I don’t know if you’re still looking at this, but just in case, I also am a BU Gastronomy student! We’ve probably met!! I’m taking Agricultural History and Culture of Cuisine: France this semester. I did the Culinary Arts Program last semester. Cheers!

/hijack. As for The United States of Arugula, I’ve been looking forward to reading this for some time now and am clicking on over to Amazon.

I like his writing style very much, never got the impression that he was snob or snarky.

Hilarious, ironic, great sense of humor, terrific writer, keeps you interested, etc… YES!

Glad you finally got around to reading his book. Wondering why the publicist was so late in getting a copy to you.

So the calling out may seem ironic to you, but I assure you it was genuine.

I just received the book in a care package and have enjoyed the first 100 pages tremendously. I particularly enjoyed the small section on Claiborne and his Navy experiences…it’s a MUCH different Navy today.

I don’t work in anything relating to the food industry right now, and my degree isn’t so much for a career-related advancement as a personal interest in pursuing this topic. The program includes sociology, psychology, economic and anthropology approaches to food and wine – and the classes just sound so interesting. I appreciate your interest though, and wanted to give you an honest answer. I’m really just doing this because I want to, I’m drawn to it. Maybe I’ll become a food writer!

As for thesis topics, I’ve been chewing over possible ideas for a while, but of course, the actual writing is several semesters away. Thinking up questions and possible topics is most of the fun though – like, why do two cultures with similar environmental benefits end up with such distinctly different foods? Or for a more historical approach, how much did the pursuit of food push new world exploration and discovery? And how did it contribute to the establishment of european colonies? Stuff like that…

Hope I answered (at least vaguely) some of your questions.

okay now I need to throw up! Those who can do and those who can’t write? and there are too many of you out there, is that it? (a rhetorical question with sarcastic intent)

and my two race horses-look in ur kids glue drawer!

I read United States of Arugula when it came out in hardback, and enjoyed it a great deal. More importantly, I’ve loaned it out on occasion. Working at a supermarket in Rehoboth Beach, DE., during the time I was reading it I regularly propped it up next to my register, where it received several comments from our customers (is it good, are you enjoying it, that sort of thing). Later, I went through and marked several sections with post-its, all dealing with marketing, and loaned it to some of our younger management staffers, figuring the sections would give them some info about the history of what we’re selling. Interesting, they all read more than just the sections I had marked, they were so intrigued.

This isn’t the only book I’ve loaned out. Charcuterie is very popular in the butcher’s department, enough so that both staffers there, after reading my copy, have purchased copies of their own. A third butcher wants to borrow the book, but is currently working his way through James Peterson’s Sauces, and doesn’t want to borrow more than one tome at a time. (The head of the department, sadly, isn’t interested. We’ve decided that he only reads books that have large, colorful pictures on each page and simple text, along the lines of Dick and Jane.)

How much further does a gastronomy degree in liberal arts go and then a Masters? the obvious is the restaurant industry, but i suspect it is much more than that? I hope u or someone else can answer.

Also if i may, what area would one take when thinking of a thesis…i am fascinated by the possibilities because everything we are and do involves sustenance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qnRzCWFgd4

From Urgh! A Music War