French is Not My Forte

I will be the first to admit that I am not a foreign language person. Never have been and probably never will be. It's a fact that I have had to accept throughout the years and one that my French teachers have also come to terms with. Nothing scares me more than someone giving me the third degree in a foreign language. I get the whole deer caught in the headlights look in my eyes and from there everything just goes downhill.
However, when I encountered a few French Revolutionary War pamphlets on food supply and distribution I couldn't bring myself to back down from the challenge. And let me tell you, it was a challenge at times going through the pamphlets and decipher what they were talking about. But in the end the struggle had been worth it because I learned so much about the French individuals view on food during the time at the Revolution. People felt that one of the main causes for the upheaval in the European country was due to the supply and demand of food. The peasants in France were starving while the wealthy upper class was living a life of wealth and luxury. The pamphlets called for the government and the people of France to find a way to provide all the people with enough food to secure their health and well being. Starvation and food disruption were two of the major motivations for the start of the French Revolution. When citizens of a nation fall upon hard times the one thing that can quickly ignite a riot or war is starvation and lack of food supplies. Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI learned that the hard way when they lost their heads.

The Newberry Library, My Home Away From Home

If you have never been to the Newberry Library then you are missing out on discovering one of Chicago's hidden treasures. Nestled in a late 19th century building on the intersection of Walton and Dearborn, the Newberry Library has become my home away from home. I love exploring the valuable collections that the library holds, making new discoveries each and every day. The Newberry is a place that has allowed me to further explore my love for culinary history, a love so deep and crazy that I am determined to get my PhD in culinary history.
During the Spring 2013 I was fortunate enough to be one of five students from Loyola chosen to partake in the Newberry Library Undergraduate Seminar, or NLUS. It was an experience that greatly tested my limits, expectations, and research abilities. However, in the end the lessons learned and my finished research paper were well worth the struggle. I am now back at the Newberry for the summer compiling a culinary bibliography for the Culinary Historians of Chicago. If you haven't guessed by now I have a deep love for three thing, food, history, and the smell of old books. So come along with me as I take you through my experience at the Newberry Library and show you the historical culinary texts hidden amongst its stacks. I promise you that it will be the journey of a life time full of many new and exciting experiences.