Traditions, Connections, Journeys: Conversations About Families’ Foodways Treasures

A graduate seminar at Eastern Michigan University, focusing on the interpretation of foods and foodways in historic sites and museums, included a project that documented local families’ foodways traditions primarily through oral interviews. While conventional research on these artifacts was conducted, the conversations with the artifacts’ owners revealed information not documented elsewhere. The artifacts revealed intangible and poignant connections with immigrant ancestors, changes in circumstances, and the families’ presentation of self. These emerging curators realized that the acquisition of virtually any food-related artifact should be accompanied by a respectful, candid conversations with donors.