This community exhibit and event series will explore how food is intertwined with the rhythms of our daily lives: preparing, eating, sharing, gathering, remembering; from folklore to religious ceremonies to cultural customs.
Community Exhibit
At Piscataway Public Library, we love to exhibit stories from our friends and neighbors, as you’ve seen in our previous exhibits: Piscataway Stories, When It Happened, Journey to Piscataway, and for the annual Community Arts Day.
Here are some prompts to get you started:
- Tell us about a recipe that is special to your family.
- What snacks do you eat at home? Where do you buy them?
- Do you have a food memory from when you were growing up?
- What is a food memory you have from your grandparent’s kitchen?
- Is there an item in your kitchen that has been passed down through your family?
- Is there a special piece of equipment you own and use to make a recipe from your culture?
Have a story you want to share? Fill out the form here and our staff will be in touch.
Events
On Immigration & Sandwiches | Sunday, March 23 at 1:30pm at Kennedy Library
Join us to kick off our Food for Thought project! For this event, we’ll read author Pooja Makhijani’s essay “On Immigration and Sandwiches: The Story of One Beloved Restaurant, One Central New Jersey Suburb, and One Child of Immigrants” then come together with the author for a discussion over sandwiches from Tastee Sub Shop.
Please register here.
Book Discussion | Tuesday, April 8 at 7pm at Kennedy Library
Join Library staff to discuss Sarah Lohman’s works, Eight Flavors and Endangered Eating.
Read one book, or both books – finishing either book is not required to join the conversation!
Sarah Lohman will be visiting Piscataway Public Library at the end of April, offering a workshop on recipe writing and a book talk and signing focused on her more recent book, Endangered Eating.
Recipe Writing | Saturday, April 26 at 1pm at Kennedy Library
Join author Sarah Lohman for a recipe writing workshop: capture your family recipes before they’re lost, or record you own new recipes.
Endangered Eating – Apples | Sunday, April 27 at 2pm at Kennedy Library
Apples have been called the country’s “most endangered food.” Hear from author Sarah Lohman about the history of apples and hard cider in America, and trace the stories of three revived rare apples.
Filipino Cooking | Tuesday, May 13 at 6pm at Kennedy Library
Join us for a special cooking demonstration and cultural talk with Chef Maricel Gentile in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Chef Maricel will showcase the art of making pancit, a beloved Filipino noodle dish that holds deep cultural significance. She will share insights into what makes Filipino cuisine unique, why pancit is central to Filipino food culture, and the traditions that bring people together around the table.
Pickling | Monday, July 7 at 5:30pm at Kennedy Library
Love pickles? Want to make your own? Join Library staff to learn the basics!
Can’t make this one? Additional pickling sessions will be added.
Indian Cooking – Paranthas | Tuesday, August 5 at 6:30pm at Kennedy Library
Learn to cook fresh Indian paranthas that are easy-to-make, nutritious and delicious to eat! Paranthas can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner or simply with a cup of chai as a snack. Learn about different flours, spices, and how to make tasty fillers so you can create your very own favorite paranthas!
Korean Cooking | Saturday, August 23 at 1pm at Kennedy Library
Taste of Korea: Korean Cuisine, Full of Wisdom and Nature
Learn about the health benefits of Korean food, 2 dishes will be demonstrated. After the demonstration, a home-cooked full Korean meal with a traditional table setting in Bangjja bronzeware will be served, and a short film on Korean culture will be screened.
Indian Cooking – Paneer Peppers | Thursday, November 6 at 6:30pm at Kennedy Library
Turn your deliciously beautiful red, orange, yellow in to showstoppers on your dinner table! Experience a burst of flavors as you bite in to the warm juicy sweet peppers filled with spiced paneer. In this workshop you will make fresh paneer and learn about Indian spices and how they are used in various dishes to give the right flavors!
More events will be added to our calendar soon! View and register for all upcoming events here.
The Food for Thought project was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.