Clarence birdseye was the sixth of nine children of clarence frank birdseye, a lawyer in an insurance firm, and ada jane underwood. The first book length 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. 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. While working as a fur trapper in labrador, canada, clarence birdseye encountered. I grew up with his foods and never had any idea that he was an inventer with more than 200 patents. Clarence birdseye, the father of the modern fresh frozen pea. Clarence birdseye february 9, 1886 january 7, 1956. He is the kind of guy you would want to have a long meal with and enjoy listening to his tales. The initial product line featured 26 items, including 18 cuts of frozen meat, spinach and peas, a variety of fruits and berries, blue point oysters, and fish fillets.
In 2012 the first booklength biography of birdseye, mark kurlanskys birdseye. Clarence bob birdseye was a distinctly unique individual. How clarence birdseye conquered the freezer how an early20thcentury inventor based in gloucester created the frozen food industry and a business empire that bears his name. If you have ever wondered who gave their names to things and places, you will find the answer here. 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. Individual training in our colleges clarence frank birdseye full view 1907. Adventurer and inventor clarence birdseye had a fascination with food preservation that led him to develop and patent the birdseye freezing process and start. Clarence birdseye was born in brooklyn, new york on december 9, 1886. The first biography of clarence birdseye, the inventor of fastfreezing, a process that revolutionized the way we eat. Gr 610based on kurlanskys book for adults birdseye. Mark kurlansky i won this book from a goodreads first reads giveaway i have to say i enjoyed reading about clarence birdseye. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A key ingredient in the success of kurlanskys biography is the mixture of birdseye the modern man and birdseye the throwback, who could not understand so much of contemporary society.
Kurlansky has written the first book length biography of clarence birdseye. Published november 11th 2014 by delacorte books for young readers. After working as a government naturalist, birdseye went to labrador as a fur trader in 1912 and again in 1916. From the author who gave us cod, salt, and other informative bestsellers, the first biography of clarence birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fastfreezing process revolutionized the food industry and american agricult.
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. Scientist and inventor clarence birdseye devised the modern method for fastfreezing food. 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. His first years were spent in brooklyn, new york, where his family owned a townhouse in cobble hill. The first thing i see when i open mark kurlanskys entertaining new biography, birdseye. Today, birds eye continues to develop nutritious and. A lot of what goes into the investigation of this mans life is based on tireless work by the author through interviews and. However, a couple of times the story of clarence birdseye would get interesting, but i wouldnt say it was exciting. From the author who gave us cod, salt, and other informative bestsellers, the first biography of clarence birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fastfreezing process revolutionized the food industry and american agriculture. 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. The adventures of a curious man skip to main content. Birds eye continued to tinker until his death in 1956, securing patents for.
By the end of the book you have to wonder when he ever sat down. He was a small, mild inventor and businessman who died in 1956 and has never seemed to warrant a whole book. Clarence birdseye and his fantastic frozen food machine. Oct 10, 2012 clarence birdseye, culinary pioneer 1886 1956 october 7 was the anniversary of inventors death. Clarence birdseye would have been 69 years old at the time of death or 128 years old today. Students can follow birdseyes success story from his education at montclair high school to his career as a fur trader and life in labrador. Jul, 2017 lillian hellman, clarence birdseye and thai jones.
Mark kurlansky is the new york times bestselling author of many books. Growing woodland plants by birdseye, clarence and eleanor and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. 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. Wherever he went, be it montana, peru, or remotest newfoundland, clarence birdseye sampled the fare at hand.
Clarence birdseyes outrageous idea about frozen food. Growing woodland plants by clarence and eleanor birdseye and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Share photos and videos, send messages and get updates. The birds eye name remains a leading frozenfood brand. 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.
He did not invent frozen food but he clearly invented the modern frozen food industry. 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. While working as a fur trapper in labrador, canada, clarence birdseye encountered an ageold problem. Clarence birdseye was born on december 9, 1886 in brooklyn, new york. The adventures of a curious man, was published by doubleday. People had been freezing foods well before clarence birdseye, so why write a book about this one person. The winning recipe includes a brioche bun filled with three birds eye fish fingers, tandoori masala spiced greek yoghurt, grated cucumber and red apple. How clarence birdseye conquered the freezer the boston globe. He attended montclair high school in new jersey and was briefly a student at amherst college but dropped out after two years. Congratulations to the mumbailievable butty, winner of the birds eye butties 2020 as voted by you.
Having just read mark kurlanskys new biography of clarence birdseye, i now see the humble fish fillet in a whole new light. Frozen in time and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. While working as a fur trapper in labrador, canada, clarence birdseye enc. See which new books our editors chose as this months favorites for kids of all ages. The adventures of a curious man kindle edition by kurlansky, mark.
