I always hear that the traditionally heavy US diet ( or any " traditional" cuisine, really ) was developed for people working long hard hours of manual labor, farm work, etc., so what did the people who had sedentary, less active jobs eat? What were the historical diets of people who didn't haul lumber through the woods or dig ditches, but recorded numbers or did accounting or translated documents?
posted by The Whelk on Jun 22, 2012 - 37 answers

What are the best blogs, online periodicals, or discussion groups that address the history and consumption of food in an intelligent and critical way? (In other words, not just a place to swap recipes.) I would love to know where people find the most engaging ideas about food.
posted by tnygard on Mar 17, 2012 - 6 answers

To what extent do cultural values affect foreign policy making between U.S. and China? [more inside]
posted by espada0 on Feb 14, 2012 - 11 answers

How can I make the most of my time in Northwest London to understand Indian culture, cuisine, customs? [more inside]
posted by dougrayrankin on Sep 5, 2011 - 5 answers

I am an Indian cuisine virgin. All I know is that there's curry involved. What is the best way to get introduced to it with a representative sampling? Are there single dishes that will give me a good idea whether I will like the genre as a whole? [more inside]
posted by attercoppe on Apr 28, 2005 - 24 answers