The Study of Appalachian Foodways: Providing Insight and Giving Voices to Personal and Family Experiences

Studying Appalachian foodways can be a vehicle for learning about various historical, cultural, geographic, economic, and social aspects of Appalachia. An additional bonus for college students studying Appalachian foodways has been the personal motivation to take an in-depth look at not only their own lives but also the lives of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Using an autoethnographic lens, the students used their families’ experiences and histories to illustrate facets of their Appalachian heritage and to compare and contrast those experiences against the current research literature dealing with Appalachian foodways. The panel presentation will consist of four parts. First, a discussion of the Appalachian foodways course, how it is constructed, and what materials are covered will be presented. The traditional college age student will share her journey to an increased understanding of Appalachia, her heritage, and her family’s experiences. This will be followed by the non-traditional age college student’s exploration of her family’s Appalachian experiences and her need to preserve the accounts of her parents and grandparents relationship to food and family. The last presentation will be from the viewpoint of a college student who was not born or raised in Appalachia but who has been influenced by her Appalachian grandmother. The student will share how the study of Appalachian foodways has allowed her to embrace a part of her history that she did not realize she had. There will be time at the end for questions and answers