Exploring Moroccan-American Foodways
by M. Ruth Dike
Moving to a new country can have a profound impact on the way people think about themselves, their home country, and their culture. The immigrant experience is often associated with a push and pull between the new culture and the traditional culture of their homeland. For Professor Carole Couniahn’s Anthropology of Food and Food Ethnography (ML 641 & 642) classes, I completed an ethnographic study exploring the evolution of Moroccan American identity through food in Boston.
Ever since I studied abroad in Morocco and completed my Honors Thesis on Moroccan foodways, I have yearned for Moroccan cuisine and hospitality. Fortunately, I have discovered both these things in Boston and have been warmly embraced by the Moroccan American community here. Last semester, I interviewed 10 Bostonian Moroccan Americans and conducted over 10 hours of participant observation in a variety of restaurants, markets, as well as a Moroccan bakery.
I was happily surprised to find that the Moroccan population in Boston is large and growing. My research chiefly explores how and why Moroccan foodways are changing in the American context. I will briefly explain one of the challenges that Moroccan Americans may experience when attempting to cook Moroccan cuisine in Boston.
Although most of my informants reported that few or no ingredients were unavailable in Boston, a different answer emerged when I showed individuals this picture of snail soup. My informants talked about missing the soup, which is said to be beneficial to one’s health, but explained that it was impossible to find the live snails required to prepare this dish.
Moroccan Americans procure ethnic food items in a variety of different ways including ethnic food markets, larger supermarkets, direct shipments from home, and visiting their home country directly. One of my informants who has lived in Boston for over 20 years said that when he immigrated, the only Halal* food markets were at Haymarket. Today, more than eleven Halal markets are spread throughout the greater Boston area (Ethnic Food Markets 2012).
But even if a someone is able to get Moroccan ingredients, it is difficult to recreate dishes in exactly the same way. Fresh fruits and vegetables taste differently in America, according to Fatima,** a 27 year-old who just moved to Boston about a year ago. She explained that many varieties of produce are available in America but the quality and taste varies. “The squash, there is less flavor to it here…The tangerines…they’re less sweet…I used to love tangerines in Morocco…Apples look different [in Morocco]…they’re not bright [and] shiny.”
Indeed, Morocco has an excellent growing climate and nearly all produce is organic. As a result, most Moroccans are accustomed to flavorful, organic produce that is harvested daily from local farms and sold fresh in open air markets. While American consumers generally place more emphasis on uniform, blemish-free, and longer lasting produce, Moroccan consumers are concerned primarily with taste. Quality, organic produce can be found in many Boston grocery stores and farmer’s markets, but the premium price can be prohibitive for some Moroccan shoppers.
This is one example of how food acts as a lens through which to study the Moroccan immigrant population in Boston. Ethnic cuisines are of paramount importance to many immigrant populations and provide a sense of home and cohesiveness in a new environment. Conversely, cooking and eating American foods can help immigrants affirm their new identity as Americans. The resulting hybridization of Moroccan and American food ways reflects the dual identity Moroccan Americans in Boston.
I would like to thank Dr. Carole Counihan for her guidance in this paper, the Moroccan American Bostonian community at large, and all of my participants, without whom this project would have been impossible.
* A religious term used for Islam’s dietary restrictions governing what one should and should not eat and how meat is butchered, similar to the kosher classification in Judaism.
**The names of participants have been changed.
M. Ruth Dike is excited to begin her second semester at Boston University's Gastronomy program on Wednesday. To learn more about her research, contact Ruth at mruthdike@gmail.com
The Snack That Binds Us
by Annu Ross
I have taken night classes before the Gastronomy program– four-hour night classes – and I had always just brought a protein bar or a large cup of coffee. But oh how that sad Luna Bar pales in comparison to real food – delicious, thoughtful, real food. Remembering myself sitting in the dark during a film class squirreling away a snack of pure function, makes snack times in my Gastronomy classes a glittery, magical, happy place.
For those of you who don’t know, many Gastronomy classes run from 6-9 p.m. on weekdays and feature a communally-shared snack during the mid-class break. Students and professors share the responsibility for providing the snack throughout the semester, so that at each class meeting one to three people will bring food for everyone else. In a program focused on food, this seems especially pertinent and necessary as the students spend three hours a night discussing food and all its attendant social, cultural, economic and political implications.
It was for these reasons I decided to explore the meanings and functions of snack time for students and professors in the Gastronomy program. I focused my study on the snack times in the two courses I took in Fall 2012: Anthropology of Food, taught by Visiting Professor Carole M. Counihan, Ph.D., and Experiencing Food Through the Senses, taught by Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Gastronomy at MET College Rachel E. Black, Ph.D. The study resulted in my final paper for Anthropology.
