Last week, I attended the Rose Cafe with Jane Ziegelman, where she discussed her research on food during the Great Depression. I found this to be an extremely interesting talk, especially to learn about the direct connections to Cornell. The economic hardships of the 1920’s and 30’s created a new way of thinking about cooking, one which I was surprised to learn had a lot to do with milk and making do with very little ingredients to make a meal that would provide enough nutrients to a family. I think one of the most interesting things I took away from the presentation was how quickly food trends and recipes change, especially based on the food supply and economic state of the country. Our recipes and daily meals are very different from the meals described from this time period, and I think it will be interesting to see how different food is nearly 100 years from now.

Hearing of Flora Rose’s work was very interesting as well. Before this talk, I really was unsure of Rose’s influence, other than my current residence being named after her. I have a better understanding of her now, with her work in home economics and influence nationally, budding from her friendship and work with Eleanor Roosevelt. It was cool to see actual recipes that she published in her recipe book, knowing that many all over America were using the recipes to provide a meal to their families in harsh economic struggles. It was also interesting to see how far women have come in terms of education. Ziegelman described women going to school to learn home economics, and basically learned how to take care of the home, including cooking. Today, I could hardly imagine being taught how to take care of the home formally, but getting a degree to pursue a future career. It really has shown how the roles of women in American society have changed, from solely taking care of the home to working.

This talk really brought a new side of the Depression to light and gave me a greater understanding of this period in American history.