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In a discussion with Imre József Balázs, anthropologists Dezsõ Benedek and Lóránd Boros offer an analytical description of Transylvanian gastronomy in comparing it with Taiwanese and Middle East cuisine. Their experiences of living abroad for a long time, with a Transylvanian background, offer an important insight into the matter. Benedek, a trained cook, had the opportunity to work with internationally known Transylvanian chefs of the US scene, Louis Szathmáry and Paul Kövi. Their restaurants The Bakery in Chicago, and Four Seasons in New York, respectively, were largely built on principles connected to their Transylvanian background. The discussion highlights also opportunities where eating together creates possibilities for anthropological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melissa Russell's 1835 travel journal provides insights into courtship and flirting in Alabama during that time period. The journal documents Melissa's journey and her interactions with men she met along the way, as well as her participation in leisure activities and receipt of gifts. While the journal offers valuable insights into social dynamics and cultural practices, it also reveals Melissa's racial prejudices. The text also includes information about Melissa's relationship and marriage to Perley Gerald, as well as her tragic death and Perley's remarriage. Another diary entry from an unknown author describes their experiences on a ship, including interactions with fellow passengers, playing games, and observing the sunset and moonrise. The author expresses their dislike for the behavior of Irish men in a neighboring room. The text also includes descriptions of the author's experiences in Mobile, Alabama, including declining a church invitation, going on a ride with Mr. Waldo, and witnessing southern hospitality. The author then travels on a steamboat along the river, encountering various landscapes and experiences, and reflecting on their journey upon arrival at their destination. [Extracted from the article]

This paper examines global flows of culinary cultural knowledge, expertise and practitioners from previously culturally peripheral countries/cultures to two global cities in core countries – London and New York. Our paper finds that, contrary to Bourdieu's claims, "struggle in the field" is not an invariable attribute of cultural fields. Instead, the high-end culinary field shows substantial evidence of collaboration between chefs. We explain this finding by showing the special characteristics of the culinary field in the last odd decade, and by undertaking an in-depth examination of chefs' habitus and strategies of entry and legitimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents from low-income and urban communities have a high prevalence of poor diet and obesity, yet few interventions exist for this population. We examined the effectiveness of the Advanced Cooking Education (ACE) 4-H After School Club intervention on students' diet at low-income serving, urban middle schools. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 7th and 8th grade students at three Title 1 funded schools in New York City (NYC) during the 2023-24 academic year. Participants completed measures at 4 timepoints (TP; TP1, TP2, TP3, TP4). There was a 12-week washout period between TP1 and TP2, the 12-week ACE intervention between TP2 and TP3, and a 6-month follow-up at TP4. For ACE, participants met one day/week after school (2 hours). On odd weeks participants engaged in a wellness session (mindfulness, nutrition lesson, received groceries to take home to prepare plant-based dishes of cultural relevance to NYC), and on even weeks engaged in a professional development session (mindfulness, explored food and nutrition careers [eg, 4-H activities such as national youth science day]). At TP1 participants (n=38) had a mean age of 12.2 years, were mostly female (57.9%), self-identified as Black (50%), and on average 42.1% had overweight/obesity. By TP2 there were 35 participants. Mean dermal carotenoid levels (range 0-800) were 211.8 at TP1 and 215.4 at TP2 (P=0.84). Mean cooking skills scores (range 14-70) were 57.3 at TP1 and 57.0 at TP2 (P=0.98). Mean cooking attitudes scores (range 6-30) were 18.4 at TP1 and 17.9 at TP2 (P=0.70). Mean cooking self-efficacy scores (range 6-30) were 12.4 at TP1 and 12.3 at TP2 (P=0.98). For all measures, higher scores indicated more optimal behaviors. Findings from TP3 and TP4 are forthcoming. This study will be implemented for 3 years. The long-term goal is for the ACE 4-H after-school club to be adopted by national 4-H to increase programming options for adolescents in urban communities across the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chefs have the potential to influence diet quality and food systems sustainability through their work. We aimed to assess the attitudes and perceptions of culinary students about nutrition and sustainability as part of their roles, responsibilities and future work as chefs.Design: We surveyed students attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in the fall of 2019 (n 546). Descriptive statistics compared food priority rankings and Likert-scale distributions of nutrition and sustainability attitudes and beliefs. Adjusted generalised linear models were used to evaluate whether there were differences in attitudes and beliefs across demographic groups.Setting: The CIA, a private, not-for-profit college and culinary school with US campuses in New York, California and Texas.Participants: Students >18 years old currently enrolled in any of the school's associate's or bachelor's degree programs.Results: Students agreed that chefs should be knowledgeable about nutrition (96·0 %) and the environmental impact of their ingredients (90·8 %) but fewer considered healthfulness (57·8 %) and environmental impact (60·2 %) of their food to be primary considerations in their career as a chef. Taste was the primary factor influencing culinary students' food choices but food priorities differed by race/ethnicity.Conclusions: Culinary students believe nutrition and sustainability are important. Opportunities