16,000 years of Global Potato History

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Presented by Raghavan Iyer
Author, Teacher

View Presentation on  YouTube

No samples available at this virtual presentation, though feel free to try these recipes:

Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake
Hasselback Potatoes with Cardamon Butter
Potato Leek Pie
Ultimate French Fries

Our speaker, Raghavan Iyer, is the author of “Smashed, Mashed, Boiled, and Baked–and Fried, Too!: A Celebration of Potatoes in 75 Irresistible Recipes.” And he’s going to have one heck of a spudworthy program for us. Here’s his tater-tot preview:

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When Potato Fields were Prisons: Unfree Farm Labor in McHenry County during World War II

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Presented Samuel Klee, Ph.D. candidate
(Program in conjunction with the Highland Park Historical Society)

View presentation on YouTube

During World War II, some farmers in Marengo, Illinois negotiated with a large food corporation and federal agencies to make local farm fields into restricted, prison-like spaces. When the Curtiss Candy Company brought Japanese-Americans from the Tule Lake Internment Camp in California to cultivate and pick potatoes in 1943, the Marengo community struggled with the federal government and the candy company to eliminate the outsiders’ presence.

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Chicago’s evolving restaurant scene: How can the cherished small guy survive?

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Presented by Master Chef Michael Lachowicz
Owner, George Trois, Aboyer, Silencieux, in Winnetka

Remember when you could get a great meal at an independently owned restaurant where the chef was often the owner, dishing out their unique culinary perspective? Well, as large restaurant groups continue to take over our dining scene, more independents are finding it difficult to compete. Continue reading →

A Taste of FoodCultura, Part 2

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Liz Rice presented her work comparing food choices in South Shore and Albany Park, two very different Chicago neighborhoods.

Paige Resnick exploring Chicago’s live poultry shops and the many issues associated with selecting and preparing one’s own chicken.

Presented by Students in
Foodcultura: The Art and Anthropology of Cuisine,
University of Chicago, Autumn 2019

In November we were treated to Maggi Galaxy, a presentation by Stephan Palmié, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago and Antoni Miralda, Barcelona-based artist and founder of FoodCultura. The artist and anthropologist are collaborating on a Chicago-focused project exploring the intersection between food, art, and other forms of cultural exchange. 

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A Taste of FoodCultura

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Presented by Students in 
Foodcultura: The Art and Anthropology of Cuisine, 
University of Chicago, Autumn 2019

The Chicago FoodCultura Clarion, Issue 1

The Chicago FoodCultura Clarion, Issue 2

The Chicago FoodCultura Clarion, Issue 3

The Chicago FoodCultura Clarion, Issue 4

 

Yoon-Jee Choi’s analysis of cakes from Roeser’s Bakery through the eyes of a Bauhaus historian.

Eli Bec’s discussion of ofrendas prepared for Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead altars) and her own personal ofrenda

Alana Ferguson’s musings on cotton candy as an art form.

Maisie Watson and Daniel Simantob explored the intersection of public and private dining experiences at Sinhá, a Brazilian home-restaurant in Chicago and in their own apartment.

Persian Matzoh Ball Soup

In November we were treated to Maggi Galaxy, a presentation by Stephan Palmié, Professor of Anthropology at University of Chicago and Antoni Miralda, Barcelona-based artist and founder of FoodCultura. They are collaborating on a Chicago-focused project supported by a Gray Center Mellon Collaborative Fellowship, exploring the intersection between food, art, and other forms of cultural exchange. Continue reading →