Consuelo Carr Salas and Colleen Hammelman on Authenticity and Spaces of Belonging in a New Food Economy

What to Read Now: Spring 2022: In this episode, Gastronomica editorial collective member Jaclyn Rohel highlights new titles from the world of food studies. She is joined by Michael Classens, Assistant Professor in the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto and author of the recently published book, From Dismal Swamp to Smiling Farms: Food, Agriculture, and Change in the Holland Marsh (UBC Press, 2021). Michael digs into the historical, social, and environmental processes that enabled the transformation of a wetland just north of Toronto into Ontario’s salad bowl. Highlighting contemporary issues in human-environment relations, this story has important lessons for farmland protection efforts. Michael also discusses how his work combines both research and advocacy for food system change. by Gastronomica

47 min listen

A Gastronomica Interview with Chef Malcolm James Mitchell: In this special Gastronomica episode, Chef Malcolm Mitchell talks about his experience as a chef, a culinary artist, and an advocate for Black chefs in the American hospitality industry. In conversation with Daniel Bender, a member of Gastronomica's Editorial Collective and a professor of food studies, labor, and American history, Chef Mitchell shares his story of becoming a chef, discusses what motivated him to publish his June 2021 open letter to Black Chefs in The Progressive magazine and the response that his letter has received, and reflects on the work that still needs to be done to build just and inclusive pathways in the culinary profession. by Gastronomica

48 min listen

Tulasi Srinivas on Gastro Apps and Online Food Delivery in India: Does technology change local eating? In this episode, Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Krishnendu Ray and anthropologist Tulasi Srinivas consider how taste connects material, spatial, and virtual worlds. Drawing on her ethnography of "gastro apps" in Bangalore during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tulasi sheds light on how online food delivery has changed what it means to eat locally in India. Photo courtesy of the Radcliffe Institute. by Gastronomica

41 min listen

Sara El-Sayed and Christy Spackman on Fermented Foods and Inclusive Governance: What happens to traditions of fermentation when state regulations prohibit their sale and distribution? And can these ferments and their value to people help create more just, inclusive, and equitable food systems? Inspired by their research on the importance of fermentation for marginalized communities in Arizona, food scholars Sara El-Sayed and Christy Spackman sit down with Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Dan Bender to explain what happens in the microbial and cultural world of regulated and unregulated fermentation. Photo courtesy of Nalini Chhetri. by Gastronomica

47 min listen

Carole Counihan on Food Activism and the Language of Menus: Can the language of a menu help produce food system change? In this episode, Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Melissa Fuster hosts Carole Counihan in a discussion on activism and alimentary language. Drawing on her research on Italian food activism and the Slow Food Movement, Carole explores how a dinner menu can promote critical consumption and a commitment to food democracy. by Gastronomica

44 min listen

Joel Rodrigues on the Limits of “Classical” Recipes: In this episode, Joel Rodrigues talks with Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Signe Rousseau about the Goan dishes of his childhood and the limits of “classical” dishes. Joel reflects on nostalgia and melancholy as he tells the story of how he learned to cook. Casting aside the pursuit of perfection, he highlights how everyday experiences of cooking can shape notions of cuisine. by Gastronomica

38 min listen

Ishita Dey on Crafting Doi: Placemaking, Ecology, and Labor in Bangladesh: How does a food come to be linked to a place when there is movement and change? In this episode, food anthropologist Ishita Dey talks with Gastronomica’s Krishnendu Ray about placemaking amidst historical, political, and ecological change in Bangladesh. Ishita shares stories and insights on the craft of sweetmaking from her research into Bogurar doi, bridging ecologies of dairy and fermentation with human geographies of migration, labor, and caste. by Gastronomica

37 min listen

Krystyn R. Moon and Jennifer Rhode Ward on the Cultural Production of Taste in Cuban Foodways: Food scholars have found that notions of “good taste” often distinguish people based on class and social inequality. But how do people give meaning to food and taste in a socialist economy? Join host Jaclyn Rohel, a member of the Gastronomica Editorial Collective, as she talks with food historian Krystyn Moon and biologist Jennifer Rhode Ward about their new research on the complexities of taste, identity, and food access in Cuba. Krystyn and Jennifer shed light on why hierarchies of taste persist even amidst state attempts to flatten social hierarchies. Photograph courtesy of Jennifer Rhode Ward. by Gastronomica

