Blissfully Unremarkable: A Taste of the Mid-Century Heartland, from Hot Dish to Cold Oleo

Blissfully Unremarkable is Tom Sodergren’s humorous culinary and cultural romp through the mid-century heartland. His parents grew up during the Great Depression and the lessons they learned became instincts. As Sodergren says, “After the Depression and war years, my parents had powerful instincts to never waste money. Ever. On anything. On me.” From his family’s frugal kitchen and home-life, to their newly-built neighborhoods and budget travel, American domesticity was so different in so many ways. Though he writes as a “child of a child of the Depression,” this is not another dysfunctional family story laced with despair. Sodergren writes about what he calls his typical mid-century Midwestern family with humor and joy. After all, they were blissfully unremarkable.