Femidish

Welcome to our Fork Food Lab mini series! Fork Food Lab is a shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator space in Portland, Maine. This series will profile the organization and hear from four (count 'em, 4!) businesses who use the kitchen to create their products - the makers who call Fork Food Lab home and appreciate it's important role in starting their business. For this first episode of the series, The Femidish ladies were privileged to interview the wonderful staff of women at FFL, who explain to listeners what the Food Lab does, why it's an important pillar in the food system, and how women and the economy can benefit from this organization.  Stay tuned for the rest of series hearing from a chocolatier, a baker, food truck owners, and a natural snack maker.

Nothing out of Jurassic Park or Indiana Jones, culinary archaeologist Dr. Mennat-Allah El Dorry shares with the Hope + Sandy the histories of women in ancient Egypt. Menna describes life in Cairo from her balcony - views of the Nile and the religious buildings, and the sounds of the cars and bustle in the city.  We hear about the importance of the Nile throughout centuries of culture; understanding food as status symbols; learn what a "Cooklet" is; and hear a call back to a previous episode's Cleopatra legend! Listen in to find out the secrets.

In this episode Hope and Sandy chat with Vic North, creator of Bird Kitchen Clothing -- a clothing line of work wear for women cooks and chefs.  They talk about life as a "homebird" during quarantine, the unique curves of a female body, and reclaiming language that turns women into animals (why so many bird nicknames?!). Hear from Vic about the results of a survey + interview project on women in the food industry that eventually inspired the creation of Bird Kitchen Clothing at Vicnorthfoodnotes.com 

This episode the Hope + Sandy talk with Alivia, a two-spirit member of the Penobscot Nation and co-founder of Eastern Woodlands Rematriation. Alivia shares wonderful insights on what feminism is (or isn't), and discusses Penobscot cultural lifeways. This episode is what Femidish is all about - learning and sharing views of womxn, feminism, and culture. Join in to hear about food as health + medicine, and the concept of rematriation.

In this episode Hope and Sandy speak with Laura - a chef and mother about navigating life during quarantine, how women are disproportionately affected by Coronavirus closings and cancellations and getting their nails done (or not). 

This episode was the first recorded episode of Femidish and took place in early April 2020 -- special thanks to Laura for being patient while we figured out the technological side of podcast creation.

The ladies this week talk with KC Hysmith, a PhD candidate and creator of the Pen Knife Kitchen website and #FoodHerstory project, "A History of Feminist Technological Foodways." Hope, Sandy, and KC's conversation moves through history from food symbolism in Shakespeare + Jane Austen, to gender labor division in 2020. 

The group discusses the cultural and political climate this episode was recorded under, and the incredible significance of the movement. Please listen in for some moments of laughter and observations of social change.

Listen for the distant windchimes in this episode with Cherie Scott of Mumbai to Maine, a culinary blog and podcast, and known for her cooking classes featuring Indian cuisine. From pulling sachets of garam masala out of her college suitcase, to hosting the Maine Bicentennial Food Podcast, Cherie shares her lived experiences with Sandy and Hope on how food connects people across cultures. 

This episode is being released during a national reckoning with race and inequality. We do not aspire to distract from those conversations,  yet intend to forward the goal of highlighting differing experiences and uplift of commonalities. Please enjoy, and continue to stand up and call in. 

In this episode Hope and Sandy chat with Nikaline, owner of Vessel and Vine - part bar, part vintage store and so much more, about how quarantine and the ongoing Coronavirus crisis has impacted her business. She shares how she and her all female team have adjusted to keep "the vine" thriving. They discuss the surge of interest in tangible food security and the role restaurants and bars play in building communities .

This episode Hope + Sandy interview Karima Moyer-Nocchi; author, professor, researcher, and Italian resident. She discusses her work through her book "Chewing the Fat:  An Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vita." The ladies learn about what Italy looks like under lockdown, what fascist Italy and our love of pasta have in common, and the nuanced roles of women throughout food history . Tune in for this hour-long conversation that spans oceans and time! 

This episode Hope and Sandy talk with Emily of Emily's Oysters, a direct-to-consumer oyster growing and distribution business in Maine. Emily schools Sandy on just exactly how oysters can be cooked and grilled (spoiler: they don't fall through the grates), and tells us how she views herself and her business, and what has made her unique and created a path to success. Tune in this for this episode and repeat the mantra: Eat Local Seafood!