A FEW PLACES TO KEEP EXPLORING
Explore the Human Side of Food
I created this page for anyone who wants to keep looking beyond the finished dish. These museums, archives, interviews and local stories offer different ways to think about food through the people who grow it, prepare it, sell it and give it meaning.
Start Here | People at Work | Closer to Home | The Past | Chocolate | Go Further
A Good Place to Begin
Food appears throughout the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s work on migration, family, ritual, craft and community. It is a useful starting point for understanding foodways—the traditions, practices and meanings surrounding what people eat.
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage · Public anthropology and folklife
Listen to People Describe Their Work
The Library of Congress Occupational Folklife Project records people speaking about their own jobs, training, routines and experiences. Its food-related collections include farmers, grocers, kitchen workers, cheesemakers, fishermen, produce workers and people involved in food processing.
Closer to Home
I’m Diya, a student and the creator of The Human Side of Food. During the summer of 2026, I worked at Wightman Farms in Morristown. The experience made me pay closer attention to the planning, seasonal knowledge and coordination behind a local farm market.
According to the farm’s own history, Albert and Laetitia Wightman purchased the property in 1922. Albert planted fruit trees and vegetables and drove through Morristown selling his harvests. As customers began coming to the farm, produce was sold from a table beneath a mulberry tree. Today, the third generation of the Wightman family, along with close friends, continues that tradition.
According to the farm’s own history, Albert and Laetitia Wightman purchased the property in 1922. Albert planted fruit trees and vegetables and drove through Morristown selling his harvests. As customers began coming to the farm, produce was sold from a table beneath a mulberry tree. Today, the third generation of the Wightman family, along with close friends, continues that tradition.
Wightman Farms · The farm’s own account of its history
The historical information above comes from Wightman Farms’ website. My observations about working there are my own.
New Jersey Foodways
The Library of Congress also worked with folklorist Sally Van de Water and colleagues at the Arts Institute of Middlesex County to create a three-film series about foodways in Central New Jersey.
This page highlights two films from that series:
The complete Homegrown Foodways in Central New Jersey project contains three films. These are two selected films from the series.
Library of Congress American Folklife Center and Arts Institute of Middlesex County · Public folklife film series
What Can Old Food Records Reveal?
What America Ate collects recipes, community cookbooks, advertisements and Federal Writers’ Project accounts from the Great Depression. These records show how migration, technology, financial pressure and changing ideas about nutrition entered everyday kitchens.
What America Ate · NEH-funded historical digital archive
This is an archived website and is no longer updated. Some original documents contain outdated language, stereotypes or attitudes from their period. They are historical primary sources rather than present-day guidance.
For My Current Focus on Chocolate
Chocolate is the subject that first led me to think more deeply about food, but it is only one part of this project.
The Library of Congress guide Chocolate: History and Culinary Resources brings together historical works, agricultural information, recipes and visual materials related to cacao and chocolate.
Library of Congress · Research guide
If You Want to Go Further
Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition
Students interested in professional food anthropology can visit the Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition. Its website contains a mixture of essays, book reviews, student work and professional announcements, so check the author and format of each item.
Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition · Professional anthropology organization
Find Jersey Fresh
To explore seasonal New Jersey produce, participating sellers, agritourism activities and agricultural information, visit Find Jersey Fresh. The website is operated by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and also promotes the Jersey Fresh brand.
Find Jersey Fresh · New Jersey agricultural discovery and promotion site