Presented by
Soo Lon Moy, Curator of the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago and
Bennet Bronson, Curator of the The Field Museum

Chinese owned restaurants proliferated in the first two decades of the 20th century, they all seemed to announce themselves with signs advertising “Chop Suey,” so much so that the term became emblematic for such restaurants.  The popularity of these restaurants was attributed to their contrast with the bland offerings of most of the “American” restaurants of the time and the desire for variety and perhaps a touch of the exotic from their clientele. Continue reading →

Presented by
Colleen Taylor Sen, Ph.D.

The only religion in the world that is unconditionally vegetarian is Jainism. Jainism developed in the 6^th century BCE —  its leading figure, Mahavira, was a contemporary of the Buddha  — and today it has several million adherents, mainly in West and South India.

More a philosophy than a religion, the central doctrine of Jainism is that every organism, from single cell amoebas to human beings,  has an eternal soul, called jiva. Continue reading →

Presented by Anthony F. Buccini, PhD

One aspect of the issue of culinary authenticity involves the borrowing and integration of new foodstuffs. In this paper we address this aspect of authenticity in connexion with the family of western Mediterranean vegetable stews, namely, pisto, samfaina, cianfotta and ratatouille, a family of dishes which to some are emblematic for the cuisines of the region but which all feature multiple exotic ingredients (eggplant, peppers, tomato, courgette, potato). Continue reading →

Joan Nathan,
Cookbook Author, Washington, D.C.

From Publisher’s Weekly: “What makes a particular dish or technique uniquely American? Nathan, perhaps best known for Jewish Cooking in America , and the author of seven additional cookbooks, eschews the notion that agribusiness and fast food have commandeered the American palate. Continue reading →

Marking the boundaries and draining its central prairies, rivers flow around and through the state of Illinois. In the century before World War II the largest and slowest flowing gave home to groups of people who lived on the rivers, along their banks, and who made their meager livings by harvesting the waters. Continue reading →