--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it still astounds me, after forty years…" description: "\"it still astounds me, after forty years, that there is no good bread between Chicago and San Francisco.\" — Jane Smiley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/jane-smiley-2120_bread_it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-t_1279436.png" --- # it still astounds me, after forty years, that there is no… ![“it still astounds me, after forty years, that there is no good bread between Chicago and San Francisco.” quote by Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/jane-smiley-2120_bread_it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-t_1279436.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/jane-smiley-2120_bread_it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-t_1279436.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/jane-smiley-2120_bread_it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-t_1279436.png) > “it still astounds me, after forty years, that there is no good bread between Chicago and San Francisco.” [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even after decades, quality artisanal bread remains scarce between two major cities, highlighting a gap in culinary culture. **In simple terms:** Good bread is still hard to find across the US. Key Takeaway Seek out local bakeries or bake at home. Themes food culture regional disparity artisan craft urban life Mood reflective curious Type cultural observational When to use this quote - travel blogs - food festivals - home baking workshops Key Concepts culinary tradition food deserts artisan entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - What supports can help local bakers thrive? - How does consumer demand shape food availability? A Different Perspective Economic factors limit small bakeries’ viability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [San francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san-francisco/) ## Related quotes > [“Mamá was mixing bread dough by the kitchen window, pressing and pulling in a culinary tug of war. It took all her strength to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-almend-rez-lojacono/mam-was-mixing-bread-dough-by-the-kitchen-window-pressing-and-pulling/) Tess Almend�rez Lojacono > [We can grow good wheat and make good bread only if we understand that we do not live by bread alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/we-can-grow-good-wheat-and-make-good-bread-only-if-we-understand-that/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Bread of flour is good; but there is bread, sweet as honey, if we would eat it, in a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/bread-of-flour-is-good-but-there-is-bread-sweet-as-honey-if-we-would/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [God has intended the great to be great and the little to be little ... The trade unions, under the European system, destroy liberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/god-has-intended-the-great-to-be-great-and-the-little-to-be-little/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/good-bread-is-the-most-fundamentally-satisfying-of-all-foods-and-good/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [“The baker’s skill in managing fermentation, not the type of oven used, is what makes good bread.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-robertson/the-baker-s-skill-in-managing-fermentation-not-the-type-of-oven-used/) Chad Robertson > [“What makes good bread? It is a question of good flour and slow fermentation. In the old days we used to leave the dough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillaby/what-makes-good-bread-it-is-a-question-of-good-flour-and-slow/) [John Hillaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hillaby/) > [You can travel fifty thousand miles in America without once tasting a piece of good bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/you-can-travel-fifty-thousand-miles-in-america-without-once-tasting-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [ The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight... \[Breadmaking is\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-smell-of-good-bread-baking-like-the-sound-of-lightly-flowing-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Perhaps this war will make it simpler for us to go back to some of the old ways we knew before we came over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher-2/perhaps-this-war-will-make-it-simpler-for-us-to-go-back-to-some-of/) [M.F.K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher-2/) > [“A city that had learned to make good bread had learned to make good cake also. A city that built itself up by good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-city-that-had-learned-to-make-good-bread-had-learned-to-make-good/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/the-smell-of-good-bread-baking-like-the-sound-of-lightly-flowing/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [“No deception lasts forever. Truth rises like good bread dough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-p-kiernan/no-deception-lasts-forever-truth-rises-like-good-bread-dough/) [Stephen P. Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-p-kiernan/) > [Good bread and good butter go together. They are one of the perfect marriages in gastronomy, and they never fail to cheer me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/good-bread-and-good-butter-go-together-they-are-one-of-the-perfect/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [Make an effort to serve good bread and good meat and not to sell the better wine so as to serve what is inferior...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/make-an-effort-to-serve-good-bread-and-good-meat-and-not-to-sell-the/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) ## More by Jane Smiley > [Some novelists are luckier than others in the eras of their formative intellectual years, but all Weltanschauungs return, which means that most novelists have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/some-novelists-are-luckier-than-others-in-the-eras-of-their-formative/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [There can never be such a thing as a free market, because it is human nature to cheat, monopolize, and buy off others so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/there-can-never-be-such-a-thing-as-a-free-market-because-it-is-human/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother and sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-only-siblings-i-have-are-half-siblings-my-nuclear-family-would/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [How will you know a good farmer when you meet him? He will not ask you for any favors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/how-will-you-know-a-good-farmer-when-you-meet-him-he-will-not-ask-you/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [You know what getting married is? It's agreeing to taking this person who right now is at the top of his form, full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/you-know-what-getting-married-is-it-s-agreeing-to-taking-this-person/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/every-first-draft-is-perfect-because-all-a-first-draft-has-to-do-is/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [“We watched the swimmers and sunbathers and I thought about this. Had I faced all the facts? It seemed like I had, but