Snack time is a unique food event, sort of like a potluck, only a potluck that happens in increments of 10-15 minutes per week over a period of several months. Beyond sustenance (an essential function of the snack and the ultimate reason for its existence), sharing food and the social bonds it creates are at the center of snack time. Giving and receiving food is a form of gift exchange. Sociologist Marcel Mauss conjectured that the practice of gift exchange morally and spiritually binds participants together and implicates them in a cycle of reciprocal generosity; meaning to receive a gift is to be required to return the generosity at a later time. The exchange of food gifts through snack time forms a community within the classroom that depends on reciprocal generosity.
This being a food studies program, food is a regular object of intellectual as well as physical consumption. Hot topics of discussion in Gastronomy courses include: authenticity and cuisine; food policy, history and justice; the state of food and health in the U.S.; how food is tied to identity, memory and meaning; food systems (production, distribution, consumption and waste); and how food plays into class, race and gender hierarchies. As the students and professors contemplate the many meanings and functions of food in society and culture, the classroom snack time is a microcosm of what is being studied in the coursework (which, in all honesty, made it challenging for me to hone my findings down to a surmountable paper).
With all these weighty topics swimming around in students’ heads, it’s no wonder many students expressed some anxiety around sharing food with “a room full of foodies.” It seems this anxiety was centered mostly on acceptance. Reception by one’s peers was important to the participants and it was not just for fear of the discriminating “foodie.” There is a sense of vulnerability in the people who bring snack – that they are putting themselves out there to be judged and they hope to be accepted and given the stamp of approval.
Despite some anxious awareness around distinction and acceptance, the environment of snack time is affable, social and informal. All of the aforementioned social, cultural, economic and political factors are at play within snack time and there is no doubt that most participants are (anxiously or otherwise) aware of these factors in deciding what to bring for snack, monitoring their behavior during the experience, and observing their peers’ behavior. But it is my view, in particular in the two classes which I studied this semester, that the participants in snack time are focused, above all else, on creating and maintaining an agreeable, informal and egalitarian environment during snack and in the class.
Breaking bread with one’s peers corporeally binds us together and serves as a catalyst for interaction and the development of relationships, creating a rare space that melds the intellectual, physical and emotional.
Annu Ross's favorite snack is cheese, honey and crusty bread. She just completed the Gastronomy program and relocated to Columbia, South Carolina. You can reach her at annu.ross@gmail.com.
Cooking Up a Storm: The Student Experience in the Culinary Arts Lab
by Korakot ‘Gab’ Suriya-arporn
“Five minutes! Food must be up front!” yells the male chef. A collective “Yes, Chef!” quickly follows, and students dressed in their chef’s whites hurry to bring heated dishes to the plating space, quickly sauté Brussels sprouts with crispy bacon, ladle the butternut squash soup into bowls, toss the mesclun greens with mustard vinaigrette, and reheat the perfectly seared rib-eye steak. With swift, decidedly meaningful, and efficient movements, plates are soon presented at the pass station. In contrast to the previous adrenalin rush, this is a moment of happiness, peace, and calm. All the food comes out beautifully and on time. This is another course nicely done.
As part of the Certificate Program in the Culinary Arts, the fascination of kitchen work is fully explored in the 14-week Culinary Arts Laboratory course. Students of various backgrounds come into the kitchen four days a week to learn about cooking techniques and gastronomic quirks— a great combination of lecture and hands-on learning. Daily lessons start with the foundations of preparing and cooking food, such as making stocks and butchering meat to different types of cooking methods and presentation.
All sensory tools are put to great use as we learn to watch, smell, hear, taste, and touch ingredients and dishes from a wide range of cuisines and cultures. Sensory knowledge is the most fundamental and perhaps crucial approach to food, as we feel the doneness of the grilled beef with our fingers, listen as the celery seeds pop in the heated pan, smell the fragrance of freshly chopped basil leaves, watch the sugar as it turns into amber-colored caramel, and taste the delicate texture of chocolate ganache and the crunchiness of hazelnut dacquoise. In addition, we learn to not only create delicious and aesthetically pleasing food, but a whole new perspective to see food that also promotes sustainability and self-sufficiency in the food system.
As part of the course, we learned from a number of renowned chefs from restaurants throughout the Boston area and beyond. Some — like Chef Jeremy Sewall from Island Creek Oyster Bar and Chef Chris Douglass from Ashmont Grill and Tavoloof — even arrange for students to visit their restaurants and learn to work in a professional kitchen. The connections made by meeting and getting to know these chefs are invaluable for those who want to submerge themselves in the Boston foodscape.
The course calendar is also marked with special events in which students participate. The biggest events last semester — the Julia Child Centenary events — united more than twenty chefs to celebrate the 100th birthday of The French Chef host and Gastronomy program co-founder. Students worked with these chefs, brushing shoulders as we helped to cook, prepare, and plate dishes, as if we are a part of their kitchen brigade. Of course, the biggest name chef would absolutely be Jacques Pepin.
