History on wheels

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This article was published 28/05/2018 (2742 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Summer is the time for food trucks, but one in particular is doing more than serving up a hot meal.

University of Winnipeg history professor Janis Thiessen is heading up a project that aims to explore the province’s history through food. She and a team from the university have received funding for a food truck that will travel to several spots in the province and ask locals to come in, cook a recipe that means something to them, and tell their story.

“Food is an entry point to every aspect of history, so folks who might not ordinarily be interested in immigration history or ethnic history, political history, whatever, will read about, or are willing to learn about those types of histories, if the book is about food,” Thiessen said.

The truck’s first stop is Steinbach, where it will be set up for three weeks. Thiessen spent some time there during high school and her undergrad, and says that it’s an area rich in history, and food.

“Of course the long Indigenous history for tens of thousands of years by various populations. Also the arrival of French Canadians, the Métis… and then of course with Confederation migrants, the Mennonites who established that particular town,” Thiessen said.

“They have La Cocina chips that are made just outside of there, and Granny’s Poultry, one of the longest running co-operatives in the province, also in that town. Besides… all the home cooking in that region.”

Thiessen’s project aims to look at the full scope of food production and manufacturing, but she didn’t want to miss out on home cooking, which can be difficult to research in the traditional sense.

“You can go to people’s homes. Not everyone wants that, understandably, so rather than invite ourselves into kitchens, it would be fun and perhaps it would be more comfortable coming to see us and cooking on board the truck,” she explained.

One of the goals is to incorporate some of the recipes into Diversity menus. People who order those items will be provided with a QR code that will take them to a website with interview excerpts, archival documents and news articles, giving them a “better understanding of that particular food item and how it fits into the history of the province.”

The project also incorporates a podcast called Preserves and story maps. The interviews will also be archived at the U of W’s oral history centre.

“The plan is to eventually, not sure what to call it, but half history book, half cook book, so recipes and history all integrated together,” Thiessen said.

Normally writing articles and books, Thiessen is grateful to the Social Sciences and Human Research Council for their funding, and to her colleagues at the University of Winnipeg who are helping to make the research more interactive.