I was interested in attending this Rose Cafe because I love history and was intrigued by the topic. I am not terribly knowledgable about the Great Depression in general, and I had certainly never considered it through the lens of nutrition and public health. Going into it, I had seen the photos of bread lines and was aware in general that the Great Depression greatly affected the ability of many to afford sufficient food, but I was not aware of the responses to that crisis and how they affected the way we think about nutrition today. Ziegelman pointed out that much of the malnutrition crisis was addressed in the emerging field of home economics and that the research done by home economists drew heavily on biology and chemistry to come to practical solutions. The goal was to find recipes and food sources that were both cheap and nutritious and to educate the public about the importance of proper nutrition. The research conducted had a lasting impact by making people more informed about the foods they eat and the affects it has on their bodies.

I was most interested in the point she made connecting the home economics movement to improve nutrition with that of the temperance movement. The diets proposed to combat malnutrition were bland and simple. I would have guessed that this was merely because when faced with a food crisis, taste can no longer be the priority, but Ziegelman pointed out that this bland, simple food also was a product of temperance ideals which saw excessive pleasure as harmful. I think much of this utilitarian mindset surrounding food continues in many ways in American culture today. As was mentioned in the talk, the most notable holdover from this mindset is the fact that many people eat on the go or only sit down to eat for a very short time. Ours is not a culture of long, drawn out meals. Additionally, this point reminded me of all of the times my not American friends have poked fun at American foods, especially for having no spice or flavor. I had never considered the historical precedent for why American foods seem bland to some and Ziegelman’s Rose Cafe offered some potential insight into this!