37 min listen

Amy Trubek on Lockdown, Exchanges, and Whether She is Still Mad About the Ducks: Is Amy Trubek still mad about the ducks? One year ago, Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Amy Trubek chanced upon a gift of raw duck parts. In this episode, Amy traces the circulation of the duck parts through her local community and shares how a series of unexpected exchanges landed them on her dinner plate at home. Amy is joined in this episode by her husband, Brad, who talks about how he drew on his culinary training to craft a plethora of delicious dishes out of the gifted duck. Gastronomica's theme song is by Robert T. Valgenti. by Gastronomica

31 min listen

Noha Fikry on Rooftop Rearing and Human-Animal Relations: Rooftop cultivation can play an important role in feeding communities, but what is the place of animals in elevated urban gardens? In this episode, Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Lisa Haushofer talks with anthropologist Noha Fikry about the uses of home rooftops for feeding one’s family. Drawing on her ethnographic research in some of Egypt’s biggest cities, Noha explores rooftop rearing as a gendered practice of caregiving -- what she calls “bread-nurturing” -- and shows how it plays an important role in Egypt’s culinary infrastructure. by Gastronomica

35 min listen

Satomi Fukutomi on Consumers, Culinary Stories, and the Creation of Authenticity: Before the 2000s, Japanese cuisine was almost absent from the Perth, Australia food scene, but within a decade, it could be found everywhere. In this episode, Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Jaclyn Rohel talks with anthropologist Satomi Fukutomi about how the increasing availability of Japanese cuisine in Perth changed how people considered what is “authentic” about these foods. Drawing on social media analysis and fieldwork at eateries in Perth, Fukutomi discusses why authenticity is meaningful, or not so meaningful, in this changing foodscape. by Gastronomica

38 min listen

The Meanings of Sweetness in Japan: What is “sweetness,” and how does its meaning change in communities over time? In this episode, Eric C. Rath and Takeshi Watanabe introduce some of the sweet substances of Japanese history, the subject of a special section on “The Power of Japanese Sweets and Sweeteners” in Gastronomica’s latest issue. In conversation with Gastronomica’s Dan Bender, Eric and Takeshi explore the theme of continuity and change in a culture by taking listeners through the complex history of sweets. by Gastronomica

35 min listen

Chanelle Dupuis on Waterways and Environmental Change: ‘Slow Smelling’ Along the Nanay River: In this episode, Chanelle Dupuis talks with Dan Bender of the Gastronomica Editorial Collective about contaminated waterways and sensory perceptions of environmental change. Focusing on the changing smell of water and the role of the nose in sensing environmental degradation in the Peruvian Amazon, Chanelle sheds light on how bilious odors and processes of “slow smelling” affect riverine residents and Indigenous communities in and around the Nanay River. Drawing from her article in Gastronomica’s newest issue (22.4), Chanelle connects the odors of pollution to ways of living that have come under threat, elaborating on the implications for community identity, local livelihoods, health and the sourcing of local foods, and spiritual connections to the waterways. by Gastronomica

40 min listen

Consuelo Carr Salas and Colleen Hammelman on Authenticity and Spaces of Belonging in a New Food Economy: How do online restaurant reviews affect foodways in an emerging migrant destination? In this episode, rhetorician Consuelo Carr Salas and geographer Colleen Hammelman unpack the intersection of digital and physical culinary contact zones. In conversation with Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Jaclyn Rohel, Consuelo and Colleen share insights on tastemaking from their new research on Latin American and Caribbean food businesses in Charlotte, North Carolina, one the America’s fastest growing cities. Drawing attention to the many ways in which customers and restaurateurs use notions of authenticity, they shed light on how people give meaning to new culinary spaces. by Gastronomica

