My memories of Nana, my paternal grandmother, are vivid. She taught me the proper way to place a single slice of lox on top of a bagel smeared with cream cheese. The trick was to spread the lox out so thinly with the back of a fork that you could see the hole of the bagel and the white of the cheese through it. Lox was a true luxury food in the 1950s and not to be eaten lightly. Nana’s emphasis on frugality was, I now understand, the psychological residue of her experience of multiple life crises – immigration from Poland to San Francisco in the early 20th century, the 1906 earthquake, World War I, the Spanish flu, the Great Depression, and World War II.

Published this year, for her 100th anniversary, the Betty Crocker Best 100 reprints all of Betty’s portraits and tells the story of her invention. Rather than using the logo that appears on contemporary products, the front cover returns to the quirkier script of the early Betty, and the “personal” note at the opening of the book reminds readers that “it’s always been about recognizing that the kitchen is at the heart of the home.”

Compared to 2019, supermarket operating costs were up 7.9 percent in April 2020 and 6.7 percent in May 2020, according to USDA Economic Research Service. Grocery stores have remained open during the pandemic and have had to quickly adjust to new regulations, safety and sanitation practices, and enhanced customer education — all requiring resources. In addition, some areas of the grocery store, including salad bars and hot bars, have had to shut down, meaning a loss of revenue.

Baking has become a strong theme on social media. The #BakeCorona hashtag has taken off and #QuarantineBaking has over 65,000 posts. Research suggests there are likely benefits from engaging in cooking. The psychosocial benefits of baking have been shown to include boosts in socialization, self-esteem, quality of life, and mood. Cooking with children may also promote healthy diets. By providing and sharing food with other people, baking may strengthen social relationships and make us feel closer to our loved ones. This may explain why it’s become so popular in these times.

A classically trained chef from the Washington D.C. area, who also lived and cooked in France and once worked at the renowned L’Auberge Chez Francois,  Segal’s philosophy centers around the easy access, culinary joy – and above all – diverse and delicious tastes of food. In her cookbook (also named Once Upon a Chef), published in April 2018 to much acclaim, foodies can discover 100 easy-to-follow, family-friendly recipes that won’t break the bank. 

The book American Foodie does not accept the fact that people are foodies without psychoanalyzing its every facet. It delves into detail about America’s current food obsession and whether food can compare with fine art. Some people think food is to millennials what music was to the baby boomers of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Millennials are now more concerned with health and mistrusting of big brand foods and government. I think the food revolution represents our larger intention of questioning everything. 

The South is an area known for its struggles and its dichotomies - its lush landscape saw slavery tarnish its beauty. The South is a place with a rich array of luscious and hearty foods, but it’s also a place where food and place have been completely intertwined. Of course slavery serves as the ultimate example of Southern struggle and contradiction. According to PBS, corn was grown on the larger plantations, while smaller ones stuck to the profitable cotton crop. It was grown by slaves to make up most of their diet.

In his search for safe anti-inflammatory agents, University of Texas research scientist Bharat B. Aggarwal began 20 years ago to research the very spices that had always been a staple of his Indian diet. He found that many of them could be safely moved out of his kitchen cabinet to his medicine cabinet, as he says in his newly released book, Healing Spices.