Babel’s Market Trailer from Peter Gerard on Vimeo.

We are up and moving to Boston next month! In September, I will be starting my new job as Assistant Professor in the Gastronomy Program at Boston University. For Fall 2009 I will be teaching one course: “Food, Culture & Exchange: The Economic Anthropology of Food.” I am looking forward to working with the wonderful students in the Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy program.

This morning I read an article in the New York Times entitled “Table for 2? Get Ready to Wait in Line” and it got me thinking about the social aspects of waiting for food (something this article missed entirely).

Sure, I can understand the inconvenience of having to wait to be fed but I can also see a positive side–the social side of the ordeal. It seems to me that Americans have forgotten how to socialize in public spaces and why spontaneous sociability is important. Hey, it can even be pleasant! Waiting in line is an opportunity to meet new people, exchange a few words and maybe even some ideas. Have we forgotten that it can be a good thing to check in with the world around us? This mundane activity can also build solidarity!

On my first shopping trip to Eataly in Turin, Italy, I was fascinated by two very socially different worlds of the deli counter and the refrigerated self-serve cases. One goes to the deli counter partially out of a desire to socialize and communicate. First there is the waiting in line that necessitates cooperation and a certain ability to follow unspoken social rules and codes. One mustn’t jump the line. One must speak politely to the counter person and others waiting. One must state clearly what they would like and ask for help when they are unsure of this. Then there is the exchange with the counter person. We have the opportunity to ask questions, learn and exchange ideas. In contrast, those who prefer anonymity choose the self-serve case. To me this is an expression of independence and a desire for speed. Who has time anymore to wait to be served? Why would I waste my time talking to other people I don’t know from Adam? Spending a few moments observing the shopping behaviour at the deli case and the counter taught me a great deal about the changing social habits of Italians. Increasing social ineptitude is not unique to North America.

Well, whether waiting in line at a restaurant in New York or a deli counter in Italy, we come in contact with our fellow eaters. A priori we have something in common–our humanness.

]]> http://rachelblack.ca/?feed=rss2&p=489 1 http://rachelblack.ca/?p=478 http://rachelblack.ca/?p=478#comments Fri, 28 May 2010 03:07:05 +0000 admin http://rachelblack.ca/?p=478

Have you ever had a wonderful copious meal and regretted that last bite of panna cotta? A long walk after dinner will help but Italians have come up with an even more civilized cure–the digestivo.

A digestivo is an alcoholic beverage often consumed after a meal in Italy, although many of these drinks make appearances at the aperitivo (drinks before dinner) and are believed to stimulate the appetite. Digestive drinks include amaro, Vermouth, grappa, vin santo, herb-infused concoctions as well as a bevy of non-Italian drinks such as Whiskey and Cognac. They all have the main function of aiding digestion. These drinks have a long history that is tied just as much to Italian medicine and pharmacies as to the specialty beverage trade.

How did digestivi, such as Barolo Chinato, Martini, San Simone and Fernet Branca, go from being consumed as a medicine to drinks associate with more pleasurable, social moments. At one time digestivi were concocted and sold mainly in local pharmacies; now they have become popular ingredients in cocktails, particularly in North America. In particular, modern manufacturing, branding and distribution have played an important role in transforming the way in which these drinks are consumed. By looking at the changing meaning of these beverages, we can begin to understand the ways in which the consumption of digestivi has lost most of its medicinal meaning and taken on a new life in different cultures of alcohol consumption.

I will be presenting this paper at the Food in Bloom Conference in Bloomington, Indiana on June 3, 2010.

The question, “where is the theory in applied anthropology?, is an old one. It is one I have dealt with for the past 40 years and this is what I have learned.

You ask, “Why is academic anthropological theory and sometimes training of so little use to researchers using ethnography as a research technique?”

The simple answer is that it not the job of academic anthropologist to do so. Academic anthropology is based on the university’s paradigm of professionalism.

This paradigm (using Kuhn’s definition) is part of the larger institutional culture of free and open dialogue and sharing of information directed toward finding “Truth.” The research subsystems of scholarship and science promotes the search for truth by limiting the questions to be addressed to those arising from the dominate paradigm of the discipline at the time — regardless of the policy questions facing society or its members.

