A New Exhibit at The Culinary
Institute of America
Hyde Park, NY – Over the course of the fall semester, students in The Culinary Institute of America’s
Food History class have been researching and curating a museum exhibit for the
public. Through the use of primary texts, cultural artifacts, and multimedia, You
Are What You [M]eat: The Culture of Meat in 19th–20th Century America showcases
meat culture—from production to consumption, as well as its rejection—in
America over the past two centuries.
Some of the themes they explored include: the movement to
large-scale production of meat; dietary attitudes toward meat consumption;
Native American and cowboy culture; issues of class, race, and religious
relationships with meat; the rejection of meat consumption; and cannibalism in
American history and pop culture.
The students wrote interpretive and descriptive text to
accompany each theme, and produced multimedia components to introduce video and
audio elements to the exhibit.
An opening reception will be held in the Conrad N. Hilton Library
on the CIA campus in Hyde Park on Friday, December
15 from 12:30–1:30 p.m. Student-curators will be on hand to answer questions
about the exhibit. They will also prepare and serve foods based on historical
recipes that highlight exhibit topics.
The exhibit will be on display in the Donald and Barbara Tober Exhibit Room in the Hilton Library until spring 2018.
The hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m.–7
p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the
public.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
Menu cover from Hutton’s Restaurant in New
York City, circa 1956. The menu is part of the student-curated museum
exhibit, You Are What You [Meat]: The Culture of Meat in 19th–20th Century
America, on display at The Culinary Institute of America’s New York campus
until spring 2018. (Image credit: Conrad
N. Hilton Library Archives)
Media Contacts:
Beth Forrest, PhD, Professor
845-451-1767
Beth.Forrest@culinary.edu
Nicole Semenchuk, Library
Archives
845-451-1270
Nicole.Semenchuk@culinary.edu
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and
hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degrees in
management, culinary arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, and
associate degrees in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. The
college also offers executive education through its Food Business School along
with certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its
conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA
the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of nearly 50,000
alumni includes innovators in every area of the food business. The CIA has
locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
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