keralovell

Research Findings and Fellowships

For the most up-to-date list of grants and fellowships I have been awarded, see my list of Scholarships, Fellowships, and Awards. Additionally, you can read Press on these awards as well as how my work has reached broader academic and public audiences. Most recently I was awarded a research fellowship by the Graham Foundation for myContinue reading “Research Findings and Fellowships”

Inspiration: Mapping Chicago from Below

The history of cartography is often remembered as a legacy of white men. With “imperial eyes” (Pratt, 1992), cartographers granted power to largely northern white nation-states through borders and names with the stroke of a pen. From the age of exploration to mid-twentieth century redlining, maps have shaped people, places, histories, and our identities. Ultimately, maps visualizeContinue reading “Inspiration: Mapping Chicago from Below”

Syllabus – Food Histories

Trying to finish a syllabus is nearly impossible. To put the pen down means to admit that your course can never be comprehensive – never conclusive. And when it comes to teaching the history of food (even in the U.S.), it feels impossible to press print. But here’s to beginning complex discussions about food somewhere!Continue reading “Syllabus – Food Histories”

Rosa Parks’s Pancakes & Amelia Earhart’s Waffles

Happy Women’s History Month! Today we’re hitting the archives. Imagine a tip jar: Amelia Earhart’s Sour Cream Waffles versus Rosa Parks’s Peanut Butter Pancakes. Who’s the winner!? I feel a taste-test coming.

Boiled Peanuts 4 Ways

Today I decided to finally (after about 7 months of waiting) boil a bag of raw peanuts I bought while visiting family in Southern Georgia last summer. I currently live in Muncie, Indiana and nothing really comes close to quenching my thirst for these little tasty morsels. These ever so slightly salty hot pockets, when popped with your thumbs and forefingers at the seam, reveal two or three (four if you’re lucky) perfectly aligned and tightly nestled burgundy beans.

Teaching: Mind Mapping American Bodies

In my American Studies courses I ask students to construct a mind map with an accompanying essay reflecting back on the course. The assignment aims to secretly get students to think about a structural analysis of power

Coffee is simple

I love coffee. I drink it everyday – all day. I like to dip my doughnuts in it. I like to sip it in small glasses from hipster coffee shops. I like it from Italian highway rest areas. I like coffee. It is sometimes difficult to communicate to other people what type of coffee youContinue reading “Coffee is simple”

American Cocktail Map

Hannah Gregg at Buzzfeed has created a beautiful map and list of state-themed cocktails for when you’re doing some cross-country driving or listening to the vote count on election night. Keep in mind, these drinks are not the go-to for locals. For example, no one in Indiana is drinking “The Refined Janet Guthrie (Sweet Tea Vodka,Continue reading “American Cocktail Map”

Teaching Spotlight: Maps of American Food

I’m in the throes of organizing a course for the American Studies program at Purdue on food studies – a class exploring the connections between food, identity, and place. Today’s visual inspirations are maps I’ve found trying to embed certain recipes within US regions and cities. What could you add to these maps? How would yourContinue reading “Teaching Spotlight: Maps of American Food”

Eating America

I’m in the process of creating a syllabus for a 200-level undergraduate course on unpacking the transnational roots of core American food ingredients, and in looking for a good image for the syllabus have discovered a beautiful array of US flags made of food. Now, for the Fourth of July, I’ve always loved to make aContinue reading “Eating America”