exist to empower them with knowledge and skills for promoting public health and sustainable food systems in their future work as chefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Culinary interventions show promise in preventing obesity. The Cooking Up Energy (CUE) program aimed to improve weight status and attitudes held about healthy foods, as well as increase cooking self-efficacy and frequency of meal preparation, in children 6-12 years of age. Methods: We provided 10 one-hour long culinary and nutrition education sessions. We took pre- and post-program surveys along with height, weight, and waist circumference measurements. We invited parents to 2 evening sessions. We analyzed results for the entire group, and a subgroup of children who were overweight or obese at baseline. Results: We analyzed matched data (N = 65; 52% female; >60% minority; 43% overweight or obese). Mean BMI percentile and BMI z-score did not change significantly following program completion. However, BMI z-score in those who were overweight or obese, remained favorably constant, rather than rising. We found an increase in participation in meal preparation for all meals, along with robust attendance and favorable program evaluations. Participant cooking self-efficacy and attitudes remained largely unchanged. Conclusion: Favorable results for several factors were evident; however, they did not reach statistical significance. The program holds promise in influencing food-related behaviors that can buffer obesity risk in children; however these findings warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the known human health risks associated with excessive heat exposure, particularly in occupational settings, data describing potential heat exposures in school kitchens is scarce, and no published studies to date have performed a quantitative heat exposure assessment for workers employed in this setting. The purpose of this study was to quantify the extent of heat stress in New York City public school kitchens and to assess potential risk of heat-related illness and/or acute injury. Full-shift indoor Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) indices, as well as indoor CO2 and CO concentrations were measured for ten school kitchens. A quantitative exposure assessment for three metabolic work-rate scenarios (light, moderate, heavy) was performed in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Heat Hazard Assessment methodology. The overall mean indoor WBGT index for all ten sites was approximately 25.0 °C (77.0 °F; Standard Deviation [SD] = 2.0 °C). Regarding the estimated Action Limit, 10% of school kitchens sampled exceeded this recommended limit for the light work-rate scenario; 60% of schools exceeded this limit for the moderate work-rate scenario; and 80% of schools exceeded this limit for the heavy work-rate scenario. For the Threshold Limit Value (TLV), none of the kitchens exceeded this limit for the light or moderate work-rate scenarios; 30% of kitchens were in excess of this limit for the heavy work-rate scenario. Mean full-shift CO2 and CO air concentrations ranged from 435–911 ppm (mean = 648; SD = 158) and 0.0–3.2 ppm (mean = 0.9; SD = 0.9), respectively. The data collected in the current study suggest that kitchen staff employed in New York City public schools may be exposed to excessive indoor heat levels. Adequate work-rest schedules should be implemented for kitchen workers, in addition to other feasible engineering and administrative controls to mitigate potential risk of heat-related illness and/or acute injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemic proportions of childhood obesity are now global, and the sustainability of a healthy weight has not been established. This qualitative study describes the decision-making process among eight African American mother-daughter dyads relative to food choices and physical activity. The following major themes were uncovered: 1) healthy eating was valued, 2) information about food was collected from various sources, 3) food preferences were both healthy and unhealthy, and 4) small amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were identified. Based on their environmental context and influenced by culture and information, the mothers'values and preferences were shared with their daughters (ages 6-7). This decision-making process was revealed in daily activities such as meal planning, food shopping, and food preparation experiences, in which mothers taught daughters about healthy and unhealthy food choices. However, daughters did not describe experiences in which their mothers taught routine patterns of physical activity that met government guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the feasibility of implementing the Advanced Cooking Education (ACE) 4-H After School Club online at low-income serving, urban middle schools. The primary outcome of interest is diet quality improvements. ACE programmatic activities (mindfulness, food and nutrition career exploration, nutrition education, culinary session) were informed by constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory (eg, self-efficacy). A purposeful sample of three middle schools that receive Title I funding (proxy for low-income serving) in Brooklyn, NY were recruited during the 2021-22 academic year. Participants were 7th and 8th grade students. Each week (12 weeks total) participants engaged in a: 1) wellness session via Zoom (2 hours; mindfulness, nutrition career exploration, nutrition education), and 2) self-guided culinary session at home (1 hour; prepared a plant-based ethnic dish using provided groceries). Demographic and the following process evaluation measures were collected: reach (% of students recruited, number attended sessions), retention (% of students who completed intervention), dose response (% of activities implemented, length of sessions), fidelity (% of activities implemented as outlined in the curriculum), and program satisfaction (scale 1=very dissatisfied, 5=very satisfied). Descriptive statistics were calculated. Of the ninety-one 7th and 8th grade students enrolled across the three schools, 64% participated in the