Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis, Essays and Recipes

by Philip Gleissner (Editor), Harry Eli Kashdan (Editor), Reem Kassis (Contribution by), Stephanie Jolly (Contribution by), Krishnendu Ray (Contribution by)

Overview

Immigrants have left their mark on the great melting pot of American cuisine, and they have continued working hard to keep America’s kitchens running, even during times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. For some immigrant cooks, the pandemic brought home the lack of protection for essential workers in the American food system. For others, cooking was a way of reconnecting with homelands they could not visit during periods of lockdown. 

 Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis is a stimulating collection of essays about the lives of immigrants in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, told through the lens of food. It includes a vibrant mix of perspectives from professional food writers, restaurateurs, scholars, and activists, whose stories range from emotional reflections on hardship, loss, and resilience to journalistic investigations of racism in the American food system. Each contribution is accompanied by a recipe of special importance to the author, giving readers a taste of cuisines from around the world. Every essay is accompanied by gorgeous food photography, the authors’ snapshots of pandemic life, and hand-drawn illustrations by Filipino American artist Angelo Dolojan. 

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781978832510
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	05/12/2023
Pages:	262
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	16 - 18 Years

About the Author

PHILIP GLEISSNER is an assistant professor of Slavic and East European languages and cultures at The Ohio State University. A native of Germany, he came to the United States for graduate studies at Princeton. He researches the Soviet literary press, socialist cultural networks, and queer community building in contemporary Eastern Europe.

HARRY ELI KASHDAN is a scholar of food and migration based in Washington, DC. A Ph.D. in comparative literature who has published research on cookbooks and migration in the Mediterranean, he has held fellowships at Harvard University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Pennsylvania. 

 

Table of Contents

Preface

1 The Lost Year 
Reem Kassis
Recipe: Malfoof (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

2 Quarantine Cooking in an Improvised Household
Stephanie Jolly and Krishnendu Ray
Recipe: Pasta with Shallots and White Wine

3 Duck Tales
Tien Nguyen
Recipe: Cà Phê Sữa Đá (Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk)

4 Cooking with the Lights Off
Bonnie Frumkin Morales
Recipe: Mom’s Chicken Kotleti

5 The Meaning of Martin Yan
Mayukh Sen
Recipe: Martin Yan’s Hot Walnut Soup

6 Pound Cake and Puri
Geetika Agrawal and Fernay McPherson
Recipes: Sour Cream Pound Cake and Puri

7 Teta Thursdays: Conversations on Food, Culture, and Identity during a Global Pandemic
Antonio Tahhan
Recipe: Kousa Mahshi (Aleppan-Style Stuffed Squash)

8 The Map to Myself
Sangeeta Lakhani
Recipe: Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken)

9 There Will Always Be a Sea
written by Keenan Dava, recipe by Tim Flores
Recipe: Kasama Chicken Adobo

10 Food and Caring during the Times of COVID-19 on the U.S.–Mexico Border
Guillermina Gina Núñez-Mchiri
Recipe: Red Chilaquiles

11 Intimate Tables: Food and Migration in a Time of Crisis
Philip Gleissner and Harry Eli Kashdan
Recipes: Hefezopf / Tsoureki (German-Greek Bread)
and Almond, Lemon, and Ricotta Cake for Passover

Acknowledgments

Notes on Contributors

Art Credits

Index

What People are Saying About This

food reporter and columnist with The Washington Post - Tim Carman

"This illuminating, often deeply personal collection of essays and interviews gives voice to the immigrant experience during the worst public health crisis of the past century. The chefs, writers, artists, scholars, and humanitarians in this volume speak of fractures to the system — some freshly made, some untreated from many, many years ago. But they also speak of food as a solace, a connection to home, and a way to find meaning amid the chaos."

coauthor of The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey - Laila el-Haddad

"This eloquently written collection of essays takes you on a journey into the memories and foodways that sustain, bind and ground us, especially during times of adversity such as the COVID pandemic. Deeply personal and evocative, these powerful narratives are sure to resonate with everyone."

food writer, cook, host, and immigrant - Marisel Salazar

"Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis beautifully details the recipes, writings, and personal stories from a collection of incredible immigrant chefs and food writers in America during the COVID-19 crisis - how they fed our communities, combated food insecurity, fostered food equity, and comforted so many of us through their deeply poignant and inspiring stories."

author of Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life in Food Politics - Marion Nestle

"Resilient Kitchens collects the deeply personal accounts of immigrant chefs, writers, and scholars of how their experiences as “other” informed their use of food and cooking to stay centered during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Their stories are vastly different but all bear on why food matters so much to personal identity."

Editorial Reviews

"Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis beautifully details the recipes, writings, and personal stories from a collection of incredible immigrant chefs and food writers in America during the COVID-19 crisis - how they fed our communities, combated food insecurity, fostered food equity, and comforted so many of us through their deeply poignant and inspiring stories."

food writer, cook, host, and immigrant - Marisel Salazar

"Resilient Kitchens collects the deeply personal accounts of immigrant chefs, writers, and scholars of how their experiences as “other” informed their use of food and cooking to stay centered during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Their stories are vastly different but all bear on why food matters so much to personal identity."

author of Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life in Food Politics - Marion Nestle

"This illuminating, often deeply personal collection of essays and interviews gives voice to the immigrant experience during the worst public health crisis of the past century. The chefs, writers, artists, scholars, and humanitarians in this volume speak of fractures to the system -- some freshly made, some untreated from many, many years ago. But they also speak of food as a solace, a connection to home, and a way to find meaning amid the chaos."

food reporter and columnist with The Washington Post - Tim Carman

"This eloquently written collection of essays takes you on a journey into the memories and foodways that sustain, bind and ground us, especially during times of adversity such as the COVID pandemic. Deeply personal and evocative, these powerful narratives are sure to resonate with everyone."

coauthor of The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey - Laila el-Haddad