Items

• 
  2021-08-07

  Food Is Not Always Comforting

  This is a story of my family's experience with food and the pandemic. For us, it was a reflection of another difficult time in our lives.
• 
  2020-08-22

  Stephanie Berry Internship Portfolio

  Before starting this internship, I had little to no knowledge of working behind the scenes in public history. My focus is on public history, but I am still learning the ins and outs. I learned many valuable lessons on not only public history but also working with the public in an academic field. For me, some of the most useful parts of the internship were the oral histories and the ethics of the archives. I learned about the importance of transcripts and how much work goes into recording oral history. When it comes to ethics, I am still learning, but I am grateful to have experienced how JOTPY protects people's privacy and sensitive information. I am now aware of when and how to redact sensitive information and the best practices for redacting in an archival setting. I am more aware of the best file types to use when preserving digital items. I am eager to learn more about the digital side of public history from Omeka to apps. I chose to preserve the impact of the pandemic on the food industry, food habits, and body image because of my tie to the industry, my interest in food history and fat studies. It has been a difficult topic to work on, but the experience I gained working on the Foodways collection has been priceless. In hindsight, I wish I had chosen a more relatable collection because I often felt like I was alone in left field. Other interns were able to share and exchange items, that did not happen with my collection as much as others. Besides a couple of interns, I did not get the chance to network with others. Food is a relatable subject, but the industry is not. I found areas that I need to develop, including my networking skills and being confident in what I bring to the academic table. I gained a lot of confidence in my abilities through this internship, and I am grateful for the areas; it helped me see where I have room to grow. As a student with learning disabilities from a non-academic background, I was the fish out of the water, but so many of my skills did translate. The internship also gave me the push I needed to leave my comfort zone and view myself outside of the industry I've been working in for decades. If I could keep working on this archive, I would in a heartbeat, I am grateful for all that I have learned this summer.
• 
  2020-04-20

  The Big Boys

  In the restaurant world, there are the big boys and the ma-and-pa restaurants. Shake Shack is one of the big boys, founded by Danny Meyer, so why did it receive 10 million dollars of the Small Business Relief Money? Glitches, confusion, and fine print. National Restaurant Association lobbyists fought for a provision that would allow funding to go to chain restaurants with fewer than 500 employees per location. The relief money now exhausted many independent and small restaurant owners were left out while chains got millions.
• 
  2020-07-21

  Danny Meyer's Reintroduces Tipping to His Restaurants

  Danny Meyer, one of the biggest names in the restaurant industry backs out of the No Tipping Movement. The No Tipping Movement advocates ending tipping culture in the US to create an equitable working environment and curve the harassment servers can suffer from customers. Due to the pandemic, Danny Meyer chose to allow his servers to make more money by eliminating no tipping from his restaurants and serving a hit to the movement as others panic to follow suit.
• 
  2020-08-11

  How Food Businesses Are Responding

  Food workers share their experiences in this Bon Appetit article on how the industry is dealing with the events of 2020 from the pandemic to the protests. Each story is unique and covers almost every aspect of the industry.
• 
  2020-06-12

  Colorado Strong

  This is a follow-up to the first article featuring the collaboration of Colorado breweries to support each other as well as healthcare, hospitality, gig, and service workers. This article lists all breweries with current release dates of the collaborative beer, Colorado Strong Pale Ale.
• 
  2020-08-01

  Weight Bias and COVID-19

  It may seem strange to reference a study about obesity and H1N1 but if you are a member of the fat community it makes complete sense to reference medical mistreatment to understand what is happening to fat bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Obesity is said to be one of the risk factors with the highest death rate for COVID-19. As a fat asthmatic, I find it hard to believe that my body fat will be the death of me faster than my inflammation prone lungs. What I and others living in large bodies know is that medical professionals carry a traumatic and often dangerous bias against us. We swap war stories in the comment section of social media posts about the multiple times doctors have mistreated, ignored, or nearly killed us due to their often blatant ignorance. This study shows just how that bias has resulted in the death of patients before and how that bias may be the reason more obese patients die from COVID-19 then thinner patients.
• 
  2020-07-29

