All posts filed under: Food-ish Writing

6 New Food Studies Books That I Can Stomach Reading

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When I was preparing for my preliminary exams, I had a friend warn me that after reading 300-or-so texts, the thought of picking up another book would make me feel physically ill. While there were certainly moments when I literally couldn’t stand reading another word, I’m pleased to share that I not only passed my exams in November, but am still hungry for more. I’ve been browsing the food studies titles that have come out recently, and here are six that I’m looking forward to reading: 1. Kate Cairns and Josée Johnston. Food and Femininity. New York: Bloomsbury Academic (September 2015). 2. Kima Cargill. The Psychology of Overeating: Food and the Culture of Consumerism. New York: Bloomsbury Academic (October 2015). 3. Deborah A. Harris and Patti Giuffre. Taking the Heat: Women Chefs and Gender Inequality in the Professional Kitchen. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press (May 2015). 4. Julie Parsons. Gender, Class, Food: Families, Bodies, Health. Palsgrave Macmillan. (September 2015). 5. Toni Tipton-Martin. The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks. Austin: University of Texas Press. …

Eating for Muscle: What This Foodie Has Learned From Her Powerlifter Husband

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I don’t usually identify myself as a foodie, but compared to my husband—who trains hard and subsists upon protein shakes and loads of lean meat—you might as well consider me one. The diets of strength athletes, bodybuilders, powerlifters, and the like are a gustatory world away from what most people eat, what the USDA would recommend, or what any food enthusiast would sanction. In my most recent Zester post, I pondered the nearly twelve years I’ve spent cooking and eating alongside this man I love, as he’s worked toward his athletic goals, boiling it down to six food rules that muscle building folks follow: Protein is king. Food is fuel. Taste is secondary. Cheating is part of the plan. Bulk is good. Meal prep is not cooking. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this dearly dedicated, but distinctly anti-foodie subculture. And as a silly supplement, here are some shots of my husband’s weekly meal prep (and his lifting). Photo credits: Emily Contois, 2015

Ann Seranne: America’s #1 Expert on Blender Cookery

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In 1961, Ann Seranne and Eileen Gaden, both former Gourmet Magazine editors, published The Blender Cookbook to rave reviews. Not at all gimmicky, the cookbook was heralded by Craig Claiborne as an inspired, functional, and welcome resource, penned by “probably the world’s leading authorities on what a blender will and will not do.” Not only the nation’s top blender cookery expert, Seranne wrote more than two dozen cookbooks, published mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. A woman with dual passions, she also bred champion Yorkshire terriers—who ate very well and loved garlic. Her name also buzzed among foodies a few years ago, when Amanda Hesser revived Seranne’s 1966 rib roast of beef recipe in a “recipe redux” in the New York Times. Read more about this lesser known cookbook author in my most recent Zester piece, “How the Blender Was Elevated to a Kitchen Staple,” and enjoy this image gallery, an ode to the humble blender.  

Nika Hazelton’s 1963 Rules for Judging Cookbooks

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People buy cookbooks for a variety of reasons. They look pretty on the bookshelf. Even better on the coffee table, depending on the book, a topic of culinary conspicuous consumption I discussed in a round table at the 2013 Cookbook Conference. Cookbooks can be fun to collect. Cookbooks represent skills we hope to learn or wish to have, meals we desire to eat, people we aspire to be. For well known cookbook author and writer Nika (Standen) Hazelton, however, there was only one reason to buy a cookbook: to cook from it, damn it. [I’m not sure if she would approve of such phrasing, but one of her cookbooks was titled, I Cook As I Please, so I might not be too far off.] The author of thirty cookbooks and innumerable articles for major food newspapers and magazines, Hazelton had little patience for those who purchased cookbooks as “escapist literature.” Instead, in a 1963 article in the New York Times, she laid out in black and white exactly how one ought to judge if a cookbook was up to snuff. Check …

To Eat, Or Not To Eat, Kangaroo

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Inspired by my recent travels to Australia, my most recent Zester Daily piece explores kangaroo meat and its consumption in Australia and abroad. Low fat, high protein, eco-friendly, affordable, and served at top Aussie restaurants, kangaroo meat consumption appears to be on the rise, but not in Australia. For the most part, Australians are wary to eat kangaroo, as the animal has figured prominently in the nation’s history, identity, and popular culture. For more, please take a sec to read the article—and here’s an impromptu gallery of kangaroo imagery as thanks.

