I was recently in New York City and finally had a chance to meet up with a kindred spirit--the talented, creative, savvy, exuberant Sarah Kahn, founder and director of Tasting Cultures Foundation. (Her also-impressive art-historian husband, Henry Drewal joined us, along with my architect son DK, for coffee/tea and a late afternoon snack.) DK and Henry chatted while Sarah and I mostly shared stories and talked about our visions related to food and culture. If you haven't heard of Tasting Cultures Foundation and its work, do check it out. Very good stuff.I was also able to take a quick trip to the American Museum of Natural History to walk through its exhibit "Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture" Africa was well represented.
What fun! There was a giant cassava tuber taller than a person (I don't think it was real), lots of maize stalks, chili peppers arranged by heat rating, tasting experiences, hands-on exhibits and fascinating historical, cultural, scientific, and geographic information. The exhibit runs through August 11, 2013, so if you have the chance, stop in to see it, or at least take a look on the website. 
In other news: I'll be teaching the undergraduate African food and foodways course (AFR297B) again this fall at the Pennsylvania State University:
