In Fall 2021, Professor Jeannie Thomas and her English 2720 students compiled a book titled American Folklore: Class Cookbook & Foodways. The book grew out of a unit on foodways, where students would gather dishes and analyze them for patterns. For example, the students in the class would look to see if there were any trends among classmates eating similar things and how their recipes fit in with their everyday foodways. This would lead to a lesson on how to present a fuller picture of culture based on food. Some of the recipes shared in the book include “Jesus Cheetos,” “‘elite’ ramen,” “Filipino lumpia,” “pretzel jello,” and “gulaschuppe.” Jeannie says, “I wanted them to see the difference between recipes and foodways and how documenting their actual foodways is such an important way to understand their everyday food cultures.”
Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed is a graduate student in his second year, pursuing a doctorate in sociology at USU. He recently helped survey Utahns to see if environmental concerns affect the decision to have children.
Utah State University President’s Office recently held receptions for this year’s round of inaugural lectures. Three recently promoted faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences presented thoughtful reflections on their research and the even...
