Giving Back – Oral Histories of Meal-Sharing Traditions in Cache Valley, Utah
Published by:
“And we started small, but we thank the community and God for giving us a success, because without Logan, without God, . . . it couldn’t have been possible. So thank you, Cache Valley.” – Mohit Arora, Tandoori Oven.
Nourishment can mean many things. It can describe the physiological sustenance that we gain from food, and it can also describe the emotional and spiritual support that we receive from our communities. Food production and consumption play a role in both of these forms of nourishment, and this project seeks to explore these ideas of sustenance and support in the community of Cache Valley, Utah. Focusing on a wide range of food purveyors-from dairy farmers to beekeepers, restaurants to grocery stores, the food pantry to the university-the students in the Spring 2019 English 6720 Oral History and Fieldwork class interviewed eight professionals about their connections to the food culture of Cache Valley. The interviewees shared stories of their families, traditions, and professional lives. Taken together, their words offer a beautiful illustration of the nuanced and complex ways that food sharing nourishes us all.