Gastronomica Heritage Radio Network
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- Arts
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The Gastronomica podcast is where the academic field of food studies meets a public appetite for gastronomy and the culinary arts. Tune in to hear interviews with authors whose articles or books have recently been featured in the journal (published by University of California Press since 2001), as we showcase diverse voices in the food world, tackle complex questions about cooking, cuisine, culinary traditions, food justice and equity. Each episode is hosted by a member of the journal’s Editorial Collective, representing food scholars, perspectives, and disciplines from around the world.
Gastronomica's theme song is by Robert T. Valgenti and mixed by Samuel N. Ortiz.
The photo, "A Wise Crack,” is by Carl Fleischhauer.
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Kangaroo, Cattle, and the Historical Legacies of Modern Food Systems
In this episode, Gastronomica’s Bob Valgenti talks with Evelyn Lambeth about the rise of beef consumption and the historical legacies that continue to shape food systems in Australia. Contrasting cattle with kangaroos and wallabies, Evelyn explains how imperial power and regulation have defined notions of what’s edible – and what’s not. Bob and Evelyn discuss what this means for local ecosystems today, and what policy changes and adaptations are needed to support environmentally and culturally sustainable foodways moving forward. Evelyn’s research article will be available in the next issue of Gastronomica (24.2).
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The Meanings of Meat: Lab-grown Protein and Biological Time
This week’s episode looks at lab-grown meat, climate change, and the possible futures of edibility. In conversation with Gastronomica’s Bob Valgenti, Hallam Stevens shares his new article about a mammoth meatball and what motivated him to explore the technological innovation of an un-eatable food. Connecting history, biology, technology, and ethics, Hallam discusses how cellular agriculture shapes the temporality of food and the category of the animal itself, weighing in on what these new forms of value creation mean for sustainability transitions.
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Masculinity and the Making of “Assamese” Pithas
In this episode, Gastronomica’s James Farrer talks with sociologist Pooja Kalita about gender and the labor of food provisioning in Assam, India. Taking the case of pithas – the steamed or fried rice cakes and roasted rice flour rolls that have been traditionally prepared by women – Pooja explores how men became involved in making and selling this everyday food item in the urban marketplace. Drawing on her new Gastronomica article, Pooja sheds light on how care work, trust, and authenticity came to be at the center of these efforts to preserve Assamese culture.
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What Food Studies Needs Now
Where is Food Studies today, and where might it be tomorrow? Join Alyshia Gálvez in conversation with Jessica Carbone, Irina Mihalache, Krishnendu Ray, and Signe Rousseau of Gastronomica’s Editorial Collective as they weigh in on recent developments in Food Studies. They discuss some of their favorite pieces over the last year, reflect on directions in the field, and share what they’d love to see in the journal’s pages in the future.
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The Confectionery Industry in the Japanese Empire
In this episode, Gastronomica’s Jaclyn Rohel talks with author Lillian Tsay about her latest research on the rise of the confectionery industry in the early 20th century, from banana caramels to chocolate. Focusing on sweetness and power in Japan and colonial Taiwan, Lillian connects the early commercial success of Western-style confectionery to histories of empire, industrialization, and commoditization.
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The Meanings of Sweetness in Japan
What is “sweetness,” and how does its meaning change in communities over time? In this episode, Eric C. Rath and Takeshi Watanabe introduce some of the sweet substances of Japanese history, the subject of a special section on “The Power of Japanese Sweets and Sweeteners” in Gastronomica’s latest issue. In conversation with Gastronomica’s Dan Bender, Eric and Takeshi explore the theme of continuity and change in a culture by taking listeners through the complex history of sweets.