study (n=58). Participants were on average 12.2 years, 59% were female, and 88% were Black. Retention was 97%, one student stopped attending at week 8 and another at week 9. For the wellness sessions: mean attendance was 9.6/12, lasted on average 114 minutes (range 102-120 minutes), 90% of activities were implemented, and 84% were implemented as outlined in the curriculum. Program satisfaction scores were as follows: overall (4.4/5), mindfulness (4.2/5), nutrition career exploration (4.4/5), nutrition education (4.4/5), and culinary session (4.5/5). Retention and program satisfaction were high, and curriculum changes were made to improve dose response and fidelity for a forthcoming larger scale ACE study at schools across New York City. USDA USDA Hatch/Smith Lever [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE. Homelessness prematurely ages people. A large subgroup of formerly homeless adults between ages 40 and 64 yr have health conditions similar to or worse than people categorized as elderly. Little is known about the impact of this group's chronic health conditions on their ability to safely function in supportive housing. METHOD. Home safety visits were carried out with 25 formerly homeless adults, ages 40-64 yr, now residing in supportive housing. RESULTS. Participants had physical, cognitive, and mental health problems that significantly interfered with their ability to perform daily life skills, safely function in an apartment, and manage chronic health conditions. Home safety hazards included cluttered walking paths, the presence of steps, and the lack of grab bars and nonskid flooring. CONCLUSION. The homeless population would benefit from aging specialists, such as occupational therapists, who could help people to maintain and function more safely in their homes. Without such services, this population may be at risk for home safety events leading to hospitalization and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Grilled, barbecued, and smoked meat intake, a prevalent dietary source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) carcinogens, may increase the risk of incident breast cancer. However, no studies have examined whether intake of this PAH source influences survival after breast cancer.Methods: We interviewed a population-based cohort of 1508 women diagnosed with first primary invasive or in situ breast cancer in 1996 and 1997 at baseline and again approximately five years later to assess grilled/barbecued and smoked meat intake. After a median of 17.6 years of follow-up, 597 deaths, of which 237 were breast cancer related, were identified. Multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality as related to prediagnosis intake, comparing high (above the median) to low intake, as well as postdiagnosis changes in intake, comparing every combination of pre-/postdiagnosis intake to low pre-/postdiagnosis intake. All statistical tests were two-sided.Results: High prediagnosis grilled/barbecued and smoked meat intake was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.46). Other associations were noted, but estimates were not statistically significant. These include high prediagnosis smoked beef/lamb/pork intake and increased all-cause (HR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.99 to 1.38, Ptrend = .10) and breast cancer-specific (HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.95 to 1.60, Ptrend = .09) mortality. Also, among women with continued high grilled/barbecued and smoked meat intake after diagnosis, all-cause mortality risk was elevated 31% (HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 0.96 to 1.78). Further, breast cancer-specific mortality was decreased among women with any pre- and postdiagnosis intake of smoked poultry/fish (HR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.31 to 0.97).Conclusion: High intake of grilled/barbecued and smoked meat may increase mortality after breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of Farmers’ Markets for Kids, a farmers’ market-based, child-oriented nutrition education programme, on attitudes and behaviours related to preparing and consuming produce among child participants and their caregivers in New York City (NYC).DesignRetrospective pre-test/post-test cross-sectional survey with caregivers of children participating in Farmers’ Markets for Kids classes.SettingFour NYC farmers’ markets where Farmers’ Markets for Kids classes are implemented; these markets serve low-income communities.SubjectsTwo hundred and twelve adult caregivers of children who participated in Farmers’ Markets for Kids classes.ResultsCaregivers reported that children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables had increased since participating in Farmers’ Markets for Kids and that their children more frequently assisted with food preparation; both of these improvements were statistically significant. Caregivers also reported significant improvements in attitudes: since participating in Farmers’ Markets for Kids, their children were more willing to try new fruits and vegetables and caregivers found it easier to prepare fruits and vegetables for their children. Almost all respondents (99 %) reported purchasing more fruits and vegetables since participating in Farmers’ Markets for Kids and 95 % had prepared the programme’s recipes at home.ConclusionsFindings suggest that Farmers’ Markets for Kids may be an effective approach for increasing produce consumption among participating children and improving related attitudes among children and caregivers. This evaluation provides support for future efforts to undertake more rigorous evaluations of such programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research regarding the impact that participation in an afterschool Cooking Up Energy (CUE) Program has on body weight status and the food-related behaviors of the children from New York who attended 10 cooking/nutrition education sessions. According to the article, most of the children who took part in CUE were Hispanic Americans and many of them were obese or overweight. Body mass index (BMI) is examined, along with food preparation and positive influences on body weight.

