Foodways Traditions A G O O D E X A M PLE FO R U N D E R S TA N D I N G H OW CU LT U R A L T R A D I T I O N S A R E PA SS E D O N B E T W E E N PE O PLE I S TO T H I N K A B O U T FO O D — H OW W E G E T I T, PR E PA R E I T A N D CO N SU M E I T. The recipes and techniques needed for creating and enjoying the wide range of culinary dishes and specialties from around the world often come from those before us — whether it’s our grandmothers’s recipe for spaghetti sauce, or our community’s love of all things crab! There is no denying that food brings people together, that it is deeply tied to our understandings of cultural identity and sense of place, and is an integral part of many cultural traditions that range from the religious to the secular. In Maryland, there exist a variety of distinctive foodways traditions, such as Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham, wide-ranging BBQ traditions, and Smith Island Cake, the official state dessert. Blessed Coffee of Takoma Park maintains the living tradition of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, while B&B Meats of Frostburg keeps the 100 year old tradition of Engle’s Frostburg Bologna a staple of Western Maryland lunches.
Design by Evins Design, Baltimore
In the Galleries In the upstairs gallery, festival-goers are also treated to Edwin Remsberg’s Portraits of Maryland Traditions. Edwin Remsberg began documenting Maryland Traditions Master-Apprentice teams in 2008. These timeless images can be found throughout this publication and online. Descended from Frederick County farmers, and now at home in rural Harford County where he raises sheep, Edwin travels extensively to capture agricultural work and E DW I N R E M S B E R G life in America. His publications include Maryland’s Vanishing Lives (Johns Hopkins Press, 1995) and Dishing Up Maryland (Storey Books, 2010). Globe Poster: Not to be Missed! is an exhibition that celebrates the R&B, Funk and Hip-Hop posters produced by Globe Poster Company, recipients of the 2009 Maryland Traditions ALTA Award. Globe Poster, which opened in 1929 and closed in 2010, is now the Globe Collection and Press at MICA. Bob Cicero, one of Globe’s former owners, teaches the craft of letterpress and postermaking at MICA. The exhibition is curated by MFA candidate, Chloe Helton-Gallagher, as part of a collaboration between Creative Alliance, the Globe Collection and Press at MICA, and the MICA’s MFA in Curatorial Practice Program.