CHEW: Spirituality of Contemporary American Kitchens, Sept 1

"Foodie Faith: The Everyday Spirituality of Contemporary American Kitchens"
Speaker: Dr. Corrie Norman

For many foodies making dinner is about making meaning or connections that endure far beyond a 'merely' great meal. From kitchen shrines to cookbooks as meditation guides, tonight's talk takes a look at spiritual (if not necessarily religious) aspects of our food culture. Corrie Norman will lead off the discussion with examples and short readings from her book project, but everyone is welcome to "testify" to foodie faith if so moved.

Corrie Norman grew up in a southern family steeped in food and faith traditions. She has a doctorate from Harvard in religious studies, but has always been as fascinated by how people eat as how they pray. For the past decade, she has studied how they do both at the same time. After cooking her way through graduate school, she taught college students about food, culture and religion, and occasionally, how to chop an onion or frost a cake. She’s written about food in America and Italy and directed research projects on foodways in new immigrant communities for the Harvard Pluralism Project, and on Southern women’s food narratives. And she developed an education program for an international non-profit on foodways and women in developing countries. Her third book project, called "Foodie Faith," focuses on secular spirituality in American gourmet culture.


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Meeting Venue: Goodman Atwood Community Center, Bolz Room A; 149 Waubesa Street, Madison 53704; 608-241-1574.
To get on the mailing list, or for more information, e-mail joan@eatsmartguides.com, or call Joan Peterson at 608-233-5488, or call Jean DeVore at 608-836-1368.