Emelyn Rude

Recent Articles

The Coronavirus Baking Boom's Flour Shortage Isn't the First

As the government urged Americans to cut back on wheat consumption, bakers came up with creative solutions

By Emelyn Rude

Americans Eat More Than a Billion Chicken Wings on Super Bowl Weekend. There's a Surprising Past Behind That Number

Flash back to any point in American history prior to the 1970s and you would have had to have paid many Americans to put this part of the chicken in their mouths

By Emelyn Rude

The Backlash Against Plastic Straws Is Spreading. Here’s How They Got So Popular in the First Place

How did plastic straws—now being phased out by Starbucks—become so ubiquitous as to represent the whole problem with single-use plastics?

By Emelyn Rude

The Surprising Link Between World War II and Frozen Orange Juice

Scientists had long tried to find a way to freeze O.J. without losing the flavor, and it was a wartime demand that finally led to a solution

By Emelyn Rude

Americans Are Totally Obsessed With Avocados Thanks to This Man

June is California avocado month

By Emelyn Rude

The Very Short History of Food Stamp Fraud in America

A look at the real history of food stamps in American reveals why cases of fraud in the program have declined

By Emelyn Rude

The History That Explains Those ‘Visions of Sugarplums’

In many cases, there were no actual plums involved

By Emelyn Rude

Astronauts Have Been Celebrating Thanksgiving in Space Since 1973. Here's How

Thanksgiving in space has been a tradition since 1973

By Emelyn Rude

The Scariest Part of Halloween May Have Always Been the Candy

The health hazards of sugar have been known by scientists for a lot longer than you may think

By Emelyn Rude

An Abbreviated History of School Lunch in America

Around the beginning of the 20th century, experts recognized that feeding students could be a crucial part of education reform

By Emelyn Rude

The 'Beefsteak Election': When Meat Changed the Course of American Politics

In 1946, during the midterm elections, Americans could seem to talk of nothing but red meat—and those conversations changed American history

By Emelyn Rude

Secrets of the Chicken Nugget: A Surprising History

Read an excerpt from the new book Tastes Like Chicken: A History of America’s Favorite Bird

By Emelyn Rude

Celebrating the 4th of July With the Founding Foodies

Culinary historians and diehard Fourth of July fans alike have long wondered what exactly was on the menu at America’s first birthday party

By Emelyn Rude

Like a Rolling Store: These Mobile Shops Changed Rural American Life

The rolling store—an institution that was what it sounded like—was essential to the survival of many rural Americans

By Emelyn Rude

What Take-Out Food Can Teach You About American History

Everything I need to know about America I learned from Seamless

By Emelyn Rude

This Contest Was the Original 'The Biggest Loser'

Americans have been obsessed with competitive weight loss since at least the 1930s

By Emelyn Rude

A Very Brief History of Chinese Food in America

The food eaten at Lunar New Year festivities in the U.S. has come a long way in the last 150 years

By Emelyn Rude

When New Year's Eve was Overshadowed by April 4

The countdown in Finland in 1932 took place a few months late

By Emelyn Rude

How Eggnog (Almost) Changed the World

The Christmas drink set off a veritable riot

By Emelyn Rude

The Worst That Can Happen When Egg Prices Get Too High

Think paying a lot for an omelet is bad? That's nothing on the Farallon Egg Wars

By Emelyn Rude
More from TIME
More From TIME