The United States of Arugula by David Kamp is a delightful romp through American culinary history. It begins with a discussion of America’s first cookbooks and restaurants, discusses the impact Julia Child, James Beard and Craig Claiborne and runs through our culinary culture touching on the emergence of big name chef restaurants in Vegas, the sustainable food movement and finally The Food Network, with lots of juicy information in between. The book is well researched with footnotes and a lengthy bibliography, and Kamp’s sharp wit makes it entertaining and a quick read. Despite the fact that the U.S. is a young nation and doesn’t have the culinary cred of France and its Escoffier, the author is hopelessly optimistic about the state of cuisine in the U.S. A must read for die-hard foodies. The book was an International Association of Culinary Professionals finalist and named a notable book of the year by the New York Times Book Review.