= video on juniata.edu/extra
History on a Plate: Students Dig Into the Story of Food
with classic Jewish foods ranging from matzo to gefilte fish,” says Zach Wakefield ’10, from Hummelstown, Pa. “The big idea for this course is that students come to understand the interaction between a person or a group identity through a shared history of food,” explains Tuten. As the course winds down, the topics become more specific, concentrating on regional cuisine in the United States. This part of the course covers Cajun food history, American Italian food and discussions of fast food, a major part of the American culture. Students base their final projects on recipes they have grown up with or are familiar with through family ties. The students select a dish, typically one that has become a tradition in their family, and write up both the recipe for it and an analysis of its history. “I really enjoyed the haluski dish a student made for us last semester,” says Tuten. “When there is history of a particular food within a family it enriches the entire project.” Tuten plans on collecting some of the student’s final project recipes and creating a “History of Food” recipe book. —Molly Sollenberger ’10 is a media relations intern from Mechanicsburg, Pa. 11
2010 Spring-Summer
Students typically chat about the quality of the food in dining halls or if a 30-minute trip to Taco Bell is worth the gas bill, but at Juniata students also see food as a way to study how major developments in global food history can produce a new perspective on the development of human life. “It’s finally being recognized that history is the study of what humans do, and food has been a huge part of that,” says James Tuten, associate professor of history and creator of the “History of Food” course. The course is designed to keep students interested using a number of appetite-inducing class activities. For example, at a class dinner at Tuten’s home, each student brings a different Italian dish they’ve cooked themselves. Instead of centralizing the course around tests and quizzes, Tuten has conceived his course as an academic version of Extreme Cuisine. Field trips also end up as conspicuous consumption. The class travels to a local coffee shop for a taste sampling and they travel to Altoona for a Seder during Passover week. “We sang traditional Jewish hymns, read Jewish scripture, all of which was followed by a large, large feast
There seems to be a slight lull in the avid eating during the communal meal at the home of James Tuten, associate professor of history. As part of his History of Food course, Tuten has each student prepare a favorite family recipe as part of a gastronomical celebration. Oh yes, the feast counts as a final project for the course.