33 min listen

Jason Edward Pagaduan on Finding Care and Commensality in a Mall Walkers Club: What does it mean to “eat healthy”? Gastronomica Co-Chair Dan Bender hosts Jason Edward Pagaduan in a conversation about the moral underpinnings of food. Drawing on his newly published story in Gastronomica, Jason shares his experience in a suburban mall walkers club, where he encountered unexpected ways to care for the body. Exploring questions of diasporic identity, cross-generational connection, and health, this episode offers a fresh take on the meaning of fast food. by Gastronomica

43 min listen

Indira Arumugam on the Pleasures of Preserves: Sharing and eating food together is a common way to build connection, but how does one maintain family ties when separated by hundreds of miles? In this episode, Singapore-based anthropologist Indira Arumugam chronicles her family’s migration through a story of salt, sun, and time. In conversation with Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Krishnendu Ray, Indira shares the techniques of sun-drying goat meat and fish from her family’s village in Tamil Nadu and weighs in on culinary labor, love, and hospitality in rural-urban connections. by Gastronomica

41 min listen

The Water Issue: A Gastronomica Roundtable: Join Gastronomica’s Editorial Collective as we discuss The Water Issue (22.4). Recorded live at the University of Toronto in November 2022, this episode offers a peek into a roundtable conversation on water across social and ecological registers, drawing connections between place, taste, and social justice. With contributions from Gastronomica editors including Paula Johnson, Irina Mihalache, Krishnendu Ray, Signe Rousseau, Bob Valgenti, Jessica Carbone, and moderated by Dan Bender, the roundtable explores water as a topic of food studies research where infrastructure, history, culture, and ethics meet. Photo courtesy of Paula Johnson. by Gastronomica

46 min listen

Holly Brause on Water Scarcity and the Terroir of New Mexico Chile by Gastronomica

40 min listen

Endia Louise Hayes on African American Food Imaginaries, Food Justice, and Sustainability: What can food imaginaries of the past reveal about pathways towards food justice? In this episode, Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Bob Valgenti talks with sociologist Endia Louise Hayes about her newest article, featured in Gastronomica’s Summer 2022 issue. Drawing together political histories, lived experience, and collaborative discourses for future possibilities, Endia uncovers the role of African American food imaginaries in creating sustainable foodways. In spotlighting the work of George Washington Carver, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Edna Lewis, Endia discusses land access, community care, pleasure, and freedom, and shares some of the building blocks of an alternative food movement. by Gastronomica

46 min listen

Stuart Freedman on London’s Eel, Pie, and Mash Shops: What do eel, pie, and mash shops reveal about London's past, and what role do they play in the current moment? In this episode, Stuart Freedman talks with Signe Rousseau about his research on forgotten foods and changing urban spaces, forthcoming in Gastronomica’s newest issue (Summer 2023). Combining sensory ethnography with the concepts of nostalgia and resistance, Freedman explores working class identity through the social worlds of London's disappearing eel, pie, and mash shops. by Gastronomica

50 min listen

Fabio Parasecoli on Designing Polish Cuisine: Could the future of a cuisine be designed, and if so, by whom? Gastronomica Co-Chair Signe Rousseau hosts Fabio Parasecoli in a discussion of the cultural work that tastemakers do in creating new forms of value in Polish food. From potatoes and vodka, to wine, to mushrooms and other foraged plants, they explore the ways in which tastemakers – as designers – create, innovate, and prototype new culinary experiences by working across the past, present, and future. Fabio shares insights and ethnographic reflections from his new Gastronomica article, co-authored with Mateusz Halawa, now available in issue 22.3. by Gastronomica

55 min listen

Matthew Meduri on Eating Out in the Magic City: What role could a restaurant play in defining a place? In this episode, Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Jaclyn Rohel speaks with writer Matthew Meduri about the role of the chicken house in a changing economy in Barberton, Ohio. Weaving together histories of migration, post industrialism, and urban transformation, Matthew Meduri shares memories of a Serbian-style fried poultry dish -- known locally as Barberton chicken -- and reflects on the Magic City as a place in search of its identity. Listeners can find Matthew's new article in the Fall 2022 issue of Gastronomica. Photo courtesy of Drzazga Photography. by Gastronomica

34 min listen

Jennifer Dueck on Food Writing and the Making of Mediterranean Cuisine by Gastronomica

