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Perceptions of Changing Global Meal Patterns Among Food Scholars
Ken Albala
The preparation of a four volume Encyclopedia of Food Cultures Around the World to be published by Greenwood/ABC-CLIO and edited by me, has offered a unique opportunity for cross cultural comparison regarding changing meal structures across the globe. In fact, this was a prime intention of designing the reference work with common contents for each article. One section of each article focuses on meal times, changing patterns of eating out and the effect this has had on the family meal.
This paper offers a statistical survey of more than 120 articles written by scholars across the globe which will chart various reactions to changing foodways. It then provides an analysis of the perception of the food scholars from a qualitative angle. Was there a common lament over the erosion of family meals and the proliferation of fast food? Was modernity seen as a positive factor, greater availability of a wider variety of foods, improved awareness of nutrition?
I hope to show broad patterns among these food scholars which reveal that some will decry what they see as cultural imperialism while others welcome modernity and this will largely represent their academic discipline, cultural background, age, gender, degree of direct experience in the country or region studied and perhaps other factors I can not yet anticipate. I hope to show that one's attitude toward the processes of globalization are greatly influenced by one's academic orientation and I anticipate seeing major differences among scholars in the life sciences and social sciences versus those in the humanities.
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The Tomato Queen of San Joaquin
Ken Albala
The life of Tillie Lewis exemplifies key moments in American food history from the rise of the canning industry to wartime rations to the craze for diet food. Her biography was consciously manipulated and fashioned through the years to make it a quintessential rags-to-riches story. Nonetheless, her accomplishments stand out, marking her as a brilliantly successful woman in an industry dominated by men.
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The Lost Art of Real Cooking
Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger Henderson
A food historian and a recipe tester revisit old-fashioned cooking and provide recipes and techniques for making food the inconvenient and difficult-but highly rewarding-way, from pickles to pastry dough.
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Food for Thought: The Future of Academic Food Writing
Cathy Kaufman, Ken Albala, Jennifer Crewe, Bruce Kraig, Marion Nestle, and Andrew F. Smith
Recent years have witnessed an explosion in academic food writing. Food series have rolled off university presses and specialized and cross-disciplinary journals abound, all to sate the growing appetite for classroom materials and scholarly investigation. This panel unites distinguished authors and editors in the academic world to assess where we are and where we might be going in this hot pot of academe.
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Almonds Along the Silk Road: The Exchange and Adaptation of Ideas from West to East
Ken Albala
The article discusses the trade routes and the use of almonds to treat ailments. According to the author, almonds were among the first plants to be domesticated around world, particularly in Asia. It also notes that almonds would be ideal for treating colds and other phlegmatic disorders, as well as for bowels. Moreover, some forms in which almonds could be consumed are also mentioned, such as soaking or blanching and roasting.
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