The birth of a notion -- The growing pains of an adolescent culture : the codes for love, seduction, and sex -- Living on the axis : the codes for beauty and fat -- First comes survival : the codes for health and youth -- Moving beyond the biological scheme : the codes for home and dinner -- Working for a living : the codes for work and money -- Learning to live with it : the codes for quality and perfection -- More is more : the codes for food and alcohol -- Just put that alibi on my gold card : the codes for shopping and luxury -- Who do these upstarts think they are? : the codes for America in other cultures -- Parting of the Red Sea optional : the code for the American presidency -- Never growing up, never giving up : the code for America.