--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The past was a consumable, subject to the…" description: "\"The past was a consumable, subject to the national preference for familiar products. And history, in America, is a dish best served plain. The first co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/tony-horwitz-23752_america_the-past-was-a-consumable-subject-to-the_2122563.jpg" --- # The past was a consumable, subject to the national… ![“The past was a consumable, subject to the national preference for familiar products. And history, in America, is a dish best served plain. The first course could include a dollop of Italian in 1492, but not Spanish spice or French sauce or too much Indian corn. Nothing too filling or fancy ahead…” quote by Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/tony-horwitz-23752_america_the-past-was-a-consumable-subject-to-the_2122563.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/tony-horwitz-23752_america_the-past-was-a-consumable-subject-to-the_2122563.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/tony-horwitz-23752_america_the-past-was-a-consumable-subject-to-the_2122563.jpg) > “The past was a consumable, subject to the national preference for familiar products. And history, in America, is a dish best served plain. The first course could include a dollop of Italian in 1492, but not Spanish spice or French sauce or too much Indian corn. Nothing too filling or fancy ahead of the turkey and pumpkin pie, just the way Grandma used to cook it.” [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History is shaped by dominant cultures that simplify narratives, excluding diverse influences. **In simple terms:** History often tells a simplified story favoring the majority. Key Takeaway Seek multiple perspectives. Themes history culture national identity Mood critical analytical Type historical political When to use this quote - education - media analysis - policy making - museum curation Key Concepts narrative bias colonialism cultural erasure Questions to Reflect On - Whose stories are missing from mainstream narratives? - How does cultural bias affect current policies? A Different Perspective Simplified histories can legitimize exclusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Italian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italian/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Pie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pie/) [Preference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preference/) [Pumpkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pumpkin/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [They don't really focus on that history here in America. I remember growing up as a kid, history class was very washed-over. They didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldis-hodge/they-don-t-really-focus-on-that-history-here-in-america-i-remember/) [Aldis Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldis-hodge/) > [“Our history, America’s history, has been so heavily edited. In history classes, we don’t really go into full discussions about the past. People, struggles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-gray/our-history-america-s-history-has-been-so-heavily-edited-in-history/) [Janelle Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-gray/) > [There's a really great documentary called 'Many Rivers,' which documents the totality of slavery from its inception, and then it gives you a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldis-hodge/there-s-a-really-great-documentary-called-many-rivers-which-documents/) [Aldis Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldis-hodge/) > [But the whole history of America is quite different from Europe. People went there to get away from the intolerance and constraints of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/but-the-whole-history-of-america-is-quite-different-from-europe/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [The Marshall Plan will go down in history as one of America's greatest contributions to the peace of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/the-marshall-plan-will-go-down-in-history-as-one-of-america-s/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [History of America, Part I (1776-1966): Declaration of Independence, Constitutional Convention, Louisiana Purchase, Civil War, Reconstruction, World War I, Great Depression, New Deal, World…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-chad/history-of-america-part-i-1776-1966-declaration-of-independence/) [Norman Chad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-chad/) > [This is not a museum of tragedy. It is not the museum of difficult moments. It is the museum that says -here is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-bunch/this-is-not-a-museum-of-tragedy-it-is-not-the-museum-of-difficult/) Lonnie Bunch > [I love and revere the rich and proud history of America. And I am determined to take our best traditions into the future. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-love-and-revere-the-rich-and-proud-history-of-america-and-i-am/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Europe will never be like America. Europe is a product of history. America is a product of philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/europe-will-never-be-like-america-europe-is-a-product-of-history/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Well, let's see. There's -- of course -- in the great history of America rulings there have been rulings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/well-let-s-see-there-s-of-course-in-the-great-history-of-america/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [The history of America is to expand civil liberties in a responsible and civil manner. We need to remember that our wonderful Democracy with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcgreevey/the-history-of-america-is-to-expand-civil-liberties-in-a-responsible/) [James McGreevey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcgreevey/) > [By the way, Howard Zinn's History of America is front and center at the gift shop of the New York Historical Society. The New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/by-the-way-howard-zinn-s-history-of-america-is-front-and-center-at/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Very much like African-Americans, the history of America is taking away resources, whether it's labor or whether it's land from one racial group to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/very-much-like-african-americans-the-history-of-america-is-taking/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [I walk out into a nature such as the old prophets and poets Menu, Moses, Homer, Chaucer, walked in. You may name it America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-walk-out-into-a-nature-such-as-the-old-prophets-and-poets-menu/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/europe-was-created-by-history-america-was-created-by-philosophy/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## More by Tony Horwitz > [“I came here from Kansas,” he announced to his captive. “This is a slave state. I want to free all the Negroes in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/i-came-here-from-kansas-he-announced-to-his-captive-this-is-a-slave/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [During a mock battle attended by President Warren Harding in 1921, Marine Corps General Smedley D. Butler exhumed the arm \[of Stonewall Jackson; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/during-a-mock-battle-attended-by-president-warren-harding-in-1921/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“The way I see it," King said, "your great-grandfather fought and died because he believed my great-grandfather should stay a slave. I'm supposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/the-way-i-see-it-king-said-your-great-grandfather-fought-and-died/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [Even aimless journeys have a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/even-aimless-journeys-have-a-purpose/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“I asked him if he thought “there” was better than “here.” “Not better,” he said. “I mean, my great-great-grandpap got his leg shot off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/i-asked-him-if-he-thought-there-was-better-than-here-not-better-he/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“When the singing ended, I chatted with others in my pew, including a tall, aristocratic-looking man with pomaded gray hair. I told him about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/when-the-singing-ended-i-chatted-with-others-in-my-pew-including-a/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“You asked how I'd define prejudice. That's it. Making assumptions about people you've never met.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/you-asked-how-i-d-define-prejudice-that-s-it-making-assumptions-about/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [I couldn't think of another city in the world that lined its streets with stone leviathans honoring failed rebels against the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/i-couldn-t-think-of-another-city-in-the-world-that-lined-its-streets/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“Cook,” the historian Bernard Smith speculates, “increasingly realised that wherever he went he was spreading the curses much more liberally than the benefits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/cook-the-historian-bernard-smith-speculates-increasingly-realised/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [ “My life has been of but little worth mostly fild \[sic\] up with vanity.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/my-life-has-been-of-but-little-worth-mostly-fild-sic-up-with-vanity/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [Egyptians undergo an odd personality change behind the wheel of a car. In every other setting, aggression and impatience are frowned upon. The unofficial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/egyptians-undergo-an-odd-personality-change-behind-the-wheel-of-a-car/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“At one stop in New Zealand, an Englishman bartered for sex. He was presented with a boy; when he complained, he was presented with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/at-one-stop-in-new-zealand-an-englishman-bartered-for-sex-he-was/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [There are people one knows and people one doesn't. One shouldn't cheapen the former by feigning intimacy with the latter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/there-are-people-one-knows-and-people-one-doesn-t-one-shouldn-t/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [“The best you can do is catch an echo of the man. You can never reach out and touch him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/the-best-you-can-do-is-catch-an-echo-of-the-man-you-can-never-reach/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [I am an agnostic on most matters of faith, but on the subjects of maps I have always been a true believer. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/i-am-an-agnostic-on-most-matters-of-faith-but-on-the-subjects-of-maps/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) [Explore all 24 Tony Horwitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. 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