Objective: To examine the perspectives and practices of cooks responsible for carrying out healthy meal programmes in publicly funded foodservice, in order to better understand what they consider to be 'good' food and where nutrition and nutritional standards fit into this conceptualization.Design: A qualitative, exploratory study involving in-depth interviews that were conducted with cooks and their supervisors about their work practices and perspectives on providing healthy food for clients.Setting: Participants were recruited from child-care, after-school, senior-centre and shelter settings that had participated in healthy menu training in New York City, USA.Subjects: Eighteen cooks and nine supervisors working in the aforementioned settings.Results: The views and practices of both cooks and supervisors about what constitutes 'good' food extend beyond a purely nutritional view of goodness to include the importance of addressing hunger and clients' food preferences, among other factors. Cooks address these by interacting with clients and altering recipes and menus in a range of ways to maximize the likelihood of food consumption and enjoyment. These approaches are often, but not always, compatible with setting-specific nutritional guidelines that may be set at the national, state, local or organizational level.Conclusions: Cooks play a key role in translating nutritional guidelines into what is served. In doing so, they engage in skilled labour and forms of care that increase the ability of public-sector foodservice to address food security and other goals, but these aspects of their work are not widely recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 2017-2018, East Asian international students accounted for 46% (n = 466, 265) of total international students in the US. Upon arrival here, they tend to face challenges regarding cooking and eating out while focusing on academic achievement and navigating a different food environment. However, how the transition takes place and how it links to current food consumption have not been explored. To examine East Asian international students' changes in frequency of cooking and eating out upon arrival to the US, and the relationship with food consumption. A cross-sectional survey administered to East Asian international students (n = 511; female 67.1%; mean age 24.8 years;) at four universities in New York State. A 14-item food frequency questionnaire using nine-point Likert scale was used to measure food consumption. Comparison between cooking and eating out in their home country and in the US were measured by descriptive statistics and t-test. Multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze how current cooking and eating out, and weekly expenditure, were related to current food consumption. Students cooked more frequently in the US than in their home countries (t = -19.74; P <.01). For those who cooked less in home countries, they cooked more frequently in the US (37.6%). Students also ate out slightly more frequently in the US (t = -4.02; P <.01). Those who ate more frequently in their home countries continued to eat out frequently in the US (43.1%), while those who almost never ate out in their home countries ate out more in the US. When students cooked more often, they ate more whole foods (B =.072, P =.01) and spent more on groceries weekly (B =.125, P =.001), while eating less processed foods (B = -.096, P =.006). While students tend to spend more on eating out due to busy academic schedules, cooking more often would help them eat more whole foods and less processed foods, leading to healthy food consumption while they stay here. None. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents 2014 news on environmental health in the U.S. Research conducted by the Center for Effective Government found that one in three U.S. children attend schools in areas vulnerable to chemical accidents from nearby facilities. A proposed bill in New York state called the Child Safe Products Act would ban certain harmful chemicals in children's toys. Research conducted at Oregon State University found that in homes with gas stoves which were not properly vented there was an increased risk of asthma and wheezing.

