I’m making my peer-reviewed debut with a wee essay in the most recent issue of Gastronomica, a well-respected academic food studies journal (known for a certain artistic flair), published by University of California Press. In this piece I wrote about my ongoing project to cook every food item mentioned in The Decameron, a tome of…
Category: Art
Eating Right for Morality and Gender: Class Assignment
Cover image, “Moral Mountain,” by the very generous Gastronaut Jasmin Drake. In March, my Master’s thesis advisor invited me to return to the warm embrace of my former academic home in the Gastronomy program at Boston University, and to lead as a guest instructor one evening of my favorite course, Food and Gender. Dr. Megan…
Z Line Vermouth: The Botanicals
Vermouth: Aromatized and Fortified Wine Vermouth can be aromatized with any botanical product, which makes for a vast and rich field of possible flavors. When I set out to collaborate on a vermouth with family friend and farmer Sam Merwin, I knew the botanicals would tell a story: a story of his family’s farm and…
Decisions, Decisions: Winemaking
Before I could make Z Line Vermouth, I needed wine (vermouth’s base ingredient). Though a total novice, I hoped to make the wine myself. My friend Sam is a fourth generation farmer who has started growing chardonnay grapes under contract in the last five years. Sam graciously allowed me to harvest 100 pounds of grapes…
Leafy Mnemonics
As I mixed greens for a salad this morning, I felt the presence of two dear friends in the kitchen with me. The mint and fava greens I chopped and dressed to top a dutch baby were strong mnemonics for Anya and Katie: memories called up of brief moments in the past when kismet brought…
Ariana Gunderson 