The Prairie Landscape

Editor's Letter

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are. -- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, 1825

Food is the most primitive form of comfort. -- Sheila Graham


Historically, spring is a time to celebrate bursting blossoms and sprouting crops. Not coincidentally, April marks National Food Month in the United States. But for Illinoisans, the season can be a decidedly unbountiful affair -- cold, wet, and gray. Despite the longer days and warming temperatures, Illinosians always seem to see a spring snowfall. This year, weather forecasters and fans alike were not at all surprised when opening day at the ballparks in Chicago was snowed out.

Perhaps because spring in Illinois has a rawness that won't let go, Illinoisans seek comfort at this time of the year by celebrating food. April kicks off the food festival season in Illinois, beginning with the Morel Mushroom Festival in Jonesboro, followed quickly by the Annual Chocolate Festival in Long Grove, the Pear Fest in Du Quoin, the Strawberry Festival in Omaha, the Flavors of Greece Festival in St. Charles, and the Washington Cherry Festival. Even with temps hovering just above freezing, farmer's markets pop up, from Carbondale to Chicago, from Alton to Aurora. These celebrations of food define the character of these Illinois towns and bring people together to share the bounty of their communities.

This spring the Illinois Humanities Council is also celebrating American food traditions. From May 2003 through February 2004 a travelling exhibit, "Key Ingredients: America by Food," will visit five Illinois communities. This exhibit is made possible through a partnership between the Illinois Humanities Council and the Smithsonian Institution's Traveling Exhibition Services. Bruce Kraig, President of the Culinary Historians of Chicago, is the scholar for this project, and the lecture he will give at the opening of each Illinois site of the exhibit is the first piece in this issue of Detours. Kraig explains how Illinois communities have defined themselves through food -- from the fare of early immigrant settlers, to the food we now buy predominantly from multinational corporations.

The other articles in this issue of Detours explore in detail how food defines and comforts us. In his article "Listen to that Scent! Travelling Tastes and Smells among Greek Immigrants," David Sutton explores the connection between memory and food culture, particularly among immigrants to the United States. Much along the same lines, in "Fair Shares for All," John Haney writes a food-themed tribute to his recently deceased father, tracing his memories of a what he calls a "working class" childhood in England back through meals of "stewed eels, condensed-milk sandwiches, and sausages shimmering with lard." Michael Washburn's Q&A with the legendary Charlie Trotter gives us an inside look at how this world-renowned chef thinks about the intersections between food, memory, and American culture. Laura Letinsky's photographs do with images what many of the articles here do with words. Her decidedly off-kilter still-lifes express the simultaneous celebration and nostalgia that food often produces.

Like a great meal, Detours is the product of the hard work and generosity of many people. First, I want to thank all the contributors for their wonderful articles. We want to thank Marinel Abreu at Conde Nast publications for the rights to re-print John Haney's "Fair Shares for All," which first appeared in the January 2003 issue of Gourmet magazine. We also want to thank Professor Laura Letinsky for granting us permission to reproduce photographs from her fascinating series, "Morning, and Melancholia," in this issue. Special thanks also to the Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York for allowing us to link to their site.

I want to extend a special thanks to Michael Washburn, the IHC's Public Information Assistant, for all his help on this issue of Detours. Michael's editorial expertise, his keen eye for artwork, and his tenacity in tracking down materials from contributors were invaluable. This issue would not be what it is without his assistance.

By: Phoebe Stein Davis

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