  Can the No-tipping Movement Survive

  Danny Meyer jumped on a movement before the pandemic to end tipping. Now he's abandoning that movement but Chef Amanda Cohen thinks that's a bad move. Tipping is based on all the things we try to get rid of in other businesses; racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, and so on. Restaurant workers know servers get paid more than anyone else even if that pay in unstable and you get more money if your "attractive." All the benefits of getting rid of tipping are there and all the ugliness behind tipping, so why are we still tipping? Especially now when the pandemic has given the food industry a moment to stop, reflect, and change.
• 
  2020-07-01

  Tipping 50%

  High-end food servers rejoiced when this article hit. The back of the house food staff and ma-and-pa restaurant servers did not. Why? Because prep cooks, line cooks, bussers, barbacks, dishwashers, and everyone who makes a restaurant run don't get tips. In some cities and states it's illegal to pay tips to the back of the house. Back of the house gets paid minimum wage while some waiters can make hundreds of dollars in tips a night. As for ma-and-pa restaurants, waiters still make more then back-of-the-house but 50% tips would make food unaffordable for their customers leading to no tips at all. This article means well but requiring 50% tips of customers would only further hurt the food industry.
• 
  2020-06-17

  Aunt Jemima is getting a new name.

  Aunt Jemima the popular syrup and pancake mix is getting a new name. The brand which is based on a racial stereotype is getting a much-needed overhaul.
• 
  2020-07-30

  Institutional Fatphobia

  This post shared publically through Instagram discusses the issues that fat people face when seeing a doctor. This was shared in response to not only the weight bias spurred on by the pandemic but to highlight the institutionalization of fatphobia in the medicine. The media and health experts have been having a field day pointing the finger at obesity for death rates and complications for months. All while toting the advice to lose weight and their preferred diets to do so. Despite the fact diets fail 90% of the time no matter how dedicated the individual or that obesity is not a condition but a symptom of conditions that put people at a higher risk from COVID-19 complications such as other health issues, poverty, access to medical care, access to nutritional foods, access to sick pay and sick leave, and so on.
• 
  2020-07-22

  The Food Industry Has a Well Known Secret

  This meme created from a Facebook post has been making the rounds among food industry people. It's a well-known secret that food workers don't take sick days so why would they start now? If you've ever worked in food service you know you don't call in sick even when you are violating food safety rules. It's hard to find a job in food service, it's even harder to keep that job, and you can't afford to lose that job.
• 
  2020-07-04

  Who Died for Your Dinner?

  Foodservice has been glorified in recent months for its workforce staying on the front lines and stocking the shelves that hoarders quickly cleanout, picking apples, or working in food factories. This article details the cost of human life along the food supply chain in order to keep Americans fed.
• 
  2020-08-01

  University of Denver Researching the affects of COVID on Bodies and Eating

  The University of Denver is recruiting study subjects to answer questions about the relationship between COVID-19, food habits, body issues, and emotional responses.
• 
  2020-06-27

  Holy Nights

  Since May one of my biggest outlets from the stress of the pandemic has been watching MIYAVI perform live from Tokyo, Japan. I stumbled across his music on YouTube in 2008 and he's been one of my favorite artists since. After my dad passed in 2016 I made a promise to not let life slip by and last year I kept up with that promise by going to see some of my favorite musicians live, including MIYAVI. I was hoping to see him in concert again this year since he tends to tour worldwide often but when the pandemic hit I knew that wasn't going to happen. Instead, he has been holding virtual concerts from his home in Tokyo or an empty studio with drummer, Bobo, a GoPro, and a couple of drones. Even though for me seeing his performances means waking up at 7 am, it's so worth it. A lot has changed because of the pandemic but with technology, we can still connect and have fun with people from all over the world. Something MIYAVI mentions often during his virtual performances is that music won't stop, musicians won't stop playing, and that we are connected through music. I think it's very important to remember that more than what divides us, connects us and music is a large part of that. For an hour people from Japan, China, Europe, Africa, South America, and North America join into one virtual space because of music and because MIYAVI continues to remind us we are connected.
• 
  2020-07-01

