A Road Scholar Program by Penelope Bingham American cookbooks-their authors, their implied audience, the social structure implicit in their recipes and meal plans-tell the story of the changes in the role of women and social structure in 20th century America. The cookbook is much more than a ""how-to"" manual; it documents the expectations for ""good food"" and for a ""good cook."" Looking at a century's most popular cookbooks brings to light its changing values. This program invites audiences to think about the links between who cooks our food and how our society is structured.