As the program came to an end, we students set the menu and invited our friends and families to our graduation, which celebrates our learning, teamwork, and camaraderie. While we now each embark on our own food path, we have learned together, gaining more skills and confidence in cooking and baking and tackling the oft dreaded heat in the kitchen. We have learned some of the many ways to approach food and ingredients with deep respect, appreciation, and comprehension. The Culinary Arts Laboratory has truly changed our lives forever.
Korakot Suriya-arporn or “Gab” is a current Gastronomy student. He comes from Bangkok, Thailand, and has a background in journalism.
Understanding Food Entrepreneurs: Motivations, Methods, & Meaning
by Claudia Catalano
When I was 16 I had a dream of starting my own pie business. I was working a summer job in Maine and had convinced my boss to allow me to bake homemade pies and sell them by the slice at his “lobster in the rough” establishment. The customers went wild for them, and on my first day in business I sold out before the lunch rush even finished. Not knowing what he had gotten himself into, my boss brought my baking to a halt after the third day of sell-out success. He feared it was becoming too disruptive to his core business. I was crushed. Since then, there has been a renaissance in locally produced food. Publications like Edible Boston provide a steady stream of small-business stories featuring cooks, candy-makers, distillers, coffee roasters, cheese makers, chocolatiers, farmers, and various food wholesalers. Crop Circle Kitchen, a shared commercial kitchen and culinary business incubator in Jamaica Plain, MA, has launched over a hundred businesses since 2009 with a 40% success rate. My short-lived pie venture aside; I seek to discover the holistic experience of food entrepreneurs today. What motivates them? What sustains them? Is there a deeper meaning behind the work they do?
I recently completed a semester-long research project for the class Food Ethnography with Professor Carole Counihan (ML 642). With the aim of gaining a holistic understanding of this growing business group, my research explores the motivations, challenges, and operations of six food entrepreneurs in the Boston area. The methodology consisted of participant observation, 30-60 minute semi-structured interviews, photography and collection of visual artifacts such as logos, product packaging, and marketing materials. I was fortunate to meet several inspiring, Boston-area entrepreneurs that willingly participated in my research and welcomed me into their worlds. They include: Guy Rabinowitz of Guy’s Healthy Home Cooking, Alex Whitmore of Taza Chocolate, Lourdes Smith of Fiore Di Nonno, Alex Bourgeois of Alex’s Ugly Sauce, Poorvi Patodia of Biena Foods, and Sherie Grillon of NoLa’s Fresh Foods.
Participants were asked several questions regarding their personal and professional backgrounds, business ideas, motivations, challenges, goals, daily operations, marketing efforts, ties to local food community, and general outlook on life. What I found is that most food entrepreneurs in my study have different motivations than general entrepreneurs. While, of course, they all need to earn a living, most are not monetarily driven.
The desire to make others happy is a primary motivator and most entrepreneurs see that as an immense source of fulfillment. Below is one of the most telling quotes from my research:
“...I love seeing people smile when they eat something. It’s that... core. Food is love. Food is culture... it should bring pleasure... There’s some piece to me that wants people to be happy.”
Lourdes Smith, Fiore Di Nonno
Ubiquitous to food entrepreneurs is passion and hard work. Start-ups especially stated how hard it is to run a business—physically, emotionally and financially. Based on my research, there is evidence of a deeper meaning behind the work of food entrepreneurs. They are not just selling products to consumers, but making human connections, enriching lives, and in some cases making ethical or environmental statements.
Perhaps if I had persevered, my young pie business would have succeeded. But even in my three days as a food entrepreneur, I felt the power of bringing people happiness through food.
Claudia is a first-year MLA candidate who hopes to combine her background in design with her passion for the local food movement. To read her entire research paper, email claudia.j.catalano@gmail.com.
New Students – Spring 2013
As the falls semester comes to a close, we welcome new students to the Gastronomy Program!
Amy Allen
Amy is a native Californian and former vegetarian who moved to New England for love 13 years ago, and is happily married and has helped raise three stepchildren since. Her interests include reading cookbooks (Rick Bayless, Claudia Roden, Yotam Ottolenghi, Heidi Swanson, Mark Bittman, and Melissa Clark are some favorites), cooking for friends and family, socializing around food, trying granola recipes, doing yoga, and searching for good Mexican and Vietnamese food in this area. Amy likes traveling and learning about local cuisines and was recently surprised to discover in Portugal how much she liked grilled octopus and the signature pastry, pastel de nata.
In her professional life, Amy develops Web content and videos to help people make decisions about medical treatment and manage chronic healthcare conditions. She chose the BU Gastronomy program to bring her professional and culinary interests together and contribute to solutions to obesity (which might include teaching people to cook and enjoy good food). Follow Amy on cementtruckkitchen.com.
Amanda Balagur
Amanda Balagur grew up on the south shore of Long Island, just over the border from Queens. She got her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in Theatre Arts and Communications. After living in NYC for several years, she moved to Minnesota and has lived there for the past 10 years. Since college, she has mainly worked in marketing for large corporations, with intermittent stints in the music industry and as a server and baker in Minneapolis.
