In a message dated 1/13/07 2:22:58 PM, [log in to unmask] writes: > As an archaeologist, anthropologist, and history teacher I assure > that foodways are an important subject of study. What people ate > reveals a great deal about who they are- where they were from, how > assimilated, socio-economic class, etc. > > James Brothers, RPA > [log in to unmask] > Dear James: I heartily agree. I enjoy going to the local Amish market and getting their "BBQ" chicken which is actually a rotisserie chicken. It is quite delicious having cooked in its' own drippings. On a medical conference trip to Munich 15 years ago, we took some time out to go to Octoberfest where to my pleasant surprise the I ate chicken prepared in exactly the same way. Knowing the Amish are descended from both German and Swiss ancestry, one can see the foodway connection immediately. I grew up in Chicago descended from black parents and grandparents with Southern roots. I didn't go South until I spent a summer in Nashville attending a medical school prep program. It was like stepping into a pair of well worn slippers I never knew I had. I had been exposed to language, foodways and customs that I realized that were quite Southern in spite of never having been there. Definitely another "Aha" moment. Anita L. Henderson To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html