Tag Archives: american studies

Hawaiian Food Flag

As one component of the final project for my AMST 202 class at Honolulu Community College this semester, students were asked to create a food flag. And as I’ve mentioned in this past blog post, I love food flags! A flag is a symbol of national identity – we salute flags, we sing to flags,Continue reading “Hawaiian Food Flag”

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.

The World’s Best Cookie Recipes

My heart is going to explode with happiness.  Food52 just released an infographic (by Jordan Sondler), map, and list with some of the world’s best cookie recipes.  I haven’t been able to stop thinking about cookie recipes in preparation for holiday gifts, and now I’m overwhelmed with the urge to retire early and spend theContinue reading “The World’s Best Cookie Recipes”

Meatballs: Italian, Iranian, and Ikea

I grew up eating small, thumb-sized beef meatballs microwaved from their frozen plastic bag and then dumped into a pot of 2 cans of 99 cent Hunts spaghetti sauce. It was heaven.

Global Food Studies: Local Perspectives

Dear world, You are invited to attend an important symposium exploring international influences on local food culture.  Global Food: Local Perspectives will be Thursday October 22, 3:30-5:30 in NLSN 1215 at Purdue University. The symposium will feature a keynote lecture by Dr. Simone Cinotto, Professor of Italian American history and food studies at the UniversityContinue reading “Global Food Studies: Local Perspectives”

Teaching Spotlight: Mapping Transnational Toy Routes

I’m teaching an American Studies course this summer on conformity and rebellion in youth culture.  A major component of youth culture in America over the past century has been the near constant creation of new toys. An assignment for the course was an investigation of America’s toy culture, and included two parts.  Part 1 askedContinue reading “Teaching Spotlight: Mapping Transnational Toy Routes”

Porta Palazzo – Turin, Italy

Part of my grant included my meeting and networking with Dr. Simone Cinotto, Associate Professor of Modern History at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (a food studies university run by the farm-to-table organization Slow Food International). Fortunately (!), Dr. Cinotto suggested we meet in Turin at Porta Palazzo – the largest open-air market in Europe.Continue reading “Porta Palazzo – Turin, Italy”