I distinctly remember packages of birds eye frozen food in the grocers freezer. Clarence birdseye, the man behind modern frozen food. 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. Although frozen foods made birds eye a household name, few were familiar with clarence birdseye 18861956, developer of the. Discover book depositorys huge selection of clarence frank birdseye books online. Clarence birdseye indirectly improved the health of almost everyone in the industrialized world by providing fresh food in a convenient way. He attended amherst college, with the intention of becoming a biologist. It was during a stay in this far northern region that birdseye made his first observations about freezing and crystallization, and found. Adventures of a curious man random, 2012, this biography examines birdseye founder clarence birdseye, who patented the process of freezing foods.
Clarence birdseye project gutenberg selfpublishing. The adventures of a curious man, is a portrait of clarence frank birdseye ii sitting at his desk in september 1943. 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. He subsequently moved west for the united states 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. Birds eye frozen food company where clarence birdseye continued to work. Education he studied in the public schools, and then attended amherst college from 1908 to 1910. May 18, 2012 clarence birdseye and his fantastic frozen food machine.
The story of clarence birdseye, frozen food pioneer. Kurlansky admits that there is limited source material for much about birdseyes life, and that shows in the book. Introduces the life of clarence birdseye, discussing his childhood in brooklyn, new york, his education at montclair high school to his career as a fur trader and life in labrador, canada. Kurlansky has written the first booklength biography of clarence birdseye. He was a small, mild inventor and businessman who died in 1956 and. His parents were ada jane underwood and clarence frank birdseye i. Birds eye is an american international brand of frozen foods owned by pinnacle foods in the united states and by nomad foods in europe.
For as kurlansky tells it, when clarence birdseye figured out how to pack and freeze haddock. Clarence birdseye, the man behind modern frozen food arts. Profiles the life of frozen food inventor clarence birdseye. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features. Clarence birdseyes outrageous idea about frozen food mark. The story of birds eye begins with our founder, clarence birdseye. Birds eye is one of the most important brand names in the history of the frozen food industry.
Prior to his time, food was often frozen, but the process damaged the foods taste. Readers will enjoy getting the scoop on this food dude, beginning with his childhood in brooklyn, new york. The book would get pretty boring while i read it sometimes and i felt like there was too much description. Explore our editors picks for the best kids books of the month.
The adventures of a curious man kurlansky, mark on. You can read about john sandwich, george dallas, gustave eiffel, james of york new york, clarence birds eye, charles baltimore and many many others. Although frozen foods made birds eye a household name, few were familiar with clarence birdseye 1886 1956, developer of the fastfreezing process that became a multibilliondollar international industry. Students can follow birdseye s success story from his education at montclair high school to his career as a fur trader and life in labrador. Connect with friends, family and other people you know.
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. Today frozen food aisles offer everything imaginable to the. Consumer acceptance was strong, and today this experiment is considered the birth of retail frozen foods. 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. In the shadow of americas great inventors edison, ford and bell, to name a few stands an unheralded giant.
Yes, the frozenfood guy really was named clarence birdseye 18861956, and the story of his adventures is another satisfying dish from the remarkable menu of the author of cod 1997, salt 2002 and other treats. Pdf clarence birdseye download full pdf book download. 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. 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading birdseye. Birdseye was an inventor and visionary who lived a life of adventure. Clarence bob bugs birdseye was a man ahead of his time, and lived a quite unique and adventurous life traveling, inventing, and photographing.
Clarence birdseye by joanne mattern overdrive rakuten. From childhood, birdseye was obsessed with natural science and with taxidermy. The frozen food revolution before locavores and the slow food movement, one mans invention radically transformed how and what we eat. May 10, 2012 frozen food innovator clarence birdseye changed the way we eat. Consumers liked the idea of purchasing frozen foods and today the. Marie arana is a former editor of the washington post s book world. Today is the birthday 1886 of clarence frank birdseye, u.
Kurlansky touched on his story in three previous books. Students can follow cades success story from his education at montclair high school to his career as a fur trader and life in labrador, canada. He was a hunter, a photographer and a foodie before his time. Clarence birdseye was born on december 9, 1886 and died on october 7, 1956.
The salt clarence birdseye s life as a taxidermist, fur trader, hunter, and fish lobbyist all led to his creation of the modern frozen. In this title, unwrap the life of talented birds eye frozen foods innovator, clarence birdseye. Clarence birdseye, who was born in brooklyn at the end of 1886, did not originate the idea of fastfreezing foodhe always credited the inuit for the concept. Clarence birdseye food dudes national geographic learning on. Clarence birdseye american businessman and inventor. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Birdseye was briefly a student at amherst college, dropping out some time around 1908 the exact date is uncertain due to financial difficulties. The small, wiry genius didnt stop till his heart gave out. Birds eye today although clarence birdseye died in 1956, birds eye, inc. Clarence birdseye was born in brooklyn, new york, the sixth of nine children of clarence frank birdseye sr, and ada jane underwood. I am just a guy with a very large bump of curiosity and a gambling instinct.
1583 397 1245 668 1255 1020 747 604 1457 944 1589 760 570 30 1022 448 814 157 877 681 63 1519 615 324 1281 1307 883 1085 920 368 554 516