  Masks are Not Dangerous

  Anyone who follows me on social media knows I am pretty open about everything. I talk openly about my disabilities, my activism, and my health struggles. One of those is my allergic asthma which seems to increase in severity each year due to climate change and this year, bored neighbors over mowing their lawns. As an avid outdoors person having a severe allergy to grass pollen is a major bummer but last year I found a way to enjoy the outdoors without dying. It's cheap, it's more effective than most of my medications, and it comes in cool colors; a mask! For two pollen seasons, I have happily worn and talked about the wonders of wearing a mask and the freedom they give me to live my life. So for the life of me, I cannot understand why anti-maskers I know personally have chosen to privately message me their memes about the dangers of masks. I can only sit back and laugh at their complaints and fearmongering. I'm not the only one who has worn a mask in the US long before the pandemic but our very existence debunks the beliefs of anti-maskers. No one cared about our oxygen levels when we wore masks due to the fires in California or Montana. I got odd looks from people on hiking trails but no one feared for my safety. I can only laugh and carry on at this point because it's just silly. Photograph shows the first vog mask I owned. I was so happy to get it because I had been wearing disposable masks before and I wanted to environmentally friendly. I posted this on all my social media accounts. Meme was privately messaged to me through facebook messenger. For ethical reasons I did not include the original sender. This person is well aware that I wear masks on a daily basis long before the pandemic.
• 
  2020-06-13

  Harrisburg High School's 2020 Prom Walk

  Harrisburg High School rolled out the red carpet for its students. Due to the coronavirus canceling traditional prom activities, HHS made sure that students would still get a chance to make memories.
• 
  2020-06-13

  The Future of Food Influencers

  The way the restaurants advertise is typically by word of mouth or since the emergence of social media, food influencers. Food influencers specialize in creating social media posts that garner the attention of followers and persuade them to patron the restaurant. As the article by Jenny Dorsey points out since the coronavirus pandemic hit restaurants have had to re-evaluate their relationships with influencers and influencers have had to re-evaluate themselves. Restaurants can no longer comp meals to influencers and they want influencers to be more skilled to create story-driven reviews that give a heart to the restaurant. One of the most important parts of this article is the desire to know the line cook who continued working during the pandemic. The people who kept the restaurants alive and continued to serve the community and the push for influencers to include their stories with their posts.
• 
  2020-06-12

  Fear of the 'quarantine 15'

  This article discusses the emergence of the phrase “quarantine 15” and the impact of anti-fatness on our society even as it is being ravaged by a global pandemic. Author Virgie Tovar ties the phrase to people's need to connect and the ease of doing so through self-deprecation. Dr. Lindo Bacon attributes the trend to the anxieties of dealing with isolation and other factors directly connected to the coronavirus pandemic and our social stigma against mental health issues. Which reason is more accurate is tough to say and may differ from individual to individual. What is certain is that while people are dealing with changes to their food habits and environmental stressors they are also being pressured to lose weight.
• 
  2020-06-07

  Diet culture and Fatphobia are rooted in white supremacy

  It's not a topic people want to talk about, and most people do not even know the history behind diet culture and fatphobia in the United States. Food is a powerful tool that has been used to convey morality and racial supremacy to Americans for more than a century. As Americans have been in lockdown since March, terms like "quarantine-15" and "the covid-19," have become common phrases to shame weight gain due to anxiety, disrupted eating habits, and food scarcity. The current protests and push for the end of racism has many anti-diet culture dieticians and nutritionists speaking up about not only the ugly history of diet culture and fatphobia but the current situation of fat-shaming people for gaining weight during a global pandemic. This meme shared publicly through an Instagram story is one such attempt by nutrition professionals to call attention to the issue of racism, diet culture, and fatphobia. Contributed by Stephanie Berry, a curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST580.
• 
  2020-05-31

  "Everyone Is Cooking Right Now. Except Me."