51 min listen

Teresa Politano on Funeral Food: In this episode, Gastronomica Co-Chair Dan Bender speaks with Teresa Politano about her personal essay, “Don’t Forget the Tomatoes for My Funeral,” a finalist in the upcoming 2022 International Association of Culinary Professionals Food Writing Awards. Drawing together stories of grief and comfort through a range of care packages – from freezer casseroles, grocery store cakes, and power bars, to homemade potato salads, freshly baked cookies and bread, and sun-ripened garden tomatoes – Teresa reflects on consumption and commensality in American funeral rituals. by Gastronomica

41 min listen

A Dispatch on Wartime Provisioning: Food Supply Chains in Eastern Europe: How is the war in Ukraine impacting regional food supply chains? In this episode, Gastronomica’s Bob Valgenti speaks with scholars Diana Mincyte and Fabio Parasecoli about the current state of food systems in countries that immediately border Ukraine. They shed light on crisis and resiliency in localized food networks -- from emergency aid and community food supports for refugees to smallholder farming -- and on what may lie ahead for food security in Eastern Europe more broadly. Listeners can learn more from their new article in the Fall 2022 issue of Gastronomica. Photos courtesy of Fabio Parasecoli and Diana Mincyte. by Gastronomica

43 min listen

Jed Hilton on Professional Cooking and the Meanings of Sustainability: What does it mean to be a “sustainable” chef? In this episode, Gastronomica’s Jaclyn Rohel talks with anthropologist Jed Hilton about his latest research on culinary labor in the hospitality industry. Drawing on his ethnography of British chefs, Jed shares some of the ways that chefs navigate notions of sustainability through the craft of cooking. Connecting expertise, ethics, and the market, the conversation highlights the tensions that surround the meaning of sustainability in fine dining restaurants. by Gastronomica

34 min listen

Ellen Meiser on Taipei’s Daytime Street Markets: What is the social value of a daytime street market? In this episode, sociologist Ellen Meiser talks with Gastronomica’s Dan Bender about the meaning and value of Taiwan’s caishichang. Drawing on her early memories of these vegetable street markets and her participant observations of the same lively streets in the contemporary moment, Ellen explains the important roles that caishichang play in the local food system and in social, economic, and political life. Listeners can learn more about caishichang in Ellen’s photo essay, featured in Gastronomica’s newest issue (23.2). by Gastronomica

40 min listen

Victor Valle on Acquired Tastes: Memories and Metaphors of Chile-Eating: What roles do culture, ecology, and neuroscience play in making sense of lived experiences of eating? In this episode, Victor Valle speaks with Krishnendu Ray of Gastronomica’s Editorial Collective about his newly published personal essay, “Toward a Poetics of Chile.... in Another Mexico.” Reflecting on palatal taste, memory, family biography, and colonial history, Victor connects culinary aesthetics with neural networks as he delves into acquired tastes and parses the complex sensations of his chile-eating experiences over time. by Gastronomica

33 min listen

The Confectionery Industry in the Japanese Empire: In this episode, Gastronomica’s Jaclyn Rohel talks with author Lillian Tsay about her latest research on the rise of the confectionery industry in the early 20th century, from banana caramels to chocolate. Focusing on sweetness and power in Japan and colonial Taiwan, Lillian connects the early commercial success of Western-style confectionery to histories of empire, industrialization, and commoditization. by Gastronomica

31 min listen

Cristina Fernández Recasens on the Pebbles Omelet: In this episode, Irina Mihalache of Gastronomica’s Editorial Collective hosts Cristina Fernández Recasens in a conversation about women’s domestic labor in coastal Catalonia. Cristina shares some of the findings from their work on fish consumption and gendered work in the local fishing industry, highlighting how the research eventually led them to a recipe for pebbles omelet. Listeners can learn more about the pebbles omelet and find the recipe for this subversive dish in Cristina’s newest piece, featured in Gastronomica’s upcoming issue (Summer 2023). by Gastronomica

35 min listen

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Consuelo Carr Salas and Colleen Hammelman on Authenticity and Spaces of Belonging in a New Food Economy

Consuelo Carr Salas and Colleen Hammelman on Authenticity and Spaces of Belonging in a New Food Economy

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