Krishnendu Ray – Gastronomica

Special Roundtable: Translating the Foods of the World, 14 December, 9.30am (ET)

December 4, 2021December 20, 2021Gastronomica

*A color book of sweets from the early modern period in Japan (1600-1868) called Illustrated Catalog of Confections (Kashi zufu) in the collection of the Ajinomoto Dietary Culture Library.*

We’re excited to share this special event, co-hosted by the Culinaria Research Centre at the University of Toronto and the Center for East Asian Studies at The University of Kansas. This follows our recent call for submissions on the same theme, published both on this site and in extended form in our latest issue, 21.4 (open access), so will be invaluable to both early-career and established scholars considering working towards such a publication.

Hosted by Krishnendu Ray, and featuring Eric C. Rath, Robert Valgenti, Miranda Brown, and Saumya Gupta, this was a virtual event dedicated to critical questions such as:

What does it mean to translate food texts? What are the challenges and opportunities relating to such translations? How must translators develop new vocabularies to express Indigenous concepts? How do translators engage with historical non-English texts like recipes that may assume more information and insight than they provide, and how has culinary terminology changed over time in tandem with other historical developments?

What does it mean to translate food and culinary knowledge? How do we all translate food in everyday ways, through oral transmission, adaptation, food experiences, etc.? How are oral traditions translated into text? How should translators consider their audience, including those seeking culinary application?

For anyone who was not able to attend, please enjoy the recording below of a fascinating conversation between our host and panelists:

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and we look forward to exciting culinary translation submissions!

Podcast Dispatches from Issue 21.3: Sucharita Kanjilal

November 15, 2021November 22, 2021Gastronomica

For our sixth season of podcasts produced in collaboration with Meant to Be Eaten on Heritage Radio Network , we sit down (virtually) with authors who have contributed to our third issue of 2021, edited by Krishnendu Ray, and featuring articles and creative pieces which collectively address the issue of “gastropolitics,” as described in that issue’s editorial letter.

For this episode, Krishnendu is joined by Sucharita Kanjilal to discuss her recently published article, “Beyond Bourdieu: What Tomatoes in Indian Recipes Tell Us about ‘Taste’,” which explores how this now staple ingredient became incorporated into Indian pantries in the 20th century. Weaving together the histories of two British imports – the tomato and the recipe – she discusses the fluidity of taste-making in postcolonial India.

Podcast Dispatches from Issue 21.3: Raúl Matta and Padma Panchapakesan

October 24, 2021October 24, 2021Gastronomica

For our sixth season of podcasts produced in collaboration with Meant to Be Eaten on Heritage Radio Network, we sit down (virtually) with authors who have contributed to our third issue of 2021, edited by Krishnendu Ray, and featuring articles and creative pieces which collectively address the issue of “gastropolitics,” as described in that issue’s editorial letter.

In this inaugural episode, Editorial Collective member Josée Johnston is joined by the co-authors of “Deflated Michelin: An Exploration of the Changes in Values in the Culinary Profession and Industry” to discuss how ideas of “good taste” – ‘what good food should be, mean, and look like’ – have changed over time, and particularly how these are now less defined by “traditional” metrics such as the (once-revered) Michelin Guide. Focusing on the role of chefs, they unpack the sociology of tastemakers amidst the changing landscape of the restaurant industry.

Podcast Dispatches from Issue 21.2: Alison Hope Alkon & Rafi Grosglik

May 11, 2021May 11, 2021Gastronomica

For our fifth series of podcasts produced in collaboration with Meant to Be Eaten on Heritage Radio Network, we sit down (virtually) with authors who have contributed to our recently published second issue of 2021, featuring articles on topics including commensality and creative collaboration, the politics of food systems, and race and representation.

For this episode, Editorial Collective member Krishnendu Ray welcomes co-authors of “Eating (with) the Other: Race in American Food Television “ Alison Hope Alkon and Rafi Grosglik to discuss representations of race in North American food media. Drawing on examples from contemporary popular culture (specifically Marcus Samuelsson and the late Anthony Bourdain), they explore how the medium of television engages with racial inequalities and how it could act as a critical intervention for social change.

Rafi Grosglik

Podcast Dispatches from Issue 21.1: Michelle T. King and Wendy Jia-Chen Fu

February 8, 2021May 10, 2021Gastronomica

For our fourth series of podcasts produced in collaboration with Meant to Be Eaten on Heritage Radio Network, we sit down (virtually) with authors who have contributed to our upcoming first issue of 2021, which continues to feature COVID-19 Dispatches, but also original research articles around the themes of the relationship between food, power and politics, cultivating relationships, and sustaining memories.

This episode features historians Michelle T. King and Wendy Jia-Chen Fu in discussion with Editorial Collective member Krishnendu Ray about their upcoming article on the stigmatization of Chinese food and eating habits in Anglophone media coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. They weigh in on common questions surrounding wet markets and the wildlife trade in Chinese food systems, dispel misinformation, and share ways to both combat negative stereotypes about Chinese food and support Chinese American communities in the United States.