AnthroDish

What really happens when a community undergoes a dietary transition, or shift? When speaking about Indigenous communities and their health, we often think of nutritional transitions as linear, and uncomplicated. But is this really a fair assessment of reality?  This week I'm speaking with William Lucas, a medical anthropology PhD student at the University of South Florida. His research has explore...

A topic that I feel we haven't REALLY explored the way I'd like to is Canada's food identity. And that's something that my guests this week, Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller know an awful lot about! Lindsay and Dana are authors and freelance food writers based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their award-winning culinary travel blog, edibleroadtrip.com launched in 2013 and went on to win a Saveu...

As someone who's worked in the food industry and has a partner and many friends that still work in the industry, the topic of mental wellbeing in these intense environments is of great importance to me and a topic I'm always keen to explore on the show. My guest this week is someone who has done a terrific job creating a space in these environments for conversations around mental health and addict...

This week's episode is extra special, as we have TWO phenomenal guests on: Dr. David Ebert and Dr. Amy Scott are here to talk about life and food at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia! This episode runs a bit longer than most, because I wanted to weave together multiple ways of looking at and celebrating the past, and the role that the past plays for cont...

What happens when someone gets diagnosed with type 2 diabetes? What happens after to that person's connections with their culture, identity, and family?  This week we're exploring the connections between type 2 diabetes and gender for women living in New Delhi with Dr. Jo Weaver. Dr. Weaver is an assistant professor in the department of International Studies at the University of Oregon. She is a b...

I've known this week's guest, Ben Cullen, for a number of years, and am always excited to talk food with him at any gathering we're at. So naturally he's been someone I've wanted to bring on the show for quite a while! Ben is the owner of the recently launched Cullen's Foods, and a fourth-generation urban gardener. As the son of expert gardener Mark Cullen, Ben has worked with his father his whole...

I'd be lying if I didn't say I was extra-excited to share this week's interview with you! I'm speaking this week with the remarkable Haile Thomas, an 18-year-old international speaker, health activist, vegan food and lifestyle influencer, and the youngest Certified Integrative Health Coach in the United States. Haile is the founder and CEO of the non-profit HAPPY (Healthy, Active, Positive, Purpos...

When we think of what a food system is, we tend to think of it as a static structure, rather than a complex system of people working at different levels, or the diversity of communities working towards sustaining foodways. This week, we're discussing how to create more diverse and equitable food systems in America with Vanessa Garcia Polanco. Vanessa is a current graduate student in Community Sust...

One medium I take a lot of inspiration from in terms of food storytelling is YouTube (as I'm sure many of you do as well!). Personally, it was the first platform that made me connect to cooking in a fun and accessible way, and reduced my fear of learning about the kitchen. Today we're talking all about video creation and food storytelling with one of my favourite YouTubers, Katie Quinn of the QKat...

AnthroDish is back and ready to kick off the new year and new season! We have a lot of really amazing interviews in store for you. I want to start off the new season with a topic that I find endlessly fascinating: Neanderthals! I'm speaking this week with Dr. Anna Goldfield about what Neanderthal diets looked like and how that impacted their lives. Anna is a zooarchaeologist whose PhD research foc...

I'm not going to lie - I took a break from interviewing this November to avoid burning out. I didn't want to resent having to interview people (when I truly LOVE connecting with them), and I didn't want to just ask the same questions on repeat without a positive energy coming through. So that meant relying on the episodes I had banked, and also means you get a solo episode from me today! A good fr...

I first met this week's guest, Kalyn Fantasia, at a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend (shoutout to Sarah Van Den Berg!). The theme of the party was "Identities," so we spent much of the evening moving from a group of relative strangers to friends that shared thoughts about their identities from the depths of their hearts. When Kalyn shared her stories and experiences (all while kneading dough...

With the holidays comes many social gatherings that are often centred around food. For some this may be filled with joy, but for others, this may cause a lot of stress and anxiety around eating or body image. That's why this week, I'm speaking with Dr. Andrea LaMarre on eating disorder recovery and health ay any size. Based out of Guelph, Ontario, Andrea is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the P...