  There are plenty of people who are exploring their culinary prowess for the first time, or maybe it's a life long obsession; either way, people are showing their skills. I'm a baker, I love serving food to others and making food that will be apart of other peoples memories. Flavors are like paints to me, with the right combination you can create a masterpiece. While I'm all for seeing people cooking and baking up a storm while in quarantine, I'm more like Josh Duboff right now. I can cook and I can bake, but am I? Not unless I'm being paid to do so. While people may feel this is the perfect time to work on self-improvement, me included, that work will not look the same for every person. Some people may be working hard just getting out of bed or going to bed in the first place. Food can be a stress release for many, but for others, its a stressor. For Duboff, it's not worth the stress to cook. For me, it's my job, not my hobby. The most I've cooked (unpaid) while in quarantine is irish-oatmeal and the occasional egg sandwich because it's easy, and I can do it while sitting. Yes, the classically trained CIA graduate is not cooking or baking while in quarantine. If it doesn't come from a box or a bag, it's not happening. This is other people's time to shine in the food world; someone else can take my seat while I go get more coffee.
• 
  2020-05-27

  Popular Carlisle restaurant opens up for eat-in diners against state COVID-19 orders

  A lot of restaurants in the central PA area are following the guidelines of Gov. Wolf, but not all. Restaurants like Fay's are opening with dine-in seating before their county is moved into the green phase. Despite health concerns waiters and regular customers are eager to return. Many see going out to restaurants as an act of freedom and living by their own terms. Submitted by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580. #ASU #HST580
• 
  2020-05-31

  Restaurants prepare to open decks, patios but warn "it's not going to make us money"

  As more areas of PA open up after being locked down for the last ten weeks, restaurants are having to weigh the advantage of reopening. Restaurants in Central PA are not known for their outdoor patios and decks. Between the humid hot summers and the plentiful bugs, not many people eat outside here. With regulations restricting many restaurants to outdoor sitting only restaurants are having to consider new ways of serving the public. When it comes to food and beverages in PA the coronavirus has had a huge influence on pushing business owners to rethink their traditional business models. Submitted by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580. #ASU #HST580
• 
  2020-05-31

  Food prices skyrocket over coronavirus problems

  Starting in March when the pandemic started food prices began to go up. From issues with transportation to outbreaks of Covid-19 among slaughterhouse employees food costs are showing no sign of going down. Everyone will feel the pinch in time whether your a customer or a restaurant owner. According to the article, produce is the latest food item to see price increases. With so many people already stretching every penny, the rise in food costs will just add to the stress of many. Some prices will come down as demand returns to normal, but some items may not go down in price due to issues with supply chain or other factors. Submitted by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580. #ASU #HST580
• 
  2020-05-31

  To-go cocktails and mixed drinks are legal in PA

  I'm not a PA native, so the blue laws of PA have always seemed very strict to me. When Governor Wolf signed a bill allowing Pennsylvanians to pick-up cocktails and mixed drinks, I was a bit shocked. The ability to purchase beer and wine in the grocery store has only been legal in PA for a few years, and liquor stores still close on Sundays. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed PA to adapt their alcohol laws faster than I thought possible. It's still too soon to see if this new relaxation on alcohol laws will remain or if PA will tighten them up again once the pandemic ends. Submitted by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580. #ASU #HST580
• 
  2020-05-31

