For a fall Friday, the weather seemed positive. Bits of sun appeared amongst the numerous clouds. The air felt a bit humid but with temps in the mid-teens it was not too uncomfortable. I headed out to campus to drop off a few things for internal mail and getting something into the system at the post office. One huge maple tree in the front yard has turned mostly gold with orange and red sections in the canopy and branch ends. All that happened in the past 2-3 days! Huge changes done quickly.
This afternoon I attended the first Pepin Lecture of the year from Boston University (virtually, of course <smile>). The speaker, Rachel Black, did a superb job presenting findings from her recent book (to be released in the next day or two from U Illinois press) -- Cheffes de Cuisine -- Women and work in the professional French kitchen. She looked at things from an historical point of view and then spoke with current women in restaurants. Her goal was to understand gender inequity int French kitchens. A glimpse into the contents of the book left me planning to purchase this one. It got me thinking of professionalization of women and structural impediments across disciplines. I have presented and written on parts of this within my own profession. She used the term "cheffes" which had been coined by feminist culinary journalists and writers to undo the erasure of gender in the profession. While the term is not embraced by all women professionals, it does point to the successful businesses run by women. These are huge changes that are taking longer to develop.
A song about being yourself in any situation seemed to fit the discussions from the lecture today. It is by a group from home. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
Change -- Wide Mouth Mason
No comments:
Post a Comment