Amanda spent five years as a news anchor, reporter and dj for a community radio station, and launched her Twin Cities-based local food podcast, Localicious, in 2010. She enjoys interviewing people, especially farmers, chefs, policy makers and food lovers, and sharing their stories with others. Amanda also does commercial voiceovers, has been a board member and singing member of the Twin Cities Women’s Choir, and practices yoga. She looks forward to researching and writing about food history, and hopes to put her cross country skis to good use in Boston.
Claudia Catalano
Born and raised in the Boston area, Claudia holds a BFA in Communications Design from Syracuse University. From 1994-2004 she lived and worked as a graphic designer in New York City where she also moonlighted as a kitchen assistant for the New School Culinary Department. Since moving back to the Boston area, she spent 7 years as an experience designer at Continuum—a consultancy specializing in human-centered design. Currently, she is an independent design consultant specializing in branding for the local food movement.
In addition to her lifelong connection to all things culinary, her motivations for studying gastronomy are her interest in food cultures and her desire to be part of the exciting local food movement. Food is elemental to society. Therefore, she believes that a food-centered career would be deeply meaningful.
Claudia lives in Arlington, Massachusetts with her husband and 2 children. Samples of her design work can be seen at: www.claudiacatalano.net.
Paige Elliot
Paige graduated from Binghamton University with degrees in Anthropology and History and holds a special place in her heart for all things Early Modern, and European. Getting her feet wet in event planning and catering with a local, annual Wine and Food Festival, she seeks to pursue Gastronomy full time. She intends to work in food writing and tourism.
Boston is an exciting change of pace and she looks forward to enjoying fresh seafood and pursuing the best microbreweries and breakfast hot spots. In her spare time she noodles on the bassoon and is on the hunt for one to call her own.
Laura Fakhry
Laura loves to eat, travel and teach. In 2008, she graduated from the University of Virginia. Laura's goal is to find a job that involves working with food, health education, and traveling abroad.
Laura is eager to start classes in Gastronomy and food policy, and to be surrounded with other Gastronomes - "I'm sure the level of energy and passion will be amazing!"
In her free time, Laura enjoys reading, Pilates, baking bread, and traveling.
Karen Given
Karen is originally from Joshua Tree, California, but Boston has been her home since she came to BU in the early '90s. In her first go-around as a BU student, she studied Political Science and Broadcast Journalism. A work-study job at WBUR, the NPR affiliate on campus, turned into a two-decade career in public radio. Since 1995, she’s been a reporter and producer for the sports program, Only A Game.
So, what’s a sports chick doing in the Gastronomy program? It started with a blog, of course, and then expanded into a love of food writing. Karen is looking forward to learning more, writing more, and exploring more in the world of food.
Rachel Greenstein
A recent graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles, Rachel has been fascinated by food culture for many years. As an Economics major, she looked for ways to write about food in all of her classes. During her junior year, she studied culinary arts in Florence, Italy, and delighted in the comforting cuisine of Tuscany. She then interned on a farm in Thessaloniki, Greece, specialized in eggs and dairy. After learning more about animal agriculture, Rachel switched to a vegan diet and has since then been reconciling her newfound vegan lifestyle with her longtime “foodie” identity. She hopes to share her experiences, while learning from others in order to promote sustainable and nutritious eating habits that work for all lifestyles. Outside of school, Rachel is currently on a quest to veganize all of her favorite Italian desserts.
Megan Grocki
Megan is an experience design director at Mad*Pow, a digital design agency. She has become both fascinated and disgusted with many aspects of the US food system: the politics that govern it, the widespread ignorance about where food comes from, how it is genetically and chemically modified, and the direct connection between the food we eat and our nation’s declining health.
In 2012, Megan helped to organize and presented at the 2nd Annual Healthcare Experience Design Conference in Boston, an experience that inspired her to further study food cultures, production, and policy. Ultimately she hopes to use her design and strategy chops to educate the public about the connections between their health and what they eat, and use design to help affect changes in food policy at local, national and global levels.
She lives in Portsmouth, NH with her husband and two children.
Jessie Hazard
Since her days cranking out masterpieces with her Easbybake oven, Jessie Hazard has been a dedicated home cook and foodie. She’s a restaurant junkie, loves dining out, and still finds the poetry of a perfectly executed meal a little awe-inspiring.
Jessie graduated in 2003 with a Communications/Mass Media degree from the College of Charleston in South Carolina and was the Food Writer for The Charleston City Paper. She’s had the writer’s itch ever since and plans to pursue multi-media food journalism when she graduates from the BU Gastronomy program. She hopes to focus her writing and correspondent career on travel, cuisine, and food criticism.
Born and bred in Tennessee, Jessie speaks Southern fluently, but she’s never lived above the Mason-Dixon. While she is wholly unfamiliar with Beantown, dreams of a future rife with lobster rolls, Perfect Storms, and Marky Mark dance in her head.
