STREAMING PROGRAM INFORMATION

• This program is part of our Smithsonian Associates Streaming series.
• Platform: Zoom
• Online registration is required.
• If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.

Food permeates almost every facet of our daily lives. We think about food all the time, but that doesn’t have to mean just meal-planning, calorie-counting, or deciding what to order for takeout. We can also think about food historically. “It’s as American as apple pie” is a common saying, but what actually makes apple pie “American?”

In reality, food culture has changed along with American society. The foods our grandparents considered “normal” were vastly different than what we eat today. Throughout American history, food has been a battleground where culture, ethnicity, race, and identity clash. In fact, in the 1890s, New Yorkers found the Italian immigrant dish of spaghetti with tomato sauce to be so threatening to American values that some sought to outlaw it. Hamburgers, too, were once viewed by many Americans to be a disgusting foreign food.

Allen Pietrobon, an assistant professor of global affairs at Trinity Washington University and an award-winning historian, guides a culinary tour that explores our food culture since 1850 and examines how what Americans ate both drove and reflected historical changes in the country. Learn how immigration, economic forces, politics, religion, gender, foreign policy, and debates over national identity all have played a role in determining what went into our bellies.

Patron Information

• Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
• Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
• View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.