Image of nation, image of culture: France and French cooking in the American press, 1918-1969

This thesis argues that as the national image of France in the American press declined, so, too, did US reliance on France for cultural instruction. In particular, French cooking evolved from something Americans should emulate as part of "uplifting" the masses in the interwar period to a practice that Americans could themselves own through cooptation and adaptation in the Cold War. In addition, as the image of France as a nation declined, the United States' reliance on France as a cultural model also declined as the US became more confident in its own cultural image.