Lindsay Howard
For the past three summers, Lindsay has worked at an incredible seasonal beach side restaurant on Nantucket Island. After her first catering job, she fell in love with the food industry and continued her passion for food business while studying English Literature at Davidson College, where she was co-president of the student-run campus restaurant. During the past three winters, Lindsay traveled internationally and nationally on food, wine and beer driven adventures. She appreciates the connection between a restaurant and its community and farmers. Through her graduate study, Lindsay hopes to learn about food businesses that promote a healthier food industry and support local and international communities. She plans on moving to Beantown only two days after returning from a food and wine trip in Chile, two days before classes start!
Brittney King
Brittney is a graduate from Paul Smith’s College with a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel, Resort, and Tourism Management. It was during her education at PSC that she developed a deep interest in enology. Through the Gastronomy Program, Brittney seeks to broaden both her knowledge of wine and the field of food studies. Five years from now Brittney hopes to be working in a high-end restaurant as a sommelier or developing wine menus. As a small-town girls from northern New York, Brittney is excited to transition to a new city.
Nina Quirk
Nina Quirk, a restaurant kid from Worcester, Mass has always been inspired by her Italian grandmother’s penchant for heavenly homemade foods. Growing up amidst family made wines, pastas, sausages and everything else delicious set the stage for her life’s purpose.
As she worked her way through the Boston restaurant scene and the Massachusetts State House, Nina graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Suffolk University. She went onto travel alone throughout much of Western Europe, eventually settling in Perugia, Italy where she dove deep into the rustic culinary scene.
Upon return from her travels Nina met her husband and began work as a food writer for the Community Newspaper Company. In search of a stable career she landed the Staffing Manager position for Boston’s premier caterer, The Catered Affair. There she managed a team of over 200 service staff. Nina left The Catered Affair in 2010 shortly after staffing their new operation at the Boston Public Library to stay home with her newborn.
Since the birth of her two sons, Nina’s background in both politics and food has led her to food activism. She promotes real food awareness and local farm to fork through tangible work like cooking, gardening, and blogging. She feels strongly that her Masters in Gastronomy will allow her to make a career out of transforming the current American food system for future generations.
Bettina Reece
Bettina Reece was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During her studies at Wheaton College in Norton Massachusetts, Bettina spent her summers working at The Islesford Dock Restaurant in Islesford Maine, where she fell in love with food. After graduating with a B.A. in Psychology, and a minor in Education, Bettina moved back to the Cambridge area and started working at West Side Lounge. After trying various jobs including counseling, hospitality marketing, and wedding planning, she decided that her passion for food could be turned into a career. Bettina is currently working at West Side Lounge as a server and Assistant Manager.
When she is not busy working, Bettina enjoys eating out with friends and family, cooking, and spending time in her community garden plot. She is looking forward to being part of the Gastronomy program and hopes that it helps her to achieve her dream job. She would love to someday write a cookbook based on her grandmother’s recipes.
Dionne Reid
Passionate about the food from the islands and the history of her people, Dionne is very proud of her Caribbean heritage. Throughout her culinary education at The Culinary Institute of America, Dionne plunged into a deeper realm of food and wine. Her following stint at America's Test Kitchen gave her insight into the world of recipe development and food publications. With her education from BU, she is looking forward to bridging the gap between her passions and to playing an active part in the development and publication of Contemporary Caribbean Cuisine.
Kate Trombly
Kate grew up on the coast of southern Maine and is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in Communication. During her undergraduate career, she spent a semester abroad studying in Barcelona, Spain. Travels throughout Europe, years of working in catering, and a childhood full of watching cooking shows piqued her interest in food studies and the strong connection between culture and cuisine. Kate currently works at BU’s School of Management and is very excited to begin her studies in Gastronomy.
“The Table is the Great Equalizer”: Jacques Pepin speaks to BU
by Melissa Herrick
On December 5, 2012, the Howard Gottlieb Archival Research Center hosted speaker Jacques Pepin, renowned chef, TV personality, cookbook author, and one of the founders of BU’s Gastronomy program.
The event started out with a reception. Having come straight from work, the full bar and passed hors d’ouevres were a welcome sight. Before the talk began, people milled around in small groups, admiring a selection of paraphernalia from the archives: handwritten recipes, several medals and certificates, personal notes from Julia Child, a Christmas card from President Obama, and some of Pepin’s paintings. My favorite item: a recipe for cherry pie at Howard Johnson’s, calling for over 1000 pounds of cherries.
As cocktail hour drew to a close and people began to take their seats, an air of anticipation settled over the crowd. The low hum disappeared as Pepin’s guests walked out to take their seats in the front row, and the appearance of Pepin himself was met with applause. The older crowd seemed particularly enthusiastic, maybe indicating Pepin’s main demographic. Despite being the
“patron saint” of the Gastronomy program, his popularity with the younger generation is not as pronounced as that of someone like Julia Child. (Then again, there’s never been a major Hollywood production about Jacques Pepin.)
