IAN MOSBY, PhD

Historian of Food, Indigenous Health & Settler Colonialism

Canadian Food History Bibliography

Just to let you know, I’ve posted a Canadian Food History Bibliography as the first of what I hope to be many resources on this website. My initial goal was to create a resource for the students in an undergraduate course I’m teaching on Food History at Guelph, but I’ve since realized others might find this to be a useful resource, as well. Hopefully it is!

I realize that the list is incomplete, so I encourage you to email me or leave a comment listing any books or articles that I’ve missed. While the current bibliography focuses mostly on food consumption, I’m still in the process of compiling a separate (and much more daunting!) bibliography on food production, so I’d also welcome any suggestions of books, in particular, that you think need to be included.

History in Grease Stains and Pencil Marks

I just want to thank everyone for the fantastic response I’ve had to my recent Globe and Mail article, “History in Grease Stains and Pencil Marks” (29 September 2012, pg. F7). Although it hasn’t been posted online for some reason, enough readers have found their way to my website that I’ve received dozens of emails and comments sharing really lovely stories about the importance of cookbooks in the readers’ own memories of friends and loved ones. Most of these have arrived by email, but you can read a few here, here, and here. I’d love to hear more, and encourage your emails and comments.

For those who haven’t had a chance to read the Globe article, it’s based upon my earlier post “Speak, Recipe: Reading Cookbooks as Life Stories.” The main difference is that the Globe version is much more readable after being worked over by the able hands of a professional editor  – which was a wonderful experience, by the way – and includes an additional hint about Ben’s career.