CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CRM VOLUME 24 NO. 4 2001 What's for Lunch? food JJJ J.JJJOSJO3JJJ Lisa U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Cultural Resources PUBLISHED BY THE C* r^v%±r\*rk+T* VOLUME 24 NO. 4 2001 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE OOnidllO ISSN 1068-4999 Information for parks, federal agencies, Indian tribes, states, local governments, and the private sector that promotes What's for Lunch? and maintains high standards for pre­ serving and managing cultural Food in American Life resources ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR What's for Lunch? 3 CULTURAL RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP Susan R. Chandler and David A. Poirier AND PARTNERSHIPS Katherine H. Stevenson Evolution of the Ice Cream Stand 5 EDITOR Susan E. Smead and Marc C. Wagner Ronald M. Greenberg ASSOCIATE EDITOR Food for Thought—A View Toward a Richer Interpretation of the Janice C. McCoy House Museum Kitchen 9 John H. Ferry GUEST EDITORS David A Poirier Susan R Chandler Foodways in 18th Century Connecticut 13 Ross K. Harper, Mary G. Harper, and Bruce Clouette ADVISORS David Andrews Editor, NPS The Art of the Feast—Decoration of Native American Food-Related Utensils 16 Joan Bacharach Stephen Cook Curator, NPS Randall J. Biallas Historical Architect, NPS A Fine Kettle of Fish 18 John A. Burns Sandra Oliver Architect, NPS Harry A. Butowsky Historian, NPS Native Seeds/SEARCH—Tradition and Conservation 23 Pratt Cassity Executive Director, Todd Horst National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Muriel Crespi How to Bring a Cow into the Kitchen 26 Cultural Anthropologist, NPS Mary Cullen Barbara Corson Director, Historical Services Branch Parks Canada Mark Edwards The Eastern Oyster—Changing Uses from an Archeological Perspective 29 Hstoric Preservation and Cultural Resource Group Manager Nicholas F. Bellantoni and Collin Harry URS Greiner Woodward Ctyde Federal Services Roger E. Kelly Archeotogtet, NPS Slow Food—Preserving Traditional Foods and the Heritage of Taste 31 Antoinette J. Lee Erika Lesser Historian, NPS ASSISTANT The Mystic Seaporr Bone Circle 33 Denise M. Mayo Harold D. Juli and Nicholas F. Bellantoni About Food History News 35 An electronic version of this Sandra Oliver issue of CRM can be accessed through the CRM homepage at A (Soda) Pop Culture and Fifty Years of Adverrising 37 <http://vvAvw.cr.nps.gov/crm>. Philip F. Mooney Cover: clockwise, snipe clan skimmer, late 19th century, Tonawanda Seneca, photo courtesy Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, see article, p. 16; Coca-Cola bottles, see Design and Imaging article, p. 37;Ruby, photo by Barbara Corson, see article, p. 26; Carl's Ice Cream stand, photo by McCoy Publishing Services Sabrina Carlson, see article, p. 5; a variety of chiles and Tarahumara Maiz Rojo, photos courtesy [email protected] Native Seeds/SEARCH, see article, p. 23. Statements of fact and views are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect an opinion or endorsement on the part of the editors, the CRM advisors and consultants, or the National Park Service. Send articles and correspondence to the Editor, CRM, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Suite 350NC, Washington, DC 20240 (U.S. Postal Service) or 800 North Capitol St, NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20002 (Federal Express); ph. 202-343-3411, fax 202-343-5260; email: <[email protected]>, to subscribe and to make inquiries; <[email protected]> to submit articles. 2 CRM No 4—2001 Susan R. Chandler and David A. Poirier What's for Lunch? tate and regional identities are a sures of the table, is gaining appeal worldwide. complex tapestry of sensory impres­ Concerns regarding the genetic engineering of sions. To many, "New England" crops, unexplained fish kills in both fresh and salt conjures a certain image. Physical waters, and the emergence of mad cow disease and culturaSl landscapes provide the form and along with the resurgence of foot and mouth dis­ context for this perspective. The rugged coast­ ease are making headlines almost daily. We are lines of Maine, pine-shrouded mountains of New reminded that food, in every way, is the corner­ Hampshire, rolling farmlands of Vermont, osten­ stone of life. tatious architecture of Newport, old world charm "What's for lunch?," whether asked (or of Boston, and the safe harbors of Connecticut answered) by a life-long resident or passing trav­ all coalesce to create a vivid mental impression. eler, provides a window to the cultural identify of But a "place," naturally, is more than what is seen. a community. For example, to most Americans, It is sound and smell. And it is touch and taste. Connecticut brings to mind a rather generic New By any standard, New England is a mouthful. England maritime identity. Seafood from its The devotion to and appreciation for par­ coastal waters, ranging from lobsters, crabs, shell­ ticular foods uniquely define us, as well as