Pepin started his kitchen career in his parents’ restaurant, and dropped out of school at age 13 to work in restaurants in Paris. He also worked as a chef to French President Charles de Gaulle before coming to the United States in 1959. Pepin started working at Le Pavillon in New York on his second day in the U.S. (a career feat that many Gastronomy students would envy, I’m sure). Pepin became friendly with some of the most well-known foodies of the time: Craig Claiborne, James Beard, Julia Child and more. His resume is lengthy and impressive: he opened his own restaurant in 1970, earned a Master’s degree from Columbia University and an honorary doctorate from BU, has been featured on 13 television shows, and has written 20 cookbooks.
But Pepin is much more than his resume. He smiles a lot, and speaks with a French accent. “Usually in front of a crowd I have a skillet in my hand,” he said at the beginning of his talk. Wearing a light blue collared shirt, a dark tie, and an ever-so-slightly oversized navy blazer, Pepin is charming and funny. Despite his long list of achievements, he is not egotistical, nor is he falsely modest: he seemed aware of his celebrity, and proud of what he has done (half-teasingly bragging about his restaurant), yet he often poked fun at himself. He talked a lot about how the food world has changed since he began working in it. There was a time, he said, when chefs were the bottom of the pile. “Now, we are genius!” he said. The diverse crowd was a testament to this statement. The audience ran the gamut—graduate students, undergrads, professors, community members, and a fair number of “Friends of the Library.” All those people were there to bask in the presence of a food legend. Would this have happened 50 years ago? Even 15 years ago? We can only hope that this is a sign that more people are starting to realize the importance of food and cooking.
“The table is the great equalizer,” Pepin said. Maybe this speaks to Pepin’s own career, from cooking for the French President to mass producing cherry pie for Howard Johnson’s—in the end, everyone eats. But, as a gastronomy student, I think this is particularly relevant. Everyone eats, yes, but food also connects people. Inviting someone to share a meal with you is inviting them into your life in a very particular way. We can learn about people, families, and cultures through what they eat. To many, food is simply sustenance. To us, food is about much more than what you’re eating. Though he is often asked about his favorite restaurants, Pepin says that memories of meals have more to do with who you are eating with. “Food and wine is to be shared,” he said. (He also suggested solving political problems by sitting the Republicans and Democrats down to dinner together. It couldn’t hurt, right?)
At the end of the talk, Pepin made his way to the back of the room to sign copies of his new book. On his way down the aisle, he smiled at me, patted my shoulder, and asked me how I was.
I may never wash my sweater again.
Melissa Herrick is a current gastronomy student and member of the Gastronomy Student Association. She has a BA in English from Colgate University.
How to Publish Personality: Gastronomy students’ inside look into the publishing industry in Boston’s Harvard Common Press
by Natalie Shmulik
There is an unforgettable scene in the film, “Babette’s Feast”: A religiously devout group of townspeople hesitantly gather together for a momentous meal following the loss of their beloved pastor. After dinning on turtle soup, chocolate figs, and copious amounts of wine, the worried and aged faces of the distraught diners begin to transform. Fear and doubt wash away with every sip of luscious liqueur and peaceful smiles begin to appear as new and exciting flavors brush against the lips of each enlightened guest. The foods fuel a delightful conversation as memories and speeches are progressively shared around the table. Finally, towards the end of this sensational feast, the respected general, Lorens, stands and proclaims that this meal has betrayed their simple wisdom. They are now and forever inspired.
On Saturday, December 1st inspiration came in another form. BU Gastronomy Graduate Students made their way through the cozy and eclectic halls of the Harvard Common Press (H.C.P.), one of the Nation’s leading independently owned cookbook publishers. Bruce Shaw, owner of H.C.P., invited twenty-five students into his wife’s neighboring art-studio, to feast on knowledge and experience. Yes, there was real food too: a carb-centered spread of sweet and savory pastries from Flour Bakery. The “sticky buns” are a whole other kind of inspiration.
Organized by BU’s Gastronomy Students’ Association, this meaningful event successfully merged the world of academia with real-world exposure to the ever-changing field of food-related publishing and writing. Joined by BU Gastronomy Alumni and Program Director Rachel Black, students gathered around cookbook-centered round tables to laugh, listen and learn. The discussion began with invited guest, Ilene Bezahler, Publisher and Editor of Edible Boston, the most successful magazine within the Edible community. Bezahler, a powerful advocate of the local food movement, whom I first had the pleasure of listening to at Northeastern’s Open Classroom Series, captivated our attention with a description of her own journey towards food and the magazine industry. Students couldn’t help but admire Ilene as she recounted the moment when she received her first published issues of Edible Boston and had to hand deliver each and every magazine that arrived at her Brookline home. After offering students a plethora of honest and essential advice on pitching stories, Bezahler reminded us that dreams are ultimately hard work, but worth every effort.
