June 23, 7:15pm

“What Do We Know About Food—So Far?” A conversation with Jeffrey Pilcher, editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Food History

Over the past thirty years, along with growing general interest in and concern about food, scholars from a variety of disciplines have increasingly pondered its significance—so much so that we can now talk of a new, if interdisciplinary, field devoted to “Food Studies.” But whether one is a seasoned scholar, a new graduate student, a food professional, or someone interested in how what we eat defines us, getting a handle on the range of knowledge about and approaches to food to date can be a daunting task. The handbook aims to bring together what’s been done so far and suggest new routes for future thinking about food.

Prof. Pilcher will catch us up on the recent history of food scholarship and where he sees it going. Some contributors to the volume will also be in the audience and we hope that everyone will bring questions and ideas to the conversation.

Jeffrey Pilcher is Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. His publications include Food in World History (Routledge, 2006), The Sausage Rebellion: Public Health, Private Enterprise, and Meat in Mexico City, 1890-1917 (University of New Mexico Press, 2006) and ¡Que vivan los tamales! Food and the Making of Mexican Identity (University of New Mexico Press, 1998). He is also at work on a book on the globalization of the taco.

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It's a CHEW Field Trip!
Flavor of Wisconsin: Central Europe

In lieu of our regularly scheduled meeting this August, CHEW is going to take a field trip to a special summer event at Old World Wisconsin in Eagle. It will take place on Saturday, August 14, 2010, 5:30-8 pm. We hope you'll join us!

We'll explore the flavors of Wisconsin's past and sample 19th-century immigrant cooking with a Central European flair while listening to live period music. See period cooking demonstrations and learn the secrets of pioneer food preparation and the history of how the foods developed. And we'll take home recipes galore. The evening includes a book signing with Terese Allen, author of The Flavor of Wisconsin. Ages 21+. Reservations required. Register online. $40/person.  Sign up now because "seats" are limited.

The menu will include a wide variety of Polish and German foods, including kielbasa, sauerbraten, onion tart, pickled beets, pierogi, kuchen, Schaum torte, and many more delicious things! For more information about the event, click here. There's a one-minute video about the event on YouTube. Check it out!

If you're planning to come and are interested in ride-sharing, email Terese at tallen@gdinet.com and she'll get back to drivers and riders as the date draws near.

Old World Wisconsin documents the settlement of 19th- and early 20th-century Wisconsin. It comprises an 1870s crossroads village and 10 ethnic farmsteads located on 576 acres of wooded hills in the Southern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest.

For more info, click here
oww@wisconsinhistory.org
Phone: 262-594-6301

 

To get on the mailing list, or for more information, e-mail joanp@ginkgopress.com, or call Joan Peterson at 608-233-5488. Alternatively, email Paul Lyne at pwlyne@gmail.com or call Paul Lyne at 608-231-3674.