All posts tagged: food and culture

Take Me Out to the Ballgame…and Eat 33,000 Hot Dogs

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We all know how the 1908 song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” goes, and if you care about food, the line “buy me some peanuts and cracker jack” will likely stand out. I didn’t grow up a baseball fan (or football or basketball for that matter), as my Australian father instead schooled us on tennis, cycling, and Formula 1 racing. My husband, on the other hand, has loved the game of baseball all his life. And so this summer, on a road trip that covered a bit more than 5,000 miles, we stopped to see five ball games in five cities, meaning I consumed more baseball — and more ballpark concessions — than in my entire life up to this point.

Can Culinary Diplomacy Achieve World Peace? Maybe…

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While I can’t agree with all governmental policy, I’m a huge fan of the U.S. Department of State’s new Diplomatic Culinary Partnership Initiative. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, explains: Showcasing favorite cuisines, ceremonies and values is an often overlooked and powerful tool of diplomacy. The meals that I share with my counterparts at home and abroad cultivate a stronger cultural understanding between countries and offer a unique setting to enhance the formal diplomacy we conduct every day. As a food studies student, I couldn’t agree more that meals are rituals full of cultural meaning and unspoken dialogue, providing endless opportunities for developing understanding and connection. Every element speaks, such as: what foods are served; how the meals are prepared, plated, served, and introduced; who prepares the meals; and where the ingredients come from. From the Kennedy’s Continental flair with French White House chef, René Verdon, to LBJ’s barbecue diplomacy — not to mention George W. Bush’s own version of barbecue diplomacy — culinary diplomacy has been informally utilized for decades. On September 7, 2012, however, the U.S. Department of State and the …

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 …

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: …

Food News Round Up: Wrangling Action

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Welcome, gastronomes and cowboys alike, to this action-oriented (and alluringly alliterative) edition of Food News Round Up. Part of the news process is indeed passive — the pleasant and oft solitary experience of soaking up the news via paper or screen. But what is so key with food, is the desire to take the next step beyond the passive processes of perusing, reading, and contemplating to the impassioned action of politicking, organizing, and converging. So stick a fork in these delicious bites of news — and then wrangle some food action. Peruse – and Politick – the Politics of Provisions Strawberry lovers rejoice: methyl iodide is off the market Utah governor signs bill, makes unauthorized video or photos of ag operations illegal Can it be more ethical to eat meat? Vote, read the arguments, and vote again Connecticut takes first step toward required genetically modified food labeling Read – and Reason – Rousing Research Results Study finds using antibiotic animal feed creates super germs that can pass to humans New study finds strong link between honey bee die-offs and insecticide used on corn Study finds smelly …