Complementing Ilene Bezahler’s inspiring talk, Associate Publisher at H.C.P., Adam Salomone, offered students a series of key techniques needed to ensure these dreams materialize. Barely taking a breath during the two-hour speech he gave, Salomone covered nearly every aspect of cookbook publishing, marketing and the ever-evolving, yet crucial domain of social media, while putting repeated emphasis on the importance of Personal Branding. Even as he gave students this priceless industry knowledge, he stated adamantly that one must always keep learning and listening, because in the publishing world, something new and game-changing is always around the corner.
Personally, one of the most important lessons learned is that there is no such thing as a story that begins or ends on the page. Whether it’s doing your due-diligence to ensure that the company you are writing about is prepared to meet incoming demands once your article is published, or testing a recipe you wish to feature in a cookbook for which you will be held liable for as the author, one must always be prepared to research, adapt and rearrange. Mr. Salomone reminded us that the food world is a community and that the authors you follow on twitter, the books you read and the blogs you connect with are all just as important as your own writing.
After a final push to keep our eyes open and ears peeled, students quickly collected handshakes and business cards as they worked their way out into the snowy weather. Every lucky participant left with a satiated tummy full of baked goods, a copy of his or her very own H.C.P. cookbook and- as encouraged by Bezahler and Salomone- all the motivation needed to “go forth in the direction of their dreams!”
Thank you to the Harvard Common Press team and Ilene Bezahler for an unforgettable experience.
Natalie is a Gastronomy student and President of the BU Gastronomy Students' Association.
Alumnus Profile: Rudolf Vincent T. Manabat
by Lucia Austria
Gastronomy alumnus, accomplished baker, and cookbook author, Rudolf Vincent T. Manabat, knew that the multidisciplinary master’s program would be a perfect fit. After graduating with a degree in Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts from De La Salle University - College of Saint Benilde, Manila, Philippines, Rudolf searched for food studies programs in the United States. “BU’s Gastronomy program was my first choice. I’m an avid fan of its founder, Julia Child.” Rudolf dived into the world of gastronomy with his first class, Anthropology of Food taught by Karen Metheny. There he learned the relationships between culture, cuisine, and authenticity, setting the stage for his academic career.
Without hesitation, Rudolf immersed himself in Boston culture. Through the course, Culture and Cuisine: New England, he discovered the rich complexities of American foodways. By connecting with fellow classmates and local foodies, Rudolf enjoyed the metropolitan city's rich diversity. “My friend and classmate, Ashley Pardo, taught me how to prepare vegan cakes and pastries. Tokyo native Sarah Kurobe shared her knowledge of Japanese food. It’s really about building a network, and the program helped make that connection!”
The Gastronomy program was also an opportunity for Rudolf to examine food systems in his home country. His final paper for the course, Understanding Food: Theory and Methodology, examined food insecurities in the Philippines. “Rice is every Filipino household’s basic security. In my paper, I discussed how social inequality in the Philippines deprives poor farmers from their social security needs. Moreover, I emphasized on how the local rice farmers practice their agencies to help demolish the social inequality that has been keeping them deprived.”
After graduating in May 2012, Rudolf accepted a position at his alma mater as a Culinary Lecturer. Rudolf shares his passion for cooking with his students and emphasizes the value of thinking critically about food, a skill he honed as a BU student. “In my lessons, I incorporate theories that I’ve learned in the Gastronomy program by making my students aware of the current food issues in developing countries, and how we could all help create long-term interventions to prevent food shortages and poverty. Majority of the colleges in the Philippines do not offer food policy courses, and one of my goals is to develop a course that deals primarily with the current food issues worldwide.”
When he’s not inspiring his students in the classroom, Rudolf bakes and writes recipes for his self-authored cookbooks. In 2008, he was recognized as the Philippines’ youngest cookbook author with his book, Gastronomy & I. His second book, Baking Secrets made the 2012 list for Top 5 Philippine Publication Bestseller, and was also awarded as the Philippines’ “Best Dessert Book” by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Rudolf is currently completing his third work, More Baking Secrets.
While a student at BU, Rudolf took advantage of the learning and networking opportunities offered within and outside the Gastronomy program. “Never stop learning and exploring. It’s all about meeting and working with the right (if not the best) foodies, and the program made it happen for me!”
Lucia is a current Gastronomy student, gastronomyatbu.com 2012 Fall Editor, & Purchasing Coordinator for Taza Chocolate.
Internship in Review: Nate Orsi’s Experience at the Cornell Food & Brand Lab
by Lucia Austria
I interviewed Gastronomy student Nate Orsi on his internship experience this past summer at the Cornell Food & Brand Lab in Ithaca, New York. His enthusiasm for the program promises fulfilling experiences for any BU Gastronome interested in applying next summer.
How did you feel when you first started the internship at Cornell? What were the other interns like?
