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- Convenors:
-
Håkan Jönsson
(Lund University)
Daša Ličen (Scientific Research Centre - Slovenian Academy of Science and Arts)
Jón Þór Pétursson (University of Iceland)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Food
- Location:
- B2.32
- Sessions:
- Saturday 10 June, -, -
Time zone: Europe/Prague
Short Abstract:
What are the cultural interpretations of food crisis in different geographical and societal contexts? The panel invites papers dealing with food uncertainties in both past and present and/or illuminates food's capacity to bring comfort and stability in uncertain times.
Long Abstract:
No doubt we live in times of food uncertainties. Shortages of biofuel and fertilizers, a potential lack of grains, and rising prices of most food products are closely tied to the effects of the recent pandemic, and the current war in Ukraine. The ongoing environmental crisis puts further pressure on an already dysfunctional food system.
The majority of Europeans are at the moment not experiencing hunger or a lack of access to essential food supplies. They, however, experience uncertainty in other ways. What are the cultural interpretations of the food crisis that take place in different geographical and societal contexts? How are the encounters with food insecurities interlaced with class belonging, gender and ethnicity? How do actors in households and local communities tackle the threat of food insecurity, by circumventing or improving state interventions?
Contemporary uncertainty is far from being the first, we are therefore welcoming also presenters attempting to offer glimpses into the past, be it the times of the black death, food provisioning during and after WW1 and WW1, Soviet cuisine in the Stalinist period or the more recent hunger crisis across the Horn of Africa. Further, while food issues may enhance uncertainty, it can also act as an antidote. The panel thus invite also presenters illuminating food's capacity to bring comfort and stability in uncertain times.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Saturday 10 June, 2023, -Olav Hofland (European University Institute)
Paper short abstract:
This paper studies the Bolshevik decision to introduce “socialized canteens” in industrial centers during the Russian Revolution. It interprets this decision using a framework derived from utopian thought on communal or socialized dining, and shows how the utopian became pragmatic.
Paper long abstract:
Food uncertainty was on the menu throughout the history of the USSR. The question whether enough tasty and healthy food could be produced and distributed by a socialist state—the so-called food question (prodovol’stvennyi vopros)—was discussed continuously by politicians, specialists, journalists and citizens. When Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks came to power through a coup in November 1917, the context of food crisis was part of the crucible that shaped the institutions they introduced. Not accidentally, one of the early, oft-quoted Leninist slogans was: “The Fight for Bread is the Fight for Socialism!”
My paper studies one of the answers that the Bolsheviks gave to the food question on the third day of their revolution. They proposed to feed the hungry populations of industrial centers like Moscow and Petrograd in “socialized canteens [obshchestvennye stolovye].” Historians have approached this policy decision either as an essentially utopian project or as an emergency method in the face of critical food uncertainty. I argue for a middle way that appreciates utopian thought as a critique of eating practices that rely on the individual household—in contrast to communal or socialized dining hall. This utopian critique provides a framework that allows us to discern a different manifestations of food uncertainty that were at play during the Russian Revolution. As such, we can understand the socialized canteen as an institution in which utopia became pragmatic.
In writing my paper—definitely a work in progress—I rely on utopian literature, Bolshevik policy documents, statistics, publications on socialized dining, and memoirs.
Tanja Kockovic Zaborski (Ethnographic Museum)
Paper short abstract:
This presentation will show the results of the research with the subject "Hunger as s political tool" carried out for the exhibition "Faces of Hunger" from the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb and how food shortage influences everyday life during the First and the Second World Wars.
Paper long abstract:
The subject of hunger can be approached from different angles. During the research for the exhibition, "Faces of Hunger" presented in the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb, Croatia, three main aspects were chosen, one of which is "Hunger as a political tool". Local and global historic examples show us that hunger can be used for the manipulation of the masses and individuals alike, expressing resistance, enticing a conflict, and even killing. Some of these are typical for major war conflicts. The urban population is always the most vulnerable during shortages, rising prices, food rationing, requisitions, hunger, and even to the black markets.
The presentation will present the results of the research carried out during exhibition preparation on the subjects of shortages, food rationing, and requisitions in the period of the First and the Second World Wars in Croatia. The research was carried out through interviews and investigation of the literature and printed media from that period.
Jón Þór Pétursson (University of Iceland) Valdimar Tr. Hafstein (University of Iceland)
Paper short abstract:
How is ownership over the Icelandic dairy product skyr asserted, confirmed, challenged and rejected with reference to its cultural history? We present an investigation into cultural and economic uncertainty in markets, media, and courtrooms.
