Feed Your Curiosity
Journey with me as we discover the stories behind what we eat.
Southern Comfort Food: A Rich Culinary History of Odds and Ends
Alabama’s mysterious Jubilee to Mississippi’s Kool-Aid pickles and slugburgers, Southern comfort food is full of fascinating stories. Explore traditions, celebrations, and culinary oddities that shaped the South’s food culture.
Why Do We Celebrate with Sweets?
Why do we celebrate with sweets? Discover the intriguing history and cultural meaning behind sugar, from Mexican sugar skulls and Chinese tang yuan to Indian mithai, baklava, and Japanese wagashi.
Once Peasant Food: How Six Humble Staples Became Trendy
There was a time when peasant food like polenta, oats, or offal wasn't trendy. Today? That polenta is served with black truffles, heirloom beans are a gourmet ingredient, and bone marrow is served on tiny pieces of toast. Let's go on a journey through poverty, migration, tradition, and a wee bit of culinary snobbery.
Connections Hide in Every Historical Bite.
Let’s explore food history, global ingredients, and the ways cultures cook, celebrate, and share food.
The Traditional Chinese Medicine Hiding in Your Kitchen
Why do we reach for ginger when our stomach hurts? Or honey, when we have a sore throat? Traditional Chinese Medicine knew the answers and believed food was the body's first medicine. They prescribed ginger for nausea, green tea for balance, bone broth for strength, and fermented foods for digestion. Three thousand years later, science is finding evidence that many of these ancient practices may have been onto something. Interestingly, most of these foods are probably already in your kitchen.
Gastrodiplomacy: Why Chefs Are Running Foreign Policy
Before treaties were signed and alliances sealed, there was that meal. Gastrodiplomacy is the art of using food as a tool of geopolitical influence. This is one of history's oldest, most underestimated strategies. Discover how chefs have a say in world affairs.
Birthday Cake: When Did We Start Eating It?
Before birthday cakes were decorated with buttercream and sprinkles. Honey cakes celebrated Greek goddesses, only the wealthy enjoyed medieval spice cakes, and German children’s parties inspired today’s candles and birthday wishes.
What Stories and Secrets Are Hidden in the Foods We Eat?
Every food has a story. Some may surprise you, some are forgotten, and some reveal how closely our cultures are connected. Come explore them with me.
Let’s begin our adventure here. >