  The Bread Influencers

  I've been a baker in some sense of the word since 2006. I could not have foretold a day when Instagram influencers would make thousands of dollars a day or charge $70.00 for a private bread baking lesson. I love making bread more than I love eating it. The skill it takes to create the perfect crumb structure takes years to master. The practice of creating the perfect ear with a lame seems endless, a perfect ear is worthy of celebration. With the coronavirus pandemic, people are slowing down and taking notice of this art and those who've mastered it. People want to know how to create it for themselves and I'm all for it. It's about time bread made a come back from the wicker basket on the sidelines. Just remember to leave some yeast and flour on the shelf for the next person. Submitted by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580. #ASU #HST580
• 
  2020-05-31

  Chicago Restaurant Workers Take Extra Covid-19 Precautions

  Food workers and restaurants are a part of our communities. They rely on customers from the community and often live in the communities they serve. Making sure that customers are safe is a huge part of the job and as these Chicago food workers showed, they will not wait for mandates to put safety measures in place to protect workers and customers alike. Submitted by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580.
• 
  2020-05-31

  FDA Loosens Labeling Rules

  Consumers have seen a shortage of ingredients and food like yeast, beef, or eggs. The same goes for food companies. The article by Food & Wine addresses how the FDA has loosened its regulations on ingredient substitutions due to the coronavirus pandemic. While some of these substitutions may seem inconsequential and even good, like not bleaching bread flour because the bleaching agent is out of stock. Why are we still bleaching bread flour anyways? The issue is how this will affect ingredient substitutions in the future as there is no set end date for these new rules. Wiggle room with ingredients can get dangerous for consumers, and while it may be necessary for the moment, it will have an effect on our food in the future.
• 
  2020-05-31

  Yeast Shortage due to Covid-19

  With lots of time on our hands, people are turning to hobbies they have been putting off like baking. One of the hallmarks of being a good baker is making bread. This has created a shortage of yeast, which as the article points out, is a living ingredient that can only be rushed so much. Baking has it's seasons, and as a professional baker, you learn when to expect shortages of ingredients, and when orders for products will increase. Typically this is around the fall and into the Christmas season. With the coronavirus pandemic and many bakeries closed, people are baking like it is the Christmas season when most ingredient manufacturers have cut down their output to reflect the coming summer. The shortage of yeast is most likely why many people are turning to sourdough starters. However, the quickest way to get a starter started is by using dry yeast. Contributed by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580.
• 
  2020-05-31

  Colorado Strong Pale Ale

  With restaurants and breweries having to shut down or go to limited capacity because of the pandemic, their financial health has been hit hard. Colorado remains a hot spot for microbreweries and many of those microbreweries are community-driven. In the past, they created beers to raise relief funds for California and Australian wildfires as well as to support the community they work in. Coloradans support each other and the pandemic is no different. With 125 breweries participating the funds will go to jump-start the breweries financial well being and support the medical, gig workers, service industry, and hospitality employees. It's one of the ways food and beverage can be used to drive support to keep our communities strong. Now I just wish I still resided in my home state so I could help out by purchasing each variation of Colorado Strong Pale Ale.
• 
  2020-05-24

  Hand-washing Technique

  Exploding cats take on washing your hands to prevent the spread of coronavirus. It is a humorous take on having to wash your hands over and over.
• 
  2020-05-24

  Hey Diary Meme

  Meme screenshot from Joshua Valko's Instagram story on 5/24/2020. Josh Valko is a lineman in Los Angelas and has been working through the pandemic as an essential worker. He often shares humorous accounts of the difficulties of his job due to the pandemic and the reactions from his fellow linemen. The meme shows a lineman filling out papers while sitting in the shade of tree, the caption reads "Hey Diary, its me again. Corona is still going on, but I'm a tough cookie so I'm doing fine..."
• 2020-05-24

  Sunday Brunch

  [Curatorial Note]: Discussion of neighbors holding neighborhood get-togethers despite social distancing protocols.
• 
  2020-04-07

