I am delighted to introduce the special issue, “Eating Religiously,” which has been brilliantly assembled by Fran Markowitz and Nir Avieli. The work in this issue is both reflective and innovative, drawing us into the core themes of the field of Food Studies. As you read this issue you will feel that you are in the midst of a lively ongoing conversation to which you likely have something to contribute. It will be really good to teach with and an excellent thing to share with friends, relatives, and colleagues who still are not quite sure what you do when you say you work in Food Studies. This is what we do!
In this issue, you will find lots of other exciting evidence of what people in Food Studies think about. We have the privilege of publishing a brief research statement by Tara Maudrie, who is a member of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Maudrie was awarded one of the ASFS BIPOC Fellowships. Maudrie is currently pursuing a PhD at Johns Hopkins University.
We are also happy to publish Beth Forrest’s last presidential address. Beth has been a wise and warmhearted leader for the organization and I will take this opportunity to thank her for her work and the care she put into it. Her presidential address, delivered at the annual conference in Athens, GA, was based on the model of the Moth storytelling, as heard on National Public Radio in the U.S. Beth, Cecilia Leong-Salobir, Lisa Heldke, and Zeynep Kilic told stories about eating with others that thoroughly engaged the crowd and that I hope will serve as inspiration for future presidents of the Association.
In this issue, you will also find Sarah Stapleton’s eloquent argument for bringing food studies into teacher education, because, as her students learned, “Food is compelling, relevant, tangible, and actionable.” You will also find calls to action in the books reviewed in this issue. Eileen Liang reviews Andrew Smith’s synthesis of the history of and contemporary approaches to food waste, which includes ideas for action. Ivan Mellers reviews Ann Gessler’s chronicle of cooperatives in New Orleans, an exciting reminder of the persistent power of collective action. As many of us return to classrooms in the next month, we will be launching semester-long conversations about all of these issues.
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.