The applied anthropologist is a technician in the real world outside of the academic department. He/she is hired to provide answers (not questions) for a client seeking to make a “practical” decision related to the client’s self interest.

The applied anthropologist is asked to play the role of expert, not seeker, for applying ethnographic knowledge. The client expects the “bullet points” in the executive summary so that they can judge the value of the information and apply it to their problem. Even if you write a detailed report, the client will not read it. The detail only serves to justify a decision based on your conclusion after the fact, especially in the event that the decision is questioned.

As an applied anthropologist you must understand your client and the purpose they have in mind when they hire you.

You also ask, “How can academics create theory that speaks to applied fields and industry?”

This is the wrong question. The theory already exists in the broad sweep of behavioral and social science. The question is “How do you package the theory in an user friendly mode that will be meaningful to the client?”

Academics write for academics. Applied anthropologist are culture brokers who bridge the academic and real world cultures of their particular “people.” They write for non academic.

The theory that academic anthropologist should apply to communicating to the applied fields and industry are the basic ethnographic principles of “participant-observation,” and learning the native language and rituals. What do applied anthropologists need, not what do we want them to know?

If the applied anthropologist’s client wanted to be an anthropologist, she/he would study anthropology and not do what they are doing. But they don’t, and you can’t blame them for that short coming. Otherwise, there is no need for the applied anthropologist as a profession if every client can do it themselves.

Hope this is helpful.

I use the analogy to the legal profession. There are law school professors who research and write about jurisprudence, and then there are attorneys who practice their craft in the real world. Here they apply their legal training to help clients avoid problems; or they are trial lawyers who help their clients defend/advocate their interests. Applied anthropology lives in this real world. The applied anthropologist needs the added communication skill set to survive and prosper here.

For all the wonderful contributors and people who have followed this project with interest, I have a few updates on the Cultural Encyclopedia as it heads through the editing process.

At the end of February, I submitted the finished manuscript to Greenwood Press. This happened on time (thanks to prompt contributors and quick responses to my threatening e-mails). After a few revisions, at the end of March the press sent our manuscript to be copy edited. In the meantime, I selected the images that will be included in the book (this sounds easier than it is), along with the help of Greenwood staff. I have just received the copy edited manuscript and I will be reading it over the next week. Things are moving along at an excellent pace and I am told that we are well on track for publication later this year or early in 2011.

In other news, the marketing and editorial board of Greenwood Press met and decided to give us a new title, which will be Alcohol in Popular Culture: An Encyclopedia.

Recently, I had my first experience doing ethnography for industry. This was an eye-opening experience and it made me think about my training and the place of theory in applied anthropology. Let me explain: Initially, I was asked to carry out a literature review on the topic we intended to research in a 15-week project with a major multinational technology company. Ethnography was to be the main research technique used to study a very complex virtual and physical work environment. As I imagined, there was a great deal of academic literature on the topic we were studying. What surprised me was that it was largely useless for the type of applied work we were doing. First, my colleagues had no interest in reading lengthy articles that are written without any bullet points and where was the executive summary! Second, my colleagues had little or no formal training in anthropology and the references to canon pieces and general anthropological literature did not speak to their hands-on work reality. Finally, I realized that most of the publications seemed outdated as soon as they were published. Really, there must be something better out there but I was unable to find it.

This little experience left me wondering if theory can inform applied anthropology for industry? If so, what would it look like? I would like to have a discussion on this topic. What have others found? What solutions exist? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How can academics help industry folks doing mixed method research do ethnography better? How can we help give depth to their practice and analysis?

I called on a number of anthropology bloggers to enter into a discussion. The first post on this topic is by Krystal D’Costa on Anthropology in Practice. We hope that the conversation will grow and continue. Please feel free to link blog posts and leave comments.

My response will follow shortly.

I am not the only one thinking about Porta Palazzo. Singer and songwriter Gianmaria Testa wrote a beautiful song entitled “Al mercato di Porta Palazzo.” Testa eloquently captures the tensions and pleasures of the market.

The Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition (SAFN) has a new blog! FoodAnthropology was launched just a few weeks ago. It is an attempt to create a place for popular dialogue around the topic of nearly anything to do with food and anthropology–academic, yet fun!

Please contact me or David Beriss if you are interested in contributing.

I came across this video on World Water Day and I thought it made some great points about America’s water problem.