our fish, and fresh-caught ocean fish, is abundant. notions and expectations of specific locations. Connecticut's saltwater food reputation is well Some scholars and popular observers believe that deserved. Indeed, the state is blessed with many the world, and America in particular, stands at a outstanding seafood restaurants whose ambiance major gastronomic crossroads. A corporate food is enhanced with waters-edge dining or vistas of culture that promotes sameness is now thor­ Long Island Sound. Visitors to Connecticut's oughly entrenched in both the countryside and renown Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic urban block. We consume billions and billions of Aquarium, or the nearby Mashantucket Pequot burgers, fries, and other fast food cousins, cooked and Mohegan casinos are within easy reach of the to time-and-motion perfection by high school- area's best whole belly clams, steamed lobsters, aged "chefs." The boxed, frozen, canned, and pre­ and clam chowders. Seafood and maritime her­ pared food sections of the supermarket are often itage are indeed mainstays of Connecticut's and substantively larger than the fresh meats, seafood, New England's cultural identity. and produce departments. With few exceptions, However, there is more to the state's cuisine the foodstuffs found in markets in Rockport and than seafood. Connecticut pizza is an exalted cre­ Rapid City, Bangor and Butte, Kennebunk and ation that, at the very least, equals most other Kansas City, Lowell and Lubbock, Marblehead regions' contributions to this American staple. and Minneapolis, Tewksbury and Tucson are, Generations of Yale students continue to argue regardless of the season, exactly the same. We the relative merits of various New Haven pizze­ "cook" our meals in the microwave and "dine" in rias. Thin-crusted white pizza (no tomato sauce) front of the television. with fresh clams is a simple, but elegant dish that How and what we eat is being increasingly deserves genuine culinary acclaim. For the carni­ discussed and debated in the media. Eric vore, New Haven also boasts that Louie's Lunch Schlosser's recently published expose, Fast Food- is the "home" of the first hamburger, which tradi­ Nation, illustrates, in frightening terms, how the tionally is vertically grilled and served on toast. A industry has transformed America. Whether or beloved institution, this small restaurant and its not this account will capture the public's atten­ original building have been relocated by the City tion and become a rallying call of any sort is of New Haven several times within the down­ unclear. However, the philosophical approach of town area to avoid its demolition. Explore beyond Slow Food, an organization which promotes the the surface of a region's culinary reputation and preservation of traditional foods and the plea­ there is often a fascinating cultural surprise. CRM No 4—2001 3 Clearly, what we like to eat influences what What and how we will eat tomorrow is any­ we produce and how we produce it. Much of the one's guess. Will we give up on 1,000 calorie story of man's manipulation of the natural envi­ hamburgers for fear of wasting away? Shun ronment is a result of hunger and the desire to cheese, gelatin salad, and ice cream for good mea­ satisfy it according to cultural preferences. Native sure? Enthusiastically embrace (farm-raised) fish, Americans certainly embrace subsistence and bones and all? Will the (thoroughly cooked) egg feasting as a cultural continuum. Subsequently return to favor and the chicken reign supreme? colonized by meat and bread eating (and alcohol Will we devour turkey dogs at the ball park? drinking) peoples, America's historic landscape Beans and rice at the drive-through? Could there reflects this farm-based practice as does our archi­ be more barbequed tofu in our future? New census tecture. Fields and mills for grain, pens and data confirms that the face of America is changing smokehouses for livestock, and house kitchens and with it the traditional shape, and perhaps the with open-hearths for roasting and ovens for bak­ flavor, of our world. Only time will tell. ing all became the American way of life. We, as all cultures truly are—forever have Food motivates man to action and inven­ been and always will be—what we eat. Culinary tion. Even beyond the need for subsistence, it historians continue to research and study local holds great emotional power. It was a highly- and regional foodstuffs, food preparation tech­ prized beverage, after all, that discontented niques and technologies, and pertinent customs, colonists chose to throw into Boston Harbor on traditions and taboos, hoping to discern the that fateful night in 1773. A symbol so strong and inevitable forks in our road. so universal that no one could fail to appreciate it. Changing tastes, literally, affect material Susan R. Chandler is a historical architect with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office, leader of culture in forms both small and large.