Cooking Up History
Bahama Food and Drink Book highlights the changing nature of North American cuisine as well as the changing society of the second half of the twentieth century. The cookbook shows the increasing interest in other cultures and cuisines from other countries which had previously been contained within their own communities. A cookbook which contains traditional Bahamian dishes and recipes highlights the exchange of cultures and cuisine. This introduction of cuisine from other cultures was growing and expanding in North America due to a number of factors. One factor being the immigration of people from around the globe bringing their rich and diverse cultures. Another factor was the rise in tourism and the ability to immerse oneself in another society and way of life.
Pan American World Airways advertisement for the Bahamas
The growth of overseas travel undertaken by North Americans was a result of many changes. Economic growth in the middle of the twentieth century meant a rise in the middle-class population. This prosperous middle class had more money and wealth than they had before which they intended to spend on things for their pleasure and enjoyment. One thing in particular they did for their enjoyment was go on vacation abroad. As Brandon Dupont illustrates, ‘From 1950 through 1970 the number of Americans going abroad rose by 700 per cent, or at an annual rate of 10.8 per cent per year.' The rise in foreign travel was not only due to better wages and economic growth other factors also had a role. As Livia Gershon describes other influences, ‘The growth of car ownership, rising middle-class wealth, newly established paid vacation benefits for many workers, and the advent of air travel all contributed to a tourism boom’. Air travel was becoming increasingly more affordable, although, still considered a luxury. Short flights from mainland USA to the Caribbean was seen as within the reach of many middle-class Americans. The flight time from Miami to Nassau, the main island of the Bahamas, is only 45 minutes.
Pan American World Airways advertisement for the Bahamas
Due to its close proximity to mainland USA and the short flight time, The Bahamas gained an influx of North American visitors and tourists. John Bounds emphasises the demographics of tourists visiting the Bahamas, ‘Fully 75.8 percent of the visitors came from the USA in 1974, a further 15.6 percent from Canada. The majority of the visitors are middle class, economically. To increase tourism in the future prospective visitors from other wealthy nations are being sought.’ This shows the great impact that tourism had on the Bahamas economy and the popularity of the island as a vacation destination for North Americans.
