Episode 13: Sophie Reilly on Ancient Bolivian Foodways and Mobility

This week I’m speaking with Sophie Reilly, a PhD student focusing on the archaeology of ancient foodways. Sophie looks at plant residues on ancient ceramics to examine how people prepared and consumed meals in the past. We talk today about her Masters research (from McMaster University), where she looked at plant remains from ceramic vessels in the Lake Titicaca Basin of highland Bolivia. She explored the ways that different plants became part of peoples meals in everyday and special occasions.

In this episode, we talk about about her Masters research project in Bolivia, exploring the role that food played in mobility and inter-regional relationships, how we can use archaeology to look at plant residues on ceramics, and the ways that local and non-local foods can symbolize relationships and identities. Perhaps most importantly, we talk about Dr. Ellie Sattler. This episode also (surprisingly) marks the first time my cheeky daughter has made a guest appearance, so you're in for an extra goofy treat today! 

Love Sophie's work and want to know more?

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ReillyDigs

Resources:

The link the to Incan Resources can be found here:

• History of the Incas, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (this one is free!):

• Narrative of the Incas, Juan de Betanzos (I couldn't find this one for free unfortunately)

• Food, Gender and Poverty in the Ecuadorian Andes, Mary Weismantel (an old classic if folks would like to learn more about Andean food.

Microscopic image of manioc starch grains, by Sophie Reilly (science can be so beautiful!)

Llama vasija (vessel) Sophie mentioned in the interview. Sophie found maize (corn) residue in this, which would have been non-local for the area - listen to the episode to find out Sophie’s interpretation of this non-local food for ancient highland Bolivia!

Episode 12: Anna Rova of GirlSkill podcast on Food and Wellness in Eastern Europe

This week I am excited to share my interview with Anna Rova, the founder of Girlskill, which is an online media platform, publication, and podcast that empowers women to live a life of freedom, joy, and creativity. In addition to all her incredible work at Girlskill, Anna is a writer, yoga instructor and location independent entrepreneur.

Anna is a former email marketer, and she loves being on stage sharing her knowledge of relationship dynamics, and feminine/masculine energy and power. Born and raised in Eastern Europe, she is on a mission to redefine female success and femininity. She believes in creating a thriving community of conscious and awakened women through her inspiration, tools, and resources, which will help us all build a better, more sustainable world.

On this week’s episode, I got to ask Anna some fun questions that are a bit different from her usual focus on Girlskill – food! So we discuss her upbringing in Moldova, the roles and traditions surrounding food, and their impact on Moldovan cultures and practices. We explore the nuances of health consciousness and wellness culture and why these themes still aren’t seen much in Eastern Europe. Given her location-independent entrepreneurship, we examine how this lifestyle impacts her health and her nutrition, as well as some exciting and big changes coming to her life this year! Anna is such a fun person to talk to, and it was amazing to listen to the ways in which her food journey has changed and grown throughout her life so far! 

Check out the episode above, or download on iTunes and Spotify.

And if you love listening to AnthroDish, please consider subscribing and leaving a review and rating on iTunes! 

Want to learn more about Anna Rova? Check out the links below! 

GirlSkill

Website: https://girlskill.com/ 

Instagram:  instagram.com/girlskillofficial 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlskillofficial/ 

 Anna Rova

Instagram: instagram.com/wanderova 

Writing (main): medium.com/@annarova

Resources Mentioned: 

Anna's IG post on motherhood

Anna's blog post on skincare
 

Episode 11: Shailee Koranne on Racial Food Stereotypes, Cultural Identity, and David Chang's Ugly Delicious

This week on AnthroDish, I am interviewing freelancer writer and journalist, Shailee Koranne. Based out of Toronto, ON, she writes about pop culture, bodies, cultural production, politics, and identity. She has written for major news outlets like VICE, Huffington Post Canada, Bitch Media, GUTS, and the Aerogram. On top of all the amazing writing she does, she also studies Equity Studies at the University of Toronto. 

I was introduced to Shailee through a mutual friend and read a piece she wrote for Bitch Media called “The Fried Chicken Dilemma: Ugly Delicious wants us to love our foods and ourselves," where she explores the negative role that food-related stereotypes have on the relationships between people of colour and their cultural foods. She has a writing style that expertly intertwines her personal experiences of racism and food stigma with broader themes of racial stereotypes and identity.

On today’s episode, we discuss how food stereotypes inform and maintain historically racist attitudes and biases, particularly for Asians in North America, as well as the role that food plays in everyday racial microaggressions. We also talk about how cultural foods are sterilized and removed from their contexts in order to present them to white and Western diners, and the implications of "trend" culture (i.e. charcoal ice cream, superfoods, and any restaurant with a line up around the corner in Toronto) on cultural foods. Shailee discusses how she learned to unpack and unlearn some of the harmful attitudes through her writing on the topic as well. I’m so excited for you to check this interview out, as Shailee has some really amazing insights and powerful reflections on the ways in which food shapes and changes personal and cultural identities.