actually,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/we-watched-the-swimmers-and-sunbathers-and-i-thought-about-this-had-i/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [“They throw themselves on the waters of the world, and they know they will be borne up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/they-throw-themselves-on-the-waters-of-the-world-and-they-know-they/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [everything is toxic. That's the point. You can't avoid toxins. Thinking you can is just another symptom of the toxic overload stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/everything-is-toxic-that-s-the-point-you-can-t-avoid-toxins-thinking/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [“Shame is a distinct feeling. I couldn’t look at my hands around the coffee cup or hear my own laments without feeling appalled, wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/shame-is-a-distinct-feeling-i-couldn-t-look-at-my-hands-around-the/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [“She could not have created this moment, these lovely faces, these candles flickering, the flash of the silverware, the fragrances of the food hanging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/she-could-not-have-created-this-moment-these-lovely-faces-these/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [Horse racing is really much more intimidating than anything having to do with literature. When I had horses at the racetrack, I would wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/horse-racing-is-really-much-more-intimidating-than-anything-having-to/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [“Had I faced all the facts It seemed like I had but actually you never know just by remembering how many there were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/had-i-faced-all-the-facts-it-seemed-like-i-had-but-actually-you-never/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [A theory of creativity is actually just a metaphor. A pool of ideas, a well of memories, a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/a-theory-of-creativity-is-actually-just-a-metaphor-a-pool-of-ideas-a/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [There are hundreds of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings around the United States and in other countries, too. Wright lived into his 90s, and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/there-are-hundreds-of-frank-lloyd-wright-buildings-around-the-united/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) [Explore all 185 Jane Smiley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) ## More Bread quotes > [French women don't eat Wonder Bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mireille-guiliano/french-women-don-t-eat-wonder-bread/) [Mireille Guiliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mireille-guiliano/) > [In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/) [Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/) > [I don't eat meat - chicken, fish, none of that. I eat a lot of vegetable sandwiches, like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-don-t-eat-meat-chicken-fish-none-of-that-i-eat-a-lot-of-vegetable/) Gza > [“We should remark the grace and fascination that there is even in the incidentals of Nature's processes.. When a loaf of bread,. for instance,.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/we-should-remark-the-grace-and-fascination-that-there-is-even-in-the/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [When I met you you were oh so sweet, now you give me the bread and you take all the meat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/when-i-met-you-you-were-oh-so-sweet-now-you-give-me-the-bread-and-you/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [I think the best Thanksgiving we ever had was one where we didn't even have a turkey. Mom and Dad sat us kids down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-think-the-best-thanksgiving-we-ever-had-was-one-where-we-didn-t/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Bread is a second cause; the LORD Himself is the first source of our sustenance. He can work without the second cause as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bread-is-a-second-cause-the-lord-himself-is-the-first-source-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even if we have to go without bread, we Albanians do not violate principles. We do not betray Marxism - Leninism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enver-hoxha/even-if-we-have-to-go-without-bread-we-albanians-do-not-violate/) [Enver Hoxha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enver-hoxha/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [“Nine times out of ten, people pick the wrong food. No, it’s not the sugar (GI = 68), it’s not the candy bar (GI…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/nine-times-out-of-ten-people-pick-the-wrong-food-no-it-s-not-the/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [Waffles аrе јust awesome bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/waffles-r-ust-awesome-bread/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [At my age, I don't buy but a half a loaf of bread, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-haggard/at-my-age-i-don-t-buy-but-a-half-a-loaf-of-bread-you-know/) [Merle Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-haggard/) > [Jesus Christ would have been considered just another long-haired hippie freak if he hadn't been crucified. The folks weren't impressed with healing the sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/jesus-christ-would-have-been-considered-just-another-long-haired/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [“To consume the Eucharist is an act of anticonsumption, for here to consume is to be consumed, to be taken up into participation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-cavanaugh/to-consume-the-eucharist-is-an-act-of-anticonsumption-for-here-to/) [William T. Cavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-cavanaugh/) [Browse all 2,164 Bread quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "it still astounds me, after forty years, that there is no good bread between Chicago and San Francisco.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Smiley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-that-there-is-no-good-bread/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bread" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-that-there-is-no-good-bread/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/jane-smiley-2120_bread_it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-t_1279436.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/jane-smiley-2120_bread_it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-t_1279436.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/jane-smiley-2120_bread_it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-t_1279436.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“it still astounds me, after forty years, that there is no good bread between Chicago and San Francisco.” — Jane Smiley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jane Smiley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "it still astounds me, after forty...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-that-there-is-no-good-bread/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/it-still-astounds-me-after-forty-years-that-there-is-no-good-bread/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```