The Agony and the Ecstasy—of Eating

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While we often think of eating as a supremely pleasurable experience, there are also times when eating brings pain, which can be wholly unwelcome or fully enjoyed. Rozin defines pain as “a negative experienced state that we avoid and that we try to reduce or eliminate” (1999: 5). And yet, there are numerous instances in which we do not avoid, reduce, or eliminate painful eating experiences. From late night, drive-through tacos that leave one’s stomach a bit unsettled to that ready-to-burst feeling that follows overeating at Thanksgiving dinner, we often fail to prevent moderately painful gastric distress. Pain can also find us by accident, as we cry out when a momentary mishap of the teeth causes us to bite down on our inner cheek or when we burn our tongues on a hot soup that we are too eager to try. Specific foods, however, bring a pain that at least some of us welcome and seek on purpose. Spicy foods set our tongues and lips on fire. Pickled foods render the inside of our mouths …

Thoughts on Ph.D. Programs, the Arduous Task of Moving, and Food & the Senses

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A seemingly-unimaginable-totally-wonderful-slightly-bewildering thing has happened to me—I’ve been offered admission to not one dream Ph.D. program, but several. While I’ll be making endless lists of pros and cons until April 15, one fact remains certain: my husband and I will indeed be moving again this summer, which brings up bitter-sweet memories. On a hot and humid morning in July 2011, my husband and I moved everything we owned from a shipment container into a U-Haul truck and then into our new apartment in Brookline. After hours of traipsing up and down the stairs with arms full of far-too-heavy boxes, we returned the U-Haul truck to its lot. Without a car, we were about to begin the mile walk back to our new home, when we spotted a Dunkin’ Donuts across the street. Having never eaten there before and only newly aware of its ubiquity across New England (this was months before I first began my research on Dunkin’ Donuts coffee culture), we were beckoned forward, strangely drawn to the strawberry-vanilla Coolatta we had seen advertised on television and …

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things…About Julia Child

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Drawing record crowds, Siting Julia, a day-long symposium hosted by the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard explored three sites of Julia’s life: Post–World War II Paris; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and national television. Rather than regale you with a play-by-play of the day, I’ll instead share the four most wonderful things about Julia that I took from this symposium: Her Personality  Keynote speaker Laura Shapiro (author of Perfection Salad, Something from the Oven, and Julia Child) recounted what Paul Child called “Juliafication” — the phenomenon by which Julia’s warmth and attention lit up those around her. While many speakers discussed Julia’s caring, generosity, and sense of humor, Dana Polan (professor of Cinema Studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and author of Julia Child’s “The French Chef”) credits Julia’s personality for her success on television. And Lisa Abend, TIME correspondent in Spain, argues that we have Julia to thank for transforming food into entertainment. Her Love of Learning Julia was the eternal student. Alex Prud’homme (Julia’s grandnephew and coauthor with her of My Life in France) spoke of how even at the age of 91, Julia was planning her …

A Food News Round Up You Can ‘Smell’

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I enjoy studying food, catching up on food-related news, and witticisms, which is likely a combination that some readers will enjoy and will leave others scratching their heads. Fair warning, such may be the case for this edition of Food News Round Up, which covers: Stanford’s recent study on organic food McDonald’s menu labeling press coverage Election 2012 and the role of food in politics Latest food trends of the moment Leftover food news By the end, you’ll have engaged in a tasty selection of the last couple of week’s worth of food-related news — and what better way to engage all of the senses as you read the news than to spell out “smell” in the process? Stanford’s Organic Food Study I’d be remiss to not say something about the recent Stanford meta-analysis of 237 studies that concluded that eating organic offers few health benefits, so I’ll just go ahead and get that out of the way first: Mark Bittman’s “Links” feature starts off with a handful of responses to the study. Consumer Reports urges …

Lobster Night at Boston University: Creating Community through Regional Foodways and Symbolic Consumption

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It’s that time of year again for Boston University Lobster Night. Held annually in the dining halls, Lobster Night welcomes students to campus and a new school year, with a festive New England-themed dinner. This year’s event takes place this Thursday, on September 13 in the main dining halls across campus, and is open to students and the public. Lobster Night serves as both a community celebration of regional foodways and an academic indoctrination through food, teaching lessons that will aid students in the classroom and beyond. By sharing a locally sourced, celebratory meal together, students are transformed into a cohesive student body, grounded in the common culture of Boston University and the region of New England. Consuming lobster, an exotic other for many new students, and an iconic symbol of New England (Lewis 1998), is an intimate sensory experience that creates a lasting community memory that helps students to develop a spirit of exploration and openness. Touted as the “Event of the Year” for Boston University Dining Services (BU Dining), Lobster Night began in 1985 …

Food News Round Up: On Obesity, Eating Rodents, & the Economy (Yes, in that order)