Paper long abstract:
In the 21st century, the Icelandic dairy product skyr had an international breakthrough after an uneventful millenium as a staple of the domestic diet. Its breakthrough is captured in branding efforts and advertising campaigns from producers in Iceland, Europe, and the United States. Here, we explore how these branding and advertising campaigns compete and clash in “Skyr Wars”, fought out on the screen or the page but also in the courtroom, where producers claim tradition, authenticity and cultural legitimacy in various ways.
In 2014, MS Iceland Dairies registered the word “Skyr” as a trademark. When the dairy corporation Arla began marketing skyr in the Nordic countries in 2015, MS Iceland Dairies asserted its right in the trademark. As Arla did not desist, MS Iceland Dairies sought an injunction from courts, forbidding Arla from marketing skyr to consumers. Upon review of the case, MS Dairies lost its Swedish trademark in 2015 but successfully won an injunction in Finland, where Arla was given a week to remove its skyr product from dairy shelves. In the US, a class action lawsuit was brought against Icelandic Provisions for its exploiting consumers’ desire for authenticity in its marketing of its skyr with certified “heirloom cultures”.
We present an investigation into cultural and economic uncertainty in markets, media, and courtrooms, analyzing how ownership over skyr is asserted, confirmed, challenged and rejected with reference to its cultural history.
Taija Kaarlenkaski (University of Eastern Finland)
Paper short abstract:
Why Finns have been the heaviest milk drinkers in the world for decades? This paper explores the founding of Maito ja terveys (Milk and Health) association in 1958. The association promoted milk consumption mainly for health reasons, but also contributed to the idea of national importance of milk.
Paper long abstract:
After the WWII, Finland experienced problems with public health due to inadequate nutrition. From 1947 to 1951 Finland received food aid from UNICEF mostly in the form of milk powder, lard, and tinned meat. Moreover, as the handling and storage conditions of fresh milk were inadequate, milk served for children was often contaminated, causing diarrhoea. Therefore, UNICEF granted an appropriation for acquiring refrigeration and pasteurization machines in the dairies. At the same time, there was public interest in increasing the consumption of milk in many parts of Europe, and also in Finland several civic organizations expressed their concern on the position and quality of milk in nutrition. This led to the establishment of Maito ja terveys ry (Milk and health registered association) in 1958, aiming to promote milk for Finnish people. Significant part of the funding in the start came from the UNICEF committee of Finland, with member dairies also financing the association.
In this paper, I will explore the reasons and contexts of founding Maito ja terveys association, using the archival materials of the association as main research materials. What kinds of arguments and discourses were used to affirm that milk is an absolutely necessary part of Finnish diet? To whom was the early milk promotion of the association directed? I will argue that Maito ja terveys association has played an important role in the high consumption of milk in Finland which has continued to the present day, and has contributed to the idea of national importance of milk.
Dario Nardini (University of Siena)
Paper short abstract:
Today in Tuscany, small groups of people aim to recreate in their free time the conditions of food production under sharecropping economies, according to an idealized, generational idea of sharing and mutualism, that they feel lost in market economies and mass-consumption.
Paper long abstract:
Today, in Tuscany, small groups of people in their sixties/seventies aim to recreate in their free time (out of their principal occupations) the conditions of food production they experienced when they were children, and their parents worked under sharecropping contracts (since the 1970s-1980s). Persuaded of the genuine nature and sustainability of self-produced food in a time of climate and economic uncertainty, they manage together vegetable gardens, reproducing the social organization of work in sharecropping farms. Especially, they grow and pick their products together, and occasionally involve other friends in big seasonal works (e.g., olive harvest), trying to recreate the mutual, convivial atmosphere that characterized these circumstances when they were children. Also, they offer their products to people they feel intimate/important for them – especially Vinsanto, that maintains its extra-dietary social value.
Food production, circulation and consumption become therefore fields where symbolically reconstructing a context of social relationships and values that these people experienced in their youth but feel lost in the present. Paradoxically, they recognize the developments of the following decades emancipated their generation from the vexatious living conditions of their parents. But at the same time, they feel in this process the supportive, reciprocal, and authentic sociability that (necessarily) characterized that time of labor and deprivations have been lost.
Food therefore contributes to nourish social intimacy among these people, that participate in sharing an ethical (not strictly political) idea of living, and feel that the structural conditions for its realization have been canceled by “disenchanting” market economies and mass-consumption.
Matilda Marshall (Umeå University) Joachim Sundqvist
Paper short abstract:
Are pickles and root cellars only Instagram images of sustainability or could past ways of preserving and storing food offer stability for restaurants in uncertain times? Departing from an early-stage project, this paper explores food storage, preservation, and sustainability in Swedish restaurants.
Paper long abstract:
For almost two decades, the New Nordic Cuisine and trends of preservation have influenced Nordic gastronomy. Pickles, pantries, and root cellars have been revived. The ideals are closely connected to local and seasonal conditions, self-sufficiency, and craft, but also to food culture. The past few years, however, the Swedish restaurant sector have faced challenges with the uncertainties of the corona pandemic, increase of food and energy costs, in addition to maintaining qualified staff. Sustainability ambitions have had to be negotiated (Carrillo Ocampo et al 2021).
The past rational of “storage economy”, i.e. preserving and storing food for one or more years, was a way of managing uncertainties in the agrarian society. Theoretically, the rationale of the storage economy could minimize transportation and energy consumption and offer a form of crisis preparedness and stability for restaurants. Yet little is known about the challenges and opportunities restaurants face when practicing such preservation and storage methods. Furthermore, while Swedish higher education in culinary arts offer courses in food culture and food history, little is known of how this knowledge and competencies are applied in the sector.
This paper will present an early-stage project which aims to explore the opportunities and challenges of upscaling a form of storage economy in the Swedish restaurant sector. Are pickles and root cellars merely an Instagram friendly imagery of restaurant sustainability or are the practices of storage economy viable on large scale? What norms and structures influence how restaurants deal with questions of sustainability and thus uncertainties?
Anikó Báti (RCH Institute of Ethnology)
Paper short abstract:
50% of the school children eat in public catering. The presentation highlights the role of the canteen in its early days and how it has all changed today based on the study of the author’s research group. It focuses on the operation and social embeddedness of canteens and at-home eating habits.
Paper long abstract:
Half of the school-age children eat in public catering which was also the case throughout the 20th century in Hungary. The presentation highlights the role of the school food in its early days and how it has all changed today based on the study of the author’s research group, comprised of ethnographers and dietitians. It focuses on the operation and social embeddedness of canteens and the at-home eating habits of families involved through questionnaires, interviews and fieldwork observations.
School food played an important role in children's nutrition in First WW and after during the economic crisis. Later the Socialist state took over part of the provision of everyday care for children from families. The provision of meals was also organised and made easily accessible for all to support the employment of mothers in need. Now the operation of canteens has become particularly problematic following the measures introduced due to the Covid. It is unsatisfactory both in terms of social life and nutrition. During the lockdown, it became clear to parents how much the canteen was helping families on a daily basis. The food prices have doubled in the past year, the canteen, therefore, is of great importance in terms of needy children’s nutrition and fruit consumption. As a result, more children are eating in public catering in the post-Covid times than before.
James Deutsch (Smithsonian Institution)
Paper short abstract:
Based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews in the Southwest neighborhood of Washington, D.C., USA, this presentation describes and analyzes some of the ways in which members of the homeless community seek, share, and savor food with resilience and humor amid their daily struggles for survival.
Paper long abstract:
The daily struggle for survival among those experiencing homelessness is formidable. Finding shelter from the elements is perhaps most crucial, but finding food for sustenance is almost equally important. Many U.S. cities may have ‘soup kitchens’ that serve free meals or ‘grate patrols’ that deliver food to people unhoused, but ‘uncertainty’ and ‘insecurity’ are words that easily describe the challenges of finding food among those individuals with neither fixed addresses nor fixed incomes.
Based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews in the Southwest neighborhood of Washington, D.C., USA, this presentation describes and analyzes the ways in which members of the homeless community seek, share, and savor food amid their daily struggles for survival. Like any folk group, those experiencing homelessness have their own sets of skills, specialized knowledge, and codes of behavior that not only distinguish them from other groups, but that also meet their needs as a community.
Resilience and humor are essential strategies, which manifest themselves through shorthand classifications, e.g., ‘Double-A’ for food still warm from the hand of the donor, or initialisms, such as TYO for ‘Trim Your Own’ for food requiring trimming around the toothmarks left behind by whoever tossed the edible food into a trash can.
The community of those experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., is multiethnic and predominantly male—at least among those who live outdoors rather than in shelters. But what all have in common is the resourcefulness and quest for dignity and comfort that unite human beings, especially in times of uncertainty.