












































A letter from the Editors: 
 

 
 
Dear Readers, 
 
 
This issue opens by celebrating work by the 2015 winners of the Sue Samuelson Award for Foodways 

Scholarship. Set in very different locations, Eric Morales’s, “Fire, Food, and Earth: The 

Tahitian ‘Ahima’a” (First Prize Winner) and Christina Gooch’s “A Road to Identity: The New Mexico 

Chile” (Second Prize Winner) offer thought-provoking takes on the dynamic nature of traditional 

foodways in the context of changing times. 

 

In the Research Note section, researchers share their findings on an intriguing range of topics. Saeedeh 

Niktab Etaai reflects on the cultural meanings of bread, Rita Colavincenzo writes about the vibrant 

food culture of West Cork, Ireland and its thriving regional culinary tourism, and Erin E. Scott 

introduces readers to gas stations food in Mississippi and Texas. 

 

The section we call “Amuse Bouche” contains several smaller items: vintage ads, a small sampling of 

recent theses and dissertations on foodways, and a short reflection on the meanings of annually making 

chow from a family recipe. 

 

Finally, we conclude with a book review of Carole Counihan’s Around the Tuscan Table. 

Once again Digest takes us on an extensive food journey. As we travel through various North American 

locations (Mississippi, Texas, and New Mexico in the United States, and Nova Scotia and Newfoundland 

in Canada), to locations further afield: Tahiti, Ireland, Iran, and Tuscany, we hope that you enjoy the 

ride! 

 

 

 
Michael Lange and Diane Tye, editors 
 


