Stories
Eating and Drinking in Global Brooklyn
Why do many restaurants and cafes around the world all look the same? Why they all seem to display similar upcycled materials, mismatched chairs, blackboards, plants, and menus that at times require some effort to interpret - let alone enjoy? Welcome to Global...
A cookbook for those alone and those in love: negotiating gender and class in socialist Poland (part 2)
A cookbooks author’s passion for food and his need to fit in the cultural and political expectation of his times allow us to peek into the material culture of later 1950s and early 1960s socialist Poland, where class differences were a touchy topic. How could a gay...
A cookbook for those alone and those in love: negotiating gender and class in socialist Poland (part 1)
How could a gay man who loved food express his passion for cooking and eating in socialist Poland? Easy: he created a fictional straight couple and had them write a cookbook meant to help singles (and the soon-to-be-married) improve their quality of life, at least in...
Food, sovranism, and Antonio Gramsci
In many countries around the world, farmers frequently support sovranist leaders and governments whose policies actually damage their business. These loyalties fluster political opponents, who often are not able to explain the how and why of these dynamics. Reading...
A declaration from the gastronomy world of Poland
Sometimes doing research and ethnography in a place also means getting involved in the local politics. Even when your research is about food. A group of people connected to the food and hospitality business have decided to get together and do something to show their...
The Invention of Authentic Italian Food
Building on the myths of tradition and authenticity, Italian food has soared worldwide in terms of cultural prestige and commercial success. Representations in media, as well as changing performances of culinary identities both abroad and in Italy, have contributed to...