It was an awesome experience, fueled by positive energy, people, and a bit of caffeine. It was almost like anything was possible within the realm of food research. Dr. Brian Wansink, the head of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, has an electric personality. He is so passionate about life, and in particular food. His book, Mindless Eating, was the first thing we were told to read in preparation for the internship. Everyone is highly motivated and focused. When you are around people with such a zest for life, it makes you want to excel and explore that world that you are in, which happened to be the world of food. Kitchens and faux restaurants with mirrored glass, study sessions where food preferences were researched, and long hours contemplating how people perceive food were key ingredients to the overall process.
What kind of projects did you work on?
We were assigned to ongoing research projects and weekly tasks related to such topics as creating smarter lunch rooms, investigating obesity and eating disorders, or the effects of chefs cooking in schools. Other research topics included the tie between spirituality and eating meals, food fears, varying perceptions of taste in social settings, and farm to school research.
I worked on simultaneous projects for the Food & Brand Lab. To hone my writing skills, I was asked to condense an article written on the research potential of virtual reality environments and food. For another project, I canvassed people to gauge their perceptions of tastes of meat sandwiches. I conducted interviews and observed people eating food in public spaces and wrote about my findings. I also provided feedback to other interns and researchers on how to improve menu items for non-profit organizations. We all met together on a weekly basis for problem solving sessions, bounced ideas off of each other, really making progress with our projects.
Much of my work was focused on school gardens, food marketing, independent thinking on how to get kids to eat more sensibly during lunch, looking at kitchens from a historical perspective, and perceptions of caffeinated beverages.
I also helped launch a website which featured research on the process of naming vegetable dishes in school cafeterias. "Whats in a Name?" investigates how school lunch programs attempt to get students to eat more vegetables. Research revealed that by changing the names of vegetables, kids ate substantially more of them because it was more of an engaging and fun experience.
What was it like to live in Ithaca for the summer?
Ithaca has a great local food scene. It’s a pretty rad, earth friendly place, full of locavores, gorges, and friendly folks who are in tune with their surroundings and their food system. If you ever get the chance to experience Ithaca I would highly recommend Waffle Frolic, and the Ithaca Farmers Market is unreal.
Any words for students interested in applying to the internship?
Let me know if you get to Ithaca, because while it is a haul to get there, I promise you won’t regret it.
Nate Orsi is a Gastronomy student and member of the BU Gastronomy Garden Club. Read here for more information on the internship application process and deadline for the Cornell University Food & Brand Lab.
December Events
Wrap up the semester with these awesome events and lectures!
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5
The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center presents the "Friends Speaker Series" with award winning chef and author Jacques Pepin. Join Jacques in a lecture, reception, and book signing. This event is free to students with a BU ID.
6 pm, Metcalf Ballroom GSU, 775 Commonwealth Ave
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7
Gastronomy student Michelle Hastings presents her lecture, "Sugar! Sweetening History for High-School Students."
12-1pm, BU Gabel Museum of Archaeology, Room 253, Stone Science Building, 675 Commonwealth Avenue
Taza Chocolate hosts Liddabit Sweets Candy Sampling & Cookbook Signing. Read here for more information.
1-4pm, 561 Windsor Street, Somerville
MONDAY, DECEMBER 10
As part of the Pèpin Lecture Series in Food Studies and Gastronomy, Karen Metheny, lecturer in Gastronomy and research fellow in BU’s Archaeology department will present Sitting down to Table: Visualizing the daily Meal in a Pennsylvania Coal Company Town.
She will discuss the ways that material culture may be combined with oral and historical sources to interpret the content, context, and significance of the daily meal. Using archaeological evidence of food consumption from her study of a 19th- and 20th-century coal company town, Metheny will look at the significance of food sharing and commensality in the context of household stability and community formation.
Please register here.
6 pm, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 117, Boston
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13
The BU Gastronomy community is invited to join Rachel Black in Sarah Morrow's thesis defense. Abstract by Sarah Morrow:
This thesis examines ritual drinking practices on the nationalistic holidays St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and American Independence Day. The objective of this study was to discover who celebrates these holidays, how they celebrate, and why they celebrate. It also sought to understand how alcohol is used as a tool and how extreme drinking is encouraged by participants as a mode of community formation. Employing anthropological methods, I conducted participant observations on all three holidays in Boston, Massachusetts. Through these observations, it became clear that young adults celebrated these nationalistic holidays through ritualistic practices that included stylized modes of dress, the collection and use of material artifacts, the liminal experience of secular pilgrimage, and ritualized actions that facilitated processes of assimilation and acculturation.
4:45-5:45 pm, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 109
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The Gastronomy students, faculty, and alumni are welcome to the Gastronomy Holiday Potluck and Party! Bring a potluck dish. Tell us what you'll be bringing on the event Facebook page or email gastronomyatbu@gmail.com. Celebrate the end of the semester, enjoy some delicious food and drink, and try your luck at winning some fabulous foodie door prizes!
6-9 pm, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 109