It Tastes Like the East...: The Problem of Taste in the GDR

Alice A. Weinreb

doi:10.17742/IMAGE.GDR.8-1.8

It Tastes Like the East...: The Problem of Taste in the GDR

Alice A. Weinreb

Department of History

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This essay uses the topic of taste, specifically taste for food, as a way of unpacking the history of the GDR and East-West relations during the late Cold War. It explores the question of East German tastes from two angles: West German fantasies about the inadequacies of the GDR’s food system, and East German nutritionists’ unsuccessful struggles to regulate popular tastes. In particular, it focuses on the moment when popular taste was seen as a serious problem by the GDR state—during the rise of the obesity epidemic in the 1970s and 1980s.

Original language	American English
Journal	Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works
Volume	8
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.17742/IMAGE.GDR.8-1.8
State	Published - May 21 2017

Keywords

Taste
History of the GDR
East-West Relations
Cold War
GDR Food System

Disciplines

History

Access to Document

10.17742/IMAGE.GDR.8-1.8License: Unspecified

It Tastes Like the EastFinal published version, 463 KBLicense: Unspecified

Cite this

@article{42bd399143e14e61acfaa451b696392e,

title = "It Tastes Like the East...: The Problem of Taste in the GDR",

abstract = " This essay uses the topic of taste, specifically taste for food, as a way of unpacking the history of the GDR and East-West relations during the late Cold War. It explores the question of East German tastes from two angles: West German fantasies about the inadequacies of the GDR{\textquoteright}s food system, and East German nutritionists{\textquoteright} unsuccessful struggles to regulate popular tastes. In particular, it focuses on the moment when popular taste was seen as a serious problem by the GDR state—during the rise of the obesity epidemic in the 1970s and 1980s.",

keywords = "Taste, History of the GDR, East-West Relations, Cold War, GDR Food System",

author = "Weinreb, {Alice A.}",

year = "2017",

month = may,

day = "21",

doi = "10.17742/IMAGE.GDR.8-1.8",

language = "American English",

volume = "8",

journal = "Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - It Tastes Like the East...: The Problem of Taste in the GDR

AU - Weinreb, Alice A.

PY - 2017/5/21

Y1 - 2017/5/21

N2 - This essay uses the topic of taste, specifically taste for food, as a way of unpacking the history of the GDR and East-West relations during the late Cold War. It explores the question of East German tastes from two angles: West German fantasies about the inadequacies of the GDR’s food system, and East German nutritionists’ unsuccessful struggles to regulate popular tastes. In particular, it focuses on the moment when popular taste was seen as a serious problem by the GDR state—during the rise of the obesity epidemic in the 1970s and 1980s.

AB - This essay uses the topic of taste, specifically taste for food, as a way of unpacking the history of the GDR and East-West relations during the late Cold War. It explores the question of East German tastes from two angles: West German fantasies about the inadequacies of the GDR’s food system, and East German nutritionists’ unsuccessful struggles to regulate popular tastes. In particular, it focuses on the moment when popular taste was seen as a serious problem by the GDR state—during the rise of the obesity epidemic in the 1970s and 1980s.

KW - Taste

KW - History of the GDR

KW - East-West Relations

KW - Cold War

KW - GDR Food System

UR - https://ecommons.luc.edu/history_facpubs/51

U2 - 10.17742/IMAGE.GDR.8-1.8

DO - 10.17742/IMAGE.GDR.8-1.8

M3 - Article

VL - 8

JO - Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works

JF - Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works

IS - 1

ER -

It Tastes Like the East...: The Problem of Taste in the GDR

Abstract

Keywords

Disciplines

Access to Document

Other files and links

Cite this