Objective To examine rural New York State consumers' cognitive scripts for fish and seafood provisioning. Design A cross-sectional design with in-depth, semistructured interviews. Setting Three rural New York State counties. Participants Adults (n = 31) with diverse fish-related experiences were purposefully recruited. Phenomenon of Interest Scripts describing fish and seafood acquisition, preparation, and eating out. Analysis Interview transcripts were coded for emergent themes using Atlas.ti. Diagrams of scripts for each participant were constructed. Results Five types of acquisition scripts included quality-oriented, price-oriented, routine, special occasion, and fresh catch. Frequently used preparation scripts included everyday cooking, fast meal, entertaining, and grilling. Scripts for eating out included fish as first choice, Friday outing, convenient meals, special event, and travel meals. Personal values and resources influenced script development. Individuals drew on a repertoire of scripts based on their goals and resources at that time and in that place. Script characteristics of scope, flexibility, and complexity varied widely. Conclusions and Implications Scripts incorporated goals, values, and resources into routine food behaviors. Understanding the characteristics of scripts provided insights about fish provisioning and opportunities to reduce the gap between current intake and dietary guidelines in this rural setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Evaluate the effectiveness of the Stellar Farmers' Market program. Design Mixed methods including focus groups and a quasi-experiment comparing a control group of market shoppers who had never attended a class, participants attending 1 class, and participants attending ≥ 2 classes. Setting Eighteen farmers' markets in New York City. Participants A total of 2,063 survey respondents; 47 focus group participants. Intervention Farmers' market–based nutrition education and cooking classes paired with vouchers for fresh produce. Main Outcome Measures Attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetable (FV) preparation and consumption. Analysis Bivariate and regression analysis examined differences in outcomes as a function of number of classes attended. Qualitative analysis based on a grounded theory approach. Results Attending ≥ 1 classes was associated with more positive attitudes toward consuming FV; attending ≥ 2 classes was associated with greater FV consumption and higher self-efficacy to prepare and consume produce. Respondents attending ≥ 2 classes consumed almost one-half cup more FV daily than others. These associations remained after controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, and gender. Conclusions and Implications Offering nutrition education and cooking classes at farmers' markets may contribute to improving attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors regarding produce preparation and consumption in low-income populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Efficacy of Teen Battle Chef Program to Shift the Academic Performance and Health Behaviors in NYC High School Students" by Lynn Fredericks et al. is presented.

Background There is a need for culturally relevant nutrition programs targeted to underserved cancer survivors. Objective Our aim was to examine the effect of a culturally based approach to dietary change on increasing fruit/vegetable (F/V) intake and decreasing fat intake among Hispanic breast cancer survivors. Design Participants were randomized to Intervention and Control groups. Diet recalls, detailed interviews, fasting blood, and anthropometric measures were collected at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Participants/setting Hispanic women (n=70) with stage 0 to III breast cancer who completed adjuvant treatment and lived in New York City were randomized between April 2011 and March 2012. Intervention The Intervention group (n=34) participated in ¡Cocinar Para Su Salud! , a culturally based nine-session (24 hours over 12 weeks) intervention including nutrition education, cooking classes, and food-shopping field trips. The Control group (n=36) received written dietary recommendations for breast cancer survivors. Main outcome measures Change at 6 months in daily F/V servings and percent calories from total fat were the main outcome measures. Statistical analyses Linear regression models adjusted for stratification factors and estimated marginal means were used to compare changes in diet from baseline to 3 and 6 months. Results Baseline characteristics were the following: mean age 56.6 years (standard deviation 9.7 years), mean time since diagnosis 3.4 years (standard deviation 2.7 years), mean body mass index (calculated as kg/m 2 ) 30.9 (standard deviation 6.0), 62.9% with annual household income ≤$15,000, mean daily servings of all F/V was 5.3 (targeted F/V 3.7 servings excluding legumes/juices/starchy vegetables/fried foods), and 27.7% of daily calories from fat. More than 60% in the Intervention group attended seven or more of nine classes, with overall study retention of 87% retention at 6 months. At month 6, the Intervention group compared with Control group reported an increase in mean servings of F/V from baseline (all F/V: +2.0 vs −0.1; P =0.005; targeted F/V: +2.7 vs +0.5; P =0.002) and a nonsignificant decrease in percent calories from fat (−7.5% vs −4.4%; P =0.23) and weight (−2.5 kg vs +3.8 kg; P =0.22). Conclusions ¡Cocinar Para Su Salud! was effective at increasing short-term F/V intake in a diverse population of Hispanic breast cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]