Mark kurlansky recounts the life and times of clarence birdseye, who transformed the american diet and took the food industry from local to. Clarence frank birdseye ii december 9, 1886 october 7, 1956 was an american inventor, entrepreneur, and naturalist, and is considered to be the founder of the modern frozen food industry. Mark kurlansky is the new york times bestselling author of many books. Birdseye was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea off gloucester, massachusetts. Clarence birdseyes outrageous idea about frozen food mark. Its biographical about birdseye, yes, but there is a lot of information about the historical context, and details about the food industry, ice, fox raising, hunting, fishing, and rocky mountain spotted fever. The first booklength biography of clarence birdseye an intriguing book that coaxes readers to reexamine everyday miracles like frozen food, and to imagine where places with no indigenous produce would be without them. Clarence bob birdseye was a distinctly unique individual. In the early 1900s, during his travels through what is now northern canada, he saw the inuit use ice, wind, and temperature to instantly freeze justcaught fish. While working as a fur trapper in labrador, canada, clarence birdseye encountered an ageold. Before his death in springfield, massachusetts, on october 8, 1956, at the age of 70, birdseye realized that his discovery on the cold tundra of the arctic had grown into a highly successful business. I am just a guy with a very large bump of curiosity and a gambling instinct. Wander any supermarket and youll find birdseyes legacy kurlanskys book is a delightand a quiz bowl teams treasuretrove.
Part of a series that focuses upon inventors and business people, this biography uses primary source material to explore the history and development of the ideas of clarence birdseye. People had been freezing foods well before clarence birdseye, so why write a book about this one person. Adventurer and inventor clarence birdseye had a fascination with food preservation that led him to develop and patent the birdseye freezing process and start the company that still bears his name today. Pdf clarence birdseye download full pdf book download. Clarence frank birdseye ii december 9, 1886 october 7, 1956 was an american inventor. Growing woodland plants by birdseye, clarence and eleanor and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. May 16, 2012 the first thing i see when i open mark kurlanskys entertaining new biography, birdseye. Clarence birdseye was born in brooklyn, new york, the sixth of nine children of clarence frank birdseye sr, and ada jane underwood. Today is the birthday 1886 of clarence frank birdseye, u. Clarence birdseye was born in brooklyn, new york, on december 9, 1886, the sixth of nine children of clarence frank birdseye i and ada jane underwood. He was a small, mild inventor and businessman who died in 1956 and has never seemed to warrant a whole book.
Gr 610based on kurlanskys book for adults birdseye. Jul 08, 2012 in the shadow of americas great inventors edison, ford and bell, to name a few stands an unheralded giant. A profile of eccentric genius inventor clarence birdseye chronicles how his innovative fastfreezing process revolutionized the food industry and american agriculture. Clarence birdseye, written about in three previous works for adults by kurlanskycod 1997, salt 2002 and the last fish tale 2009takes center stage as the creator of a new food industry in. Birdseye was an inventor and visionary who lived a life of adventure. Adventurer and inventor clarence birdseye had a fascination with food preservation that led him to develop and patent the birdseye freezing adapted from mark kurlanskys adult work birdseye. Birdseye was briefly a student at amherst college, dropping out some time around 1908 the exact date is uncertain due to financial difficulties.
The author follows his life from the time he was a young boy interested in hunting and nature and on to his time at amherst college. Birds eye is one of the most important brand names in the history of the frozen food industry. His first years were spent in brooklyn, new york, where his family owned a townhouse in cobble hill. He was a small, mild inventor and businessman who died in 1956 and. The adventures of a curious man kurlansky, mark on.
While working as a fur trapper in labrador, canada, clarence birdseye enc. Had clarence birdseye been there in the flesh observing all this, he probably upon landing would have hopped into one of his three cars, driven downtown to a hardware store to buy a few things. Birdseye died on october 7, 1956, of a heart attack at the gramercy park hotel. Clarence birdseyes outrageous idea about frozen food. Connect with friends, family and other people you know. Discover book depositorys huge selection of clarence frank birdseye books online. Clarence birdseye was born on december 9, 1886 in brooklyn, new york.
His parents were ada jane underwood and clarence frank birdseye i. He details the birdseye family and clarences time in the desert southwest working as a naturalist and how he had to drop out of college due to financial hardship in the family. In this title, unwrap the life of talented birds eye frozen foods innovator, clarence birdseye. Immediately download the clarence birdseye summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching clarence birdseye. The houston chronicle having just read mark kurlanskys new biography of clarence birdseye, i now see the humble fish fillet in a whole new light. Kurlanskys engaging portrait of clarence birdseye 1886 1956 adventurer, inventor, entrepreneur, naturalist and omnivore is important not only because birdseye changed what we eat, how farmers grow crops, and how we cook our food, but for what birdseye reveals about.