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The past couple of weeks have provided fecund fodder for the food news enthusiast. Any fan of the CDC’s year-by-year ever-increasing obesity map will be intrigued that the 2011 data was released recently, alongside other obesity news. The news also turned up studies of disgust, which you can explore firsthand in articles on cooking up rat and squirrel. And finally, the struggling economy continues to affect life in the U.S. and abroad, especially dining trends. So, dig in to this edition of Food News Round Up… Food and Obesity Obesity remains a key issue both culturally and politically, especially with the release of the CDC’s most recent obesity statistical analysis. New 2011 obesity statistics analysis finds 12 states exceeding 30% obesity Pondering Mississippi obesity: Southern diet or culture on the skids? Study links healthier weight in children with strict laws on school snacks Food and Disgust Disgust is an always interesting element of eating. Would you consider rat or squirrel? How and why to eat rat meat ‘Chicken of the trees:’ A history of eating …

15 Delightful Ways to Celebrate Julia Child’s 100th Birthday Today

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Food lovers the world over adore Julia Child — and as a current student in the Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy program at Boston University, which Julia co-founded with Jacques Pépin, I can’t help but feel more intimately connected to her now than ever before. I also recently had the opportunity to learn more about Julia from her personal assistant of nearly 16 years, Stephanie Hersh, a food legend in her own right. You can read the Stephanie Hersh profile (hot off the press today!) on the Gastronomy at BU Blog. And while you’re at it, check out these fifteen (Get it? Her birthday is August 15!) delightful ways to engage all of the senses in celebrating Julia Child’s 100th Birthday today — and everything about her that lives on. Read Read Jacques Pépin’s article on remembering Julia Child in the NY Times Read the article, Fond Memories of Julia Child’s Kitchen, from the National Museum of American History blog, written by Julia Child’s niece, Philadelphia Cousins Read Marlo Thomas’ article, Bon Appétit! It’s Julia Child’s 100th Birthday, on the Huffington Post …

A ‘Public Health Nutritionist’ Attempts Food Writing

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I was jump-up-and-down and grinning-ear-to-ear-excited to be quoted recently on NPR’s Food Blog, The Salt, in the post, “Long Before Social Networking, Community Cookbooks Ruled the Stove.” I did a a bit of a double take, though, when I was identified as a “public health nutritionist and food blogger.” While I have an MPH with a concentration in Public Health Nutrition and I blog on food-related topics, I’d never before identified myself that way. But hey, I’ll run with it, especially in this post where I dive into something new. In the BU Gastronomy program, I study alongside many talented, aspiring food writers. While my work tends to focus more on the social, political, and historical context of eating, here, I’m going to attempt to try my hand at actually writing about food… – – – – – – – – – – – – – After wading through streets clogged with rowdy Red Sox fans, I take a quick right turn through a break in the crowd and walk beneath a vibrant red awning into …

Seven Simply Smashing Food Exhibits: No Tickets, Shoes, or Shirts Required

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One of my favorite things on a weekend afternoon, a weekday evening—well, we can go ahead and say just about anytime—is to spend a few glorious hours of levity and escape at a museum. I’m lucky to live in Boston where world-class museums abound as plentifully as colleges and universities, but sometimes, I hear you, we get busy and don’t make it out the door to enjoy the many intriguing exhibits on display. Here you’ll find seven excellent online food museum exhibits that you can visit anytime you like from your computer—and in your pajamas if you so desire. There are likely many more delightful virtual expos, but these seven, listed in no particular order, can be a very filling place to start… 1. Julia Child’s Kitchen Even if you aren’t in Washington D.C. you can peek in the drawers and cupboards of Julia Child’s kitchen, view selected culinary objects, and peruse an interactive timeline that chronicles her love of cooking. Exhibit by the Smithsonian, National Museum of American History 2. War-Era Food Posters Check out …

Food News Round Up: Celebrate and Assess the Half

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We recently passed the approximate half-way point of summer, a fact worth celebrating in a half-glass-full kind of way — and a reason to perform a mid-point status check. Are you making it through that reading list? Have you spent enough time at the beach? Have you tried at least half of those recipes you’ve been marking, saving, and creating? If not, you have approximately another half to go; plenty of time to fit in everything you planned for your summer. Regardless, you can enjoy these “half and half” edition of Food News Round Up. Research: 1/2 Science + 1/2 News Reporting Media coverage on eating behavior research abounds, but the relationship between science and science news is often tenuous. These three studies were reported in the media this week and are presented here with the study or abstract to ensure research integrity. Due to perceived anonymity, food orders place online are more fattening, complicated Read the study Neuroscience study finds fat in foods directly impacts taste perception Read the abstract Restaurant meals a bit healthier after menu labeling law Read the abstract  Food Policy: …