Search
501(c)3 Pending.
Why are foodways important?
Foodways is the study of what people eat and why. Why we procure, prepare and serve the food we do has cultural, sociological, geographical, financial and political influences.
Why is recognition of diverse foodways valuable?
Preserving our past and present for the future by research, documentation and oral histories. It is culinary anthropology on the hoof, paw, root and leaf.
Roger Smith Food Writers' Conference, Feb 12-14 in NYC
We'll be adding more to the website soon.
Questions and comments are welcome.
Andy Smith
"Is There a Midwestern Cuisine? Culinary Identities of the American Heartland"
Culinary Historians of New York
"Is There a Midwestern Cuisine?
Culinary Identities of the American Heartland: Fish Boils, Fish Fries, the Cudighi and Runza, Ohio Mango, the Coney and Big Baby"
Bruce Kraig, PhD.
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: Park Avenue Methodist Church
Street: 106 East 86th Street
City/Town: New York, NY
At a food conference not long ago, a wit was heard to quip, "Midwestern food? Why, nothing but casseroles." And white ones at that, she should have added. A history stickler might have replied that essential casserole ingredients, such as Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, hail not from the Midwest but from New Jersey. But why quibble? The remark was intended to say that Midwesterners, unlike Southerners or New Englanders, have no distinctive culinary sensibilities.
Bruce Kraig is a vivacious speaker and will tease apart the many threads that form the fabric of Midwestern cuisine and will argue that, contrary to popular belief, Midwestern foodways express a rich cuisine that defines cultural identity as much as Southern fried chicken or a New England clambake. (Yes, pie will play an important role).
Bruce Kraig is the founding President of Culinary Historians of Chicago. With a Ph.D. in History and Archaeology, Dr. Kraig is Professor Emeritus in History and Humanities at Roosevelt University, Chicago. An internationally recognized food historian, he has been host and writer for a series of award-winning food documentaries for PBS, is a regular speaker at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, and has written several cookbooks.
Midwestern treats will be served!
Location:
Park Avenue United Methodist Church
106 East 86th Street (b/w Park and Lex)
Time: 6:30 pm Check-In and Reception | 7:00 pm Lecture
Fee: $40 Non-Members and Guests | $25 CHNY Members |$22 CHNY Student & Senior Members
Join CHNY (cash or check) at the door of this event, and you'll attend at the Member rate!
Or join online now (via Paypal), at your option: http://www.culinaryhistoriansny.org/join.html
Click here to purchase tickets securely online via Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/7199
(Or, for tickets to be paid at the door (cash or check), RSVP to "Events" at http://www.culinaryhistoriansny.org/contact.html)
Southern Foodways Alliance
Music and Food: Exploring Interdependent Cultural Expressions
2009 Delta Divertissement October 29–30, 2009 (Sold Out)
2009 Southern Foodways Symposium October 30–November 1, 2009 (Tickets Still Available)
For more information and registration, click here. (http://www.southernfoodways.com/events/symposium/index.html)
The twelfth Southern Foodways Symposium will be held October 30—November 1, 2009, in and around the town of Oxford and on the campus of the University of Mississippi. The Delta Divertissement, now in its seventh year, will take place October 29—30 in nearby Greenwood and Indianola. Both events will explore music and food as intertwined evocations of Southern peoples and places.
Over the course of four days of lectures and performances, as well as breakfasts, dinners, and suppers, we will unlock the key to what Memphis Minnie really meant when she sang, "I’m selling my pork chops/But I’m giving my gravy away."
New Orleans will get its due, by way of red beans and rice and jazz. So will Texas blues. And Tennessee country. And hip hop from the ATL.
We’ll stage a ballet and a goat roast. We’ll feed on deep-fried catish and slow-simmered greens. We’ll take you down to the crossroads where food and music meet, and we’ll sketch the ways in which these cultural expressions are complementary.
