Historians have long studied the impacts of German and Italian occupation during World War II. Post-Revisionist historian Eric Alary considers the impact of occupation on Paris and urban cities in his book Les Français Au Quotidien,1939-1949. Likewise, Richard Vinen discusses the consequences of food shortages in Paris in his book, The Unfree French: Life under the Occupation. However, a limitation is that scholars in this field of research have often ignored rural living conditions under occupation and have focused on cities like Paris. My research adds to the narrative of daily life under occupation and fills the gap mentioned above by focusing on the impact of Italian occupation on the fishing villages along the Mediterranean Coast. This essay argues that the lack of food and the subsequent food rations, on the one hand, and the labor associated with food on the other, impacted both social tensions and gender roles in the region of southeast France during World War II. Food caused/heightened tensions between social classes in southeast France, French residents and Italian Occupants, and between French citizens in different regions. Yet, food enabled women in southeast France to gain economic independence through labor opportunities and involvement in the Black Market. Thus, an exploration of food in southeast France illuminates the various effects of war in this region that have been so often overlooked. My paper is split into three sections examining (1) Food rationing and how it was a catalyst for social change in WWII France, (2) how gender roles were altered and food became the vehicle for women to gain economic autonomy, and (3) the aftermath of Italian occupation. Overall, the goal of this research was to examine how using food as a lens could open up avenues of research regarding gender roles and occupation in Southeast France.

My research focuses on Greek-Americans in the Seattle area and the incorporation of foods derived from their Greek heritage into their lives. The first Greeks immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s, followed by a second wave in the 1950s through the 1980s, and a third wave in the last decade. The Greek-American population in Seattle comprises of a mixture of descendants from the first Greek immigrants to more recent immigrants. From a food-centered perspective, these waves of immigration create multiple ways through which Greek food is experienced and incorporated into Greek-Americans' lives. Furthermore, from Greek-owned restaurants to church-run festivals Greek-Americans have often been associated with food by others and by each other. While many Greek foods have become commonplace in the American vocabulary and palate, for Greek-Americans, different dishes, ingredients, and locations are connected to different experiences. My primary methods for conducting research include six one-on-one interviews, two interviews with pairs, and a four-person focus group. A total of 13 informants participated in interviews and the focus group. My methods also include participant observation done at two Greek festivals held by Greek Orthodox churches in Seattle. What emerges is a consideration of Greek foods and their variability across time and space. Individuals' memories and experiences with Greek or Greek-influenced foods provides an understanding of the diverse positioning of Greek food in Greek-Americans' lives, and on a broader level, the personal nature of ethnic foods and cuisine in the US in general.

How do food memories help someone connect to their upbringing, background, and identity? Every person holds a unique set of food memories surrounding family recipes or culinary traditions that have the power to tie them to their wider, yet still personal, cultural, ethnic, or familial heritage. The term ‘food memory’ refers to a form of embodied memory someone has of preparing or eating food. In my analysis, I explore these ideas through an extensive literature review based in academic works focusing on food and memory, culture, and identity. I conducted open interviews on the topic of culture and food background with a wide range of Seattle residents, most who have multiple cultural identities. Does cooking or eating help them navigate the potentially difficult task of understanding and connecting with their heritage(s)? I then asked each interviewee for a recipe they feel best represents a part of their culture. Their stories and recipes accumulate to form a personal and checkered cookbook. I hope that by transforming dishes and stories into the form of a cookbook, I can better understand the importance culturally relevant culinary traditions play in the growth and identity of an individual within their community. Is the semi-rigid format of a cookbook potentially stifling for certain dishes? How can I most effectively address that issue, to respect the integrity of a dish? Certain cultural groups have been, and still are oppressed through dominating food practices. Heritage within food could be disrespected or misrepresented, and here, I explore these effects as I attempt to best illustrate people’s stories. Food holds the power to connect a diverse set of people through celebration and education. This project has taken on a timely significance as people within the US continue to fracture and segregate in part due to fear of differences. This research is a focused point to celebrate diversity through food heritage. 

“This Is Our Story” project is a qualitative research project with a digital multimedia component. This project utilizes students and staff, from the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center (ECC), to create a mix of timeless tradition of storytelling with digital media as a multimedia form of documenting individual histories. Currently, I have been conducting interviews in the Kelly ECC to learn stories about different lives of many students and staff at the University of Washington. I asked questions about themselves (personality, what defines you, what makes you, favorite food/activities, etc.), background, and traditions with family and friends, connections to the ECC. In the next two weeks, a media display will be created with the results from the interviews to provide an interactive way to share students’ experiences and backgrounds. Visitors and users of the Kelly ECC may interact with the project to hear and watch video clips to learn more about other members of their UW community. A key goal of this project is to create bridges between the intersections of our diverse identities. The second goal of this project is to showcase the uniqueness of the diverse people at the ECC. The display will demonstrate that we are all from different places, but in the same space, becoming allies with each other. This interactive system will allow people to educate themselves about cultures. Through this project, I hope to highlight the importance of oral storytelling, and hope to create a fun and interactive way to share personal histories in an age that is driven by social media.