As someone who researches water quality and health outside of this podcast, I've been wanting to explore the connections between water and food on AnthroDish for quite some time. This week we're finally diving into this theme (heh…sorry) with Andrew Lewin, a marine ecologist and the founder of the website and podcast Speak Up For Blue. A self proclaimed oceanpreneur, Andrew helps people become mor...

Whether you like the holidays or not, there's no denying the comfort that winter baking brings. There's a tremendous amount of art and chemistry that's involved, but we often don't think about the business side of bakeries as well. This week we're exploring the business of baking with one of my all-time favourite bakers, Olivia Yetter! Olivia is a Toronto-born cook at a vegan restaurant called Fre...

Pregnancy is a fascinating time for many reasons, but key among them is the intensity of food taboos and perspectives on what is or isn't good for neonatal health. My guest this week, Anu Lotay, is an anthropology PhD candidate at the University of Victoria and research director at VPIRG. She explores the unique and challenging field of pregnancy loss for women and their families in the Indian dia...

I'm doing something a bit different this week - I had two incredible women whose identities intertwined with their vegan lifestyles, so I thought it would be cool to release BOTH episodes this week for a dual-perspective look at veganism! (And will continue to do this from time to time when similar topics keep popping up.) What I think is especially cool about the interviews this week is that thes...

I'll admit, I had a hard time capturing the conversation I had with this week's guest in one simple title - I'd argue none could do this justice! I'm speaking with Ashley Wood on today's show, the host of Manifest This! podcast and international Akashic Records reader. Ashley Wood is a healer, spiritual teacher, intuitive guide, and mother dedicated to empowering women to live their best life. She...

For many, the years spent at university can be a challenging time due to academic stressors as well as personal and emotional difficulties. During this important and liminal period, food security is crucial for health and psychological wellness, as well as academic performance and success. This week's guest, Tara Hattangadi , is a recently defended Masters student who's work explores the impact of...

For those of you who know me, you know I am a big time lover of coffee – in that I both have a severe dependency on it, but I'm also fascinated by the process and art that goes into creating coffee. Needless to say, I am really excited to share this week's guest, Monica Mustelier! Together with her husband, Joshua, she owns Little Havana Cafe, which is a Cuban coffee trailer in Toronto, ON. On the...

For some, the idea of fermentation is relatively new and topical. For others, it's a deeply engrained part of their cultural background. I'm relatively new to learning about the process of fermenting foods, and a lot of my appreciation comes from this week's guest, Alexis Goertz! Alexis is a fermentation coach and expert, as well as the co-founder of Edible Alchemy CoLaboratory.  Edible Alchemy wa...

As both a mother and anthropology student, I've been so fascinated by how food and pregnancy connect - and stoked to finally share a discussion on this topic! This week I'm speaking with Lindsay Grenier, a research assistant at McMaster University. Lindsay did her Masters research as part of the Mothers2Babies study, which is a long term maternal nutritional health study through McMaster Universit...

The start of October brings with it the beginning of non-GMO Month in the US and Canada, and who better a guest to kick this important discussion of than Brandi Bechard! Brandi is an amazing CSA farmer, environmentalist, and the owner of a sustainable landscaping and garden coaching business. She originally hails from Windsor, Ontario, but has lived in cities and towns across Canada while pursuing...

This week on AnthroDish, we're delving into the world of fitness and nutrition with Dr. Ben Wyman. Ben is a light-hearted, laid-back neurology resident physician from Hamilton, Ontario. He loves sports, fitness, nutrition, reading, and relaxing with family and friends. In this episode, Ben uses both his professional training and personal experiences in the fitness world to explore some of the majo...

This week I'm speaking with Sophie Reilly, a PhD student focusing on the archaeology of ancient foodways. Sophie looks at plant residues on ancient ceramics to examine how people prepared and consumed meals in the past. We talk today about her Masters research (from McMaster University), where she looked at plant remains from ceramic vessels in the Lake Titicaca Basin of highland Bolivia. She expl...