Deborah A. Wold
(Deb)
Public Historian
Museum Professional. Material Culture Steward. Historic Foodways Academic.
Food, History, and Tourism
Explore the history of the United States through food and culture. Learn how to apply food history to tourism. Course work includes a response paper to the weekly readings and a photography assignment that applies what was learned to everyday life. To combine what was learned, I wrote three essays and a paper proposal throughout the semester.
Book List
The most informative book for me from this class was a tie between 97 Orchard and The Potlikker Papers for the same reason. They both are written well, in a story like form, informing me of areas of American cuisine where less talked about cultures have influenced foodways.
Unit Topics
Intercontinental Exchanges and Defining “Foodways”
Understand the word "Foodways" and learn about international trade.
Early America
Learning how the European settlers, the indignous population, and the enslaved people utilized the land and applied their knowledge for survival.
African Culinary Roots in the South
Exploring the deep rooted connection of African culture on American food nationally, but specifically in the Southern part of the United States.
Ethnic America
Acquire knowledge of other cultures that influenced American and cuisine.
Home Economics, Science, and Food Reform
Gain awareness of the scientific advances of food at the turn of the 20th century.
The Great Depression and World War II
Become competent on the implications on food and resources due to the Great Depression and World War II.
Food Culture and Politics
Grasp the importance of food and the role it played in American culture and politics during the middle of the 20th century.
Culinary Tourism
Combining the knowledge food history and apply the information to tourism.
Interpreting Traditional Foodways
A paper written about my traditional heritage food: Lefse and my family traditions behind it.
Analyzing Historical Recipes
A paper exploring the changes of Tomato Soup from 1890 to 1940 by analyzing multiple recipes throughout the time frame.
20th Century Food Products
A paper examining the history of grilled cheese in the 20th century.
Culinary Tourism
Proposal
A proposal for a food tour in Las Vegas that follows the history of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
Benefits
What I discovered while taking the class.
