LibGuides: Intro to Applied Food Studies visit to Archives: Appointments & Objectives

Appointments

Link to Calendar - Make an Appointment with Nicole
- Use this calendar to set up a time to meet with me to find menus for your menu comparison assignment
- Choose One Hour
- If you do not see a time that works for you, please email me at nicole.semenchuk@culinary.edu
- If you know what type of menus you would like to see, please write in the notes. This will give me a chance to pull things ahead of time.
- You can also use this calendar to set a time to meet for any project, paper, or question

Objectives

Learn about the Archives as a resource in the library.
Explore and examine a selection of materials from the collection.
Make observations of the menu as primary source, reflect on assumptions made, and pose questions about the menu.
Recognize that the creation of historical knowledge is interpretive.

Transcribing

The process of transcribing is akin to doing a close reading of a primary source.
Think about what you notice, what you can tell about the restaurant, the time period, the location from the menu itself.
What do learn from reading it closely that you wouldn’t have noticed just by glancing at it?
I strongly encourage you not to google it today. Instead, learn from the menu first hand.

Reflection

What did you notice from doing the transcription that you might not have otherwise noticed just by glancing over it?

From your observation of the menu, what do you know about the restaurant, the location, the time period, the illustrations, the clientele, etc.?

These menus existed in a particular time and place. As you transcribed, what assumptions did you catch yourself making about the menu?
What questions do you have about the menu? What would you like to investigate further?

All materials from the Archives are to be used in the reading room. The ONLY exception is for the transcribing exercise that you will complete, in which case you can have the menu you chose on the table with you. Make sure that all beverages and food are put away (i.e. not on the table).

Always handle materials with care. It is your responsibility to ensure that there is no effect of your use on the materials. Be sure to have clean hands and a clean tabletop.

Please take photographs and notes, but always use PENCIL when engaging with the materials.