  You Shall Pass

  The Hershey Company started having me work from home on March 17, 2020. I am a baker for the Hershey Company's baking products test kitchen. Since March I have been baking and working on recipes from home. In order to re-enter the building, I was required to take my temperature at home, photograph it, and present that photo to the security officer on duty. On April 7, 2020 I took a photograph of my temperature before leaving my house to restock my baking supplies from the test kitchen pantry. I presented this photo to security before filling out a health declaration form and signing into the building. Once I had been fully checked in I was able to collect the supplies I needed before signing out of the building. Since March 17th, I have only had to return to my work area twice to restock. Now Hershey has temperature check points that operate during specific windows of time and no longer requires employees to photograph their temperature. In this way, the Hershey Company has been able to accurately track employees in and out of the buildings in order to keep employees safe. The image shows a closeup of a thermometer reading 97 degrees.
• 
  2020-05-23

  CIA Graduation

  Image is of an Instagram post by the Culinary Institute of America to their graduates. The picture shows a graduation cap decorated with a black bow, a rhinestone border, and a gum paste roses of various shades of red and pink with gum paste leaves. The cap has the words "Farm to Table! 2019 *CIA*" in white letters. The post states, "Our Graduation Ceremony may be online this year, but you can still get in the spirit and decorate your cap. Tag your designs and we will repost the best ones! #proud2bcia." The Culinary Institue of America has been shut down since March and taken as many of their classes as possible online. No information is provided about the date of the graduation or which degree is being awarded. The CIA has graduations typically every three weeks for Associate degree students and multiple graduations per year for Bachelor's degree students.
• 
  2020-05-02

  Quarantine Barbie

  The image shows an obese Barbie lying on a bed with a laptop, a cat, and two cans of soda. Next to her is a chair with a purse and a large french fry. The image is captioned "New for Christmas 2020...Quarantine Barbie...(surprised faced emoji)." The meme is a comment on the issue of gaining weight during the quarantine.
• 2020-05-23

  Learning to Play

  [Curatorial Note]: Discussing finally learning to play guitar with free time due to COVID 19 quarantine.
• 
  2020-04-01

  Tracking For Sanity

  The excel file was created by personal trainer Grace Stiles to keep me sane while in quarantine. The tracker serves to help me by not only reminding me to exercise but to complete other tasks such as eat three meals a day or drink water. Ms. Stiles is aware that I have difficulty with depression and ADHD, and having a routine helps to curb issues with both conditions. The tracker shows areas where I have struggled to maintain a full routine while in quarantine. Most apparent is the issue of insomnia and drinking and eating enough daily.
• 
  2020-05-21

  I will learn to make bread

  Meme image of black type on white background. "My favorite part of quarantine is that we were all forced to be alone with our thoughts for a little bit and everyone was like 'Absolutely not. I will learn to bake bread from scratch.'" #ASU #HST580
• 2020-05-22

  Root canal during the pandemic

  On April 8, 2020, I had to have a root canal redone. I had been in self-isolation since March 17, and it was unnerving to leave the house to have this procedure done since I have asthma. Catching Covid-19 would not be suitable for me, so having to lay with my mouth wide open for an extended period was not ideal. Unfortunately, the procedure could not wait. When I arrived at the dentist's office, my temperature was checked before I was allowed to exit my car. I wore a cloth mask into the building where I was required to wash my hands before interacting with the staff. Once I was taken to the back, I had to rinse with alcohol-based mouth wash for no less than 30 seconds. During the procedure, the endodontist wore a face shield and mask. Air was circulated over my face and away from both the dental assistant and endodontist towards the open door. The procedure took about an hour since they chose to examine the failing root canal, refill it, and seal the crown all in the same day. Typically this would require two visits, one to check and refill the root canal and one to seal the crown. After the procedure was done, I was allowed to wash my hands before putting my mask back on and then rewash my hands before exiting the office. Once in my car, I used hand sanitizer before driving home. By far, the strangest visit I've had to the dentist, but they made sure to take every precaution they could to keep their patients safe.