, I think because of how mundane it becomes in its dailiness, it recedes to the back of our, kind of, concentrated thought. And we don’t spend all that much time thinking about how central it is both to our daily lives as well as to historical events,” Zeide said.

On the show today, Zeide walks us through the history baked into food items from all-American whiskey to Korean tacos. And, why food is often much more than something we simply eat.

In the News Fix, we remember Judy Heumann, an activist who championed crucial pieces of disability rights legislation. Also, eyes are on Walgreens after the company said it would stop dispensing abortion pills in some Republican-led states where abortion is still legal. Plus, we’ll get into why some women in high-level positions are too burned out to stay in the workforce.

Later, a listener sings us a song inspired by Marketplace’s Nova Safo. And this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from a listener who was wrong about dancing.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

- Anna Zeide’s “US History in 15 Foods”

- “Remembering Judy Heumann’s lasting contributions to disability rights” from PBS Newshour

- “Walgreens in the hot seat” from Politico

- “California to not do business with Walgreens over abortion pills issue, Governor says” from Reuters

- “Debt Default Would Cripple U.S. Economy, New Analysis Warns” from The New York Times

- “Female Execs Are Exhausted, Frustrated and Heading for the Exits” from Bloomberg

What have you been wrong about lately? We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question! Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART, and your submission may be featured in a future episode.

A U.S. history lesson through food (rerun) 31:00 Share

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A U.S. history lesson through food (rerun)