Genealogy profile for clarence frank birdseye clarence frank birdseye 1854 1927 genealogy genealogy for clarence frank birdseye 1854 1927 family tree on geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Share photos and videos, send messages and get updates. Aug 27, 20 kurlansky admits that there is limited source material for much about birdseyes life, and that shows in the book. Clarence birdseye project gutenberg selfpublishing. In 2012 the first book length biography of birdseye, mark kurlanskys birdseye. He was a hunter, a photographer and a foodie before his time. Clarence birdseye indirectly improved the health of almost everyone in the industrialized world by providing fresh food in a convenient way. Growing woodland plants by clarence and eleanor birdseye and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. He was also one of the people that helped find the cure for tick fever. Clarence birdseyes outrageous idea about frozen food kurlansky, mark on.
Adventurer and inventor clarence birdseye had a fascination with food preservation that led him to develop and patent the birdseye freezing process and start. The adventures of a curious man, was published by doubleday. From clarence birdseye to the distinguished order of zerocrats, how americans learned to eat from their freezers. The first biography of clarence birdseye, the inventor of fastfreezing, a process that revolutionized the way we eat. Birds eye is an american international brand of frozen foods owned by pinnacle foods in the united states and by nomad foods in europe. While working as a fur trapper in labrador, canada, clarence birdseye encountered. Clarence birdseye, the father of the modern fresh frozen pea. She wrote about meeting clarence birdseye in her memoir of her childhood in peru. The adventures of a curious man, is a portrait of clarence frank birdseye ii sitting at his desk in. However, a couple of times the story of clarence birdseye would get interesting, but i wouldnt say it was exciting.
The first biography of clarence birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fastfreezing process revolutionized the food industry and. The book would get pretty boring while i read it sometimes and i felt like there was too much description. Kurlansky describes how birdseye dropped out of college for financial reasons, later working as a government field researcher. May 16, 2012 people had been freezing foods well before clarence birdseye, so why write a book about this one person. In 2012 the first booklength biography of birdseye, mark kurlanskys birdseye. Frozen in time and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Kurlanskys engaging portrait of clarence birdseye 1886 1956 adventurer, inventor, entrepreneur, naturalist and omnivore is important not only because birdseye changed what we eat, how farmers grow crops, and how we cook our food, but for what birdseye reveals about the american character. The first thing i see when i open mark kurlanskys entertaining new biography, birdseye. Kurlansky has written the first booklength biography of clarence birdseye.
The book of clarence is a documentaryessay which follows the life of legendary blind gospel singer and founding member of the grammy award winning blind boys of alabama, clarence fountain. The adventures of a curious man, is a portrait of clarence frank birdseye ii. Coming up with lots of ways to make living easier and more economical. Clarence birdseye, the man behind modern frozen food arts. I grew up with his foods and never had any idea that he was an inventer with more than 200 patents. Clarence birdseye was the sixth of nine children of clarence frank birdseye, a lawyer in an insurance firm, and ada jane underwood.
While working as a fur trapper in labrador, canada, clarence birdseye encountered an ageold problem. However, he observed that fresh vegetables wetted and left outside in the arctic winds froze in a way that maintained their integrity after thawing. The frozen food revolution before locavores and the slow food movement, one mans invention radically transformed how and what we eat. He subsequently moved west for the united states agriculture. He attended montclair high school in new jersey and was briefly a student at amherst college but dropped out after two years.
Clarence bob birdseye was singlehandedly responsible for a major early breakthrough in the development of the methods and technology that made freezing a viable way of preserving food. Tiffany peterson introduces the life of clarence birdseye, who invented a quickfreeze method to preserve the fresh flavor of food and founded the birds eye frosted foods company in 1929. He did not invent frozen food but he clearly invented the modern frozen food industry. Our products have been family favourites for over 60 years, providing healthy, natural food for generations. In the shadow of americas great inventorsedison, ford and bell, to name a fewstands an unheralded giant. Kurlansky has written the first book length biography of clarence birdseye. Adventures of a curious man random, 2012, this biography examines birdseye founder clarence birdseye, who patented the process of freezing foods. This biographyperfect for middlegrade readerstells the life story of clarence birdseye, the man who revolutionized the frozen food industry, and is adapted from mark kurlanskys adult work birdseye. Readers will enjoy getting the scoop on this food dude, beginning with his childhood in brooklyn, new york.
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