FOODWAYS

Explore community building through awareness of global cultures and discover our human roots

Welcome!

Foodways provides a friendly gathering of goodwill, meeting monthly to connect and explore peaceful community building. Our desire is to cultivate understanding and appreciation through the anthropology of different cultures and their food.

The term foodways refers to the culinary practices of a people and land, historical and popular. Food plays a defining role in local and national cultures. What people eat and how they eat it reflects numerous factors, such as landscape, societal, spiritual, artistic, psychological, political, economic, and other conditions.

Foodways programs are an encounter with a historical period, a regional ethnic food, a cultural tradition, a plant item's modernity or multiplicity, a country's mores. We serve the world on a plate!

Presenters inform participants about regional history and issues, family customs, arts, foods and eating habits, plants and spices, utensils, provide indigenous samples, and share their homeland to America stories. The presentations are developed to foster knowledge of individual heritage, build a neighborly region, learn our American roots and value the diverse global community.

We gather at the table, a level playing field, to realize and respect what diversity offers. Foodways is also a productive resource for chefs, travelers, food lovers, intercultural relations and any interested person.

We informally 'come to the table' to exchange experience and unite our interdependent world. The past few years, culinary history groups have formed across the U.S., in Houston, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Hawaii and elsewhere. The Austin organization began in January 1999.

Foodways is open to all. See Upcoming Programs for enjoyable, educational meetings around Austin and celebrate the wonders of neighbors and foods.

View Past Programs to see a sampling of what we do. To become a member, click Get Involved. We look forward to seeing you!