These events are programmed to provide opportunities for academics, writers, cooks, and intellectually curious eaters to come to a better understanding of Southern culture and Southern cookery. Lectures, staged on the University of Mississippi campus, as well as in Oxford, at the Lyric Theatre and the Powerhouse, will be amplified by informal lunches and dinners, served in and around the town.
Introducing Stories Matter: Open Source Database Building Software
Introducing Stories Matter: Open Source Database Building Software
After nearly a year of interdisciplinary collaboration among affiliates of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University in Montreal, the first phase of Stories Matter is complete. In its current state, Stories Matter is free, open source software that is compatible with Macintosh and PC operating systems. It allows for the archiving of digital video and audio materials, enabling users to annotate, analyze, evaluate and export materials, as well as tag, index, search, and browse within interviews, sessions, and clips or across entire collections.
We have been successful in creating what we believe is an extremely convenient and intuitive software that will inspire oral historians to continue listening to their interviews long after the interviews themselves are completed. While Stories Matter may not replace transcription for many oral historians, it will undoubtedly compliment it due to its ability to allow users to create convenient video and audio clips for research purposes and integrate them into such presentation software as PowerPoint. Furthermore, we believe users will be impressed by the software’s ability to preserve important forms of communication typically lost in transcription, including changes in tone, volume, rhythm, and body language, allowing for more nuanced analysis.
Thus, we invite you to visit the new Stories Matter website at www.stories-matter.com where you can download the software and begin using it locally to build a database or series of databases from your personal collection of interviews. The Stories Matter Instructional Manual is embedded the software, and can be downloaded to your desktop by selecting the appropriate option from the Help Menu.
And continue following the Stories Matter blog http://storytelling.concordia.ca/storiesmatter/) for updates on the development of Phase II of Stories Matter, which will begin on July 15th. Its purpose is to enable increased collaboration among oral historians by providing an intuitive online database tool that can assist group projects and encourage public engagement. Phase II of Stories Matter is scheduled to be completed in December of 2009, with a public launch to follow shortly thereafter.
--
Erin Jessee, PhD Candidate
Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling
Concordia University
Montreal QC
AIWF: "Farm to Fork: An Agricultural Primer for Foodies"
Join the American Institute of Wine & Food and the Chicago Botanic Garden for a unique symposium exploring the history, factors and forces impacting today’s agricultural choices from an engaging line-up of national experts in nutrition, the environment, legislation, economics and rural development. It will definitely be food for thought. Saturday, October 3rd 9:00-5:00 Chicago Botanic Garden (map) $125 Full Day/ $85 Half Day* To register, call 847.835.8261 or visit http://www.aiwf.org/chicago/contentpage/index.html?id=10 for more information For those who are passionate about food, this is an extraordinary opportunity to broaden your view of the issues and how they intertwine to impact our lives. It’s also the perfect chance to meet Chicago chefs renowned for their commitment to sustainability and watch them prepare some of their favorite dishes showcasing local foodstuffs. Program Content Bill Kurtis, President of Kurtis Productions and Founder of Tallgrass Beef, will speak on the history and geography that shaped the food systems in Illinois. Ann Wright, Senior Agricultural Policy Advisor with the Office of Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, will explain the impact of legislation on agricultural systems. Sandra Batie, Elton R. Smith Professor in Food and Agricultural Policy at Michigan State University, will explore the complex nature of food supply chains. Richard Manning, award-winning environmental author and journalist, will look at our agricultural footprint in terms of energy, emissions, water and waste. Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director, Center for Rural Affairs, will discuss the changing landscape of our rural communities and new opportunities for small farmers. Neil Levin, Nutrition Education Manager and Product Formulator at NOW Foods, will talk about nutritional differences in organic, conventional and biotech foods. After the symposium, join the speakers and chefs for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the Rose Garden or take a tour of the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Detailed Agenda: http://www.aiwf.org/chicago/contentpage/index.html?id=10 Speaker Bios: http://www.aiwf.org/chicago/contentpage/index.html?id=11 * Join AIWF or the CBG and qualify for the discounted price of $100 Full Day or $60 Half Day