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{1} Welcome to my #foodstudies20 presentation for the @asfs_org and @afhvs_org Twitter Conference. I’ll be sharing why vermouth tells such tasty stories and why you (yes YOU!) should make vermouth!
If you’ve got some vermouth to hand, pour yourself a glass and scroll on:
If you’ve got some vermouth to hand, pour yourself a glass and scroll on:
{2} What even is vermouth, you ask? Aromatized and fortified wine. That means: wine, pure spirit (usually brandy), botanical flavors (plants, steeped like tea to impart flavor), + sometimes sweetener. Popular in 
in 
+ in Europe as an aperitif ( @rebekahpeppler) #foodstudies20
in + in Europe as an aperitif ( @rebekