How We Eat Now: The Evolution of American Food Since 1950

In this talk, we’ll look at the major milestones and influences on American food since 1950. From jelly molds to kombucha, American eating habits have long been impressionable and paradoxical. We’ll discuss how and why our nation’s changes show up on our plates. How did wartime, industrialization and the suburbs set our tables? When did the cuisine of immigrants enter the mainstream? Let’s see how science & technology have both seasoned and diminished our diet. Bring your own food memories to share.

Judith Hausman is a semi-retired food writer, based in the Hudson Valley. She was the restaurant reviewer for The Journal News (Gannett Suburban Newspapers) for Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties for nine years. Her work has appeared in several other Hudson Valley-based publications, and nationally in Urban Farm/Hobby Farm Home, Gastronomica, the Zagat guides, the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets (2015) and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2013). Her co-authored book, Over the Rainbeau: Living the Dream of Sustainable Farming, was published in 2009. She is also a long-time ESL instructor at Norwalk Community College.