Check out the episode above, or download on iTunes, Spotify, or Castbox. 

Love Shailee and want to read more of her work? Check her out on social!

Website: www.shaileekoranne.com

Instagram: @shailee.jpg

Twitter: @shaileekoranne

Episode 10: Trina Moyles on Farming, Feminism, and the Fight to Feed the World

This week I had the great fortune to discuss feminism and farming with Trina Moyles! 

Trina is an award winning freelance writer, journalist, and author with a passion for telling stories about social justice and environmental issues. Her first book, Women Who Dig: Farming, Feminism, and the Fight to Feed the World (University of Regina Press) was released in early March 2018. The book is receiving critical praise from authors, scholars, and publications, including Raj Patel (author of Stuffed and Starved) who calls the book "haunting, powerful, and important".

Her journalism and narrative non-fiction work have been published extensively in newspapers, magazines, and online platforms, including The Globe and Mail, Alberta Views, Maisonneuve, Swerve, Vela Magazine, Motherboard, Briarpatch Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Vue Weekly, GUTS Canadian Feminist Magazine, Modern Farmer, Yes! Magazine, Permaculture Magazine, and Narratively.

Over the past ten years, Moyles has worked intimately with rural organizations and communities in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Canada, and East Africa on human rights and grassroots development projects. With an academic background in Cultural Anthropology and International Development, she focuses much of her research and writing on human rights education, food security, sustainable agriculture, and gender equality.

In this interview, we explore the ways in which feminism and farming intersect, and the research that inspired her book. Trina discusses what it means to be a farmer - particularly who has or hasn’t been traditionally viewed as a farmer in different cultural contexts. We speak about the varied ways in which feminism has shaped farming in day to day life for women, and the ways resiliency may help shape the future of farming with increasing threats of climate change across the world. It’s a truly fascinating interview with an inspiring and passionate writer! 

Listen to the episode in the audio player above, or download on Spotify, iTunes, or Castbox!

Want to learn more about Trina and her book? Check the links below! 

Personal website: www.trinamoyles.com  
Book website: www.womenwhodig.com 
Facebook: @trinamoyles
Instagram: @womenwhodig
Twitter: @trinamoyles

Photograph by Trina Moyles

Photograph by Trina Moyles 

Episode 9: Dino Tinapay on the Art of Dining Solo

This week we're doubling up on AnthroDish episodes! We've been so fortunate to have a tremendous interest in guests and themes, and really didn't think it would be fair to keep these to ourselves for too long! 

This week's second episode features the inimitable Dino Tinapay, a self-taught expert of Toronto’s food scene and my go-to pal when I need a new restaurant recommendation. Dino sat down with me in my kitchen one evening to share his experiences dining solo and his tips and tricks to see cities through food.

We explore his early food influences growing up in the Philippines and how that shaped his food curiosity, then move into the ways in which atmosphere and time of day can shape solo food experiences. As Dino has worked in the restaurant industry for some time, we naturally move towards exploring how 9 to 5ers have shaped food culture in big cities (spoiler - there are some really fascinating ways this has shaped our culture!), how servers read table dynamics, and Dino’s tips for getting to know new cities through food. Dino is such a fun and insightful guest, I can’t wait for you to check out this interview!

Check out the episode (above) or download on Spotify, iTunes and Castbox. If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate, and review! 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Food Wars anime trailer
• The NY Times piece by Stephanie Rosenbloom that inspired this episode 

Episode 8: Aaron Schlein on Dramatic Travels and Food as Sensorial Memory

On this week's episode, I interview Aaron Schlein, the host of The Dramatic Travels Family podcast. Aaron got travel fever as a teenager while exploring the world with his grandmother, whom he credits with igniting his passion for travel. Becoming a father inspired Aaron to pay forward his grandmother’s generosity and become an advocate for youth travel.

On the Dramatic Travels podcast, Aaron chats with the world's most passionate and influential travellers, who share inspirational moments from their travels and insights gained from traveling with their kids. Aaron lives in Sacramento, CA with his wife and two children.

Today on AnthroDish we’re talking all things food and travel with Aaron, exploring his inspiration for his own podcast, some fun stories of food on the road, and he has some pretty brilliant tips on how to keep travel and food memories alive. Being a family man, we also naturally talk about travelling with kids, and when works or doesn’t work to introduce new foods to children on adventures. 

Loved hearing Aaron’s story? Check out his podcast for more travel and family conversations at dramatictravels.com, contact him at aaron@dramatictravels.com, or find him on Instagram @aaronschlein

Fun fact! Aaron took a huge chance on me before I launched my podcast, and kindly agreed to guest swap on our respective shows. You can check out my Dramatic Travels interview here - and be sure to check out his other episodes! Lots of great information and inspiring conversations about what it means to be family and how to keep travelling inspired.