I can never resist the opportunity to talk with a food scholar about the food of New Orleans. I talked to Theresa McCulla, about her new book, Insatiable City: Food and Race in New Orleans. We still care so much about our food in the city that it is easy to understand its importance in the past. But the city’s past is not all rosy. Learning about it makes for a real discomfort, especially knowing how the city’s wealth and prosperity were built.

Listen as we speak with Theresa McCulla. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

To learn more about Theresa and her research try her website.

A universal fantasy of abundance is often one that motivates hungry immigrants. Luisa Del Giudice talks with us about the search for abundance that is documented in stories and songs. We talk about it. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

Learn more from the website . . .

Our seeds are a fragile connection between our lives and the lives of those who come in the future. We seem to forget this important fact. Perhaps the cautionary tale is the best way to illustrate this and make it seem real. We speak with author, Carla Seyler, about possible catastrophe. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

It would be wonderful to know that your cookbook will become a classic when you are writing it. Unfortunately it is impossible to predict what the zeitgeist will demand. But Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux? seems to have met the test of time. We talk with Marcelle Bienvenu, whose title is intriguing and so is her story. But the title also tells the story of south Louisiana in just a few phrases. And it doesn’t hurt that the recipes are classic. We chat with Marcelle. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

Can’t get enough of Marcelle? Listen here.

The new edition of Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux? is being published by Susan Schadt Press.

Allison Alsup has written a fascinating novel. It stems from the factual disappearance of Frank Meyer, of Meyer lemon fame, while an agricultural explorer for the US Department of Agriculture in China. The book is definitely worth reading, but I also think that the conversation with Allison about the Office of Seed and Plant Introduction, a part of the US Department of Agriculture, is also worth listening too. We have been adding to the agricultural diversity of the US through agricultural explorers for decades. And ironically it has led to Big Ag using this diversity to cherry pick the characteristics it was and allowing all of the genetic traits of the plants to recede. Today we have less diversity. An interesting and ironic turn of fate. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

Speaking about self-regulating toddlers, mindful eating, and teaching children the language of food, Hassan Merali and I go all over the map in our conversation. He is the author of a new book called Sleep Well, Take Risks, Squish the Peas: Secrets from the Science of Toddlers for a Happier, More Successful Way of Life. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

For mor information:

Article: "Mindful Eating Lessons from Toddlers." In Best Ever You Magazine. Free download here.

With a foot in Italy and one in America Luca Alessandrini is beginning a new business after beginning a career on Wall Street. He is matching Italian artisanal businesses with businesses in the US. This is a chance to talk about starting a food business that bridges cultural differences and different food preferences and habits.

The French 75 cocktail has an interesting history that has been embellished to suit the needs of the storyteller. John Maxwell Hamilton explains it all. We talk about his experiences writing the book and drinking French 75s along the way. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

Join John Maxwell Hamilton for a meet and greet, book signing, and French 75 sampling at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum on April 24 from 6 to 8 pm.

The event is free with admission.