This summer, words like tophat, topkill, junk shot, and phrases like a giant set of shears have become commonplace in the vocabularies of Gulf Coast residents. BP can’t agree with anyone on the definition of plume and we are all worried about our seafood industries and coastline. As we wonder what the effects of the spill will be on our marshlands that protect us from hurricanes, we brace for what experts predict to be a very active hurricane season. Much of the current media attention focuses on the environmental and economic impact of the spill. The Southern Food and Beverage Museum is building a webpage to act as a clearinghouse for researchers who are investigating the cultural impact of this spill. SoFAB is aware that many academics and researchers have undertaken individualized efforts to collect such cultural data, and the goal of the online clearinghouse will be to streamline research efforts by offering a forum where one may post overviews of research projects, as well as project locations and logistics. By eliminating overlap, we hope to expand Gulf collection efforts in a meaningful way. If one is interested in adding a research initiative to the clearinghouse, please contact SoFAB President Liz Williams via email, at liz@southernfood.org.
We are also sponsoring the 4-14 Festival in Dijon, France, which will highlight New Orleans cooking and Louisiana seafood. As Louisiana tries to combat the misconceptions that local fishing has stopped and that the existing seafood is unsafe to eat, we are excited to know that the French will be eating Louisiana seafood at the festival this summer.
The Southern Food and Beverage Museum is looking forward to a productive and exciting summer, filled with collecting oil spill cultural data, cooking in France, and working with our fabulous summer interns from Tulane, Yale, and Duke. In celebration of our 2nd birthday, we are giving you a present when you renew your membership (or sign up for the first time). Click here.
Have a wonderful summer!
Stephanie Jane Carter
stephanie AT southernfood DOT org
Tags: Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Stephanie Jane Carter
June 11, 2010 at 6:06 pm |
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