Food History Exhibits

Appetites for Change: Foodways in Post-War America
December 12, 2018 - July 15, 2019

In Post-War America (1945-1970), food -- through both cooking and eating --highlighted the economic boom and agricultural efficiency resulting from WWII. Technological advances and the emphasis on convenience changed the way Americans shopped, cooked, and ate. Advertising and media shaped prevailing meanings of food across class, gender, and ethnic identities. These mainstream ideas, however, were contested through the Civil Rights movement, the counter-culture, and the culture of poverty, all of which made food the nexus of changing values. 

This exhibit was researched and curated by students in the fall 2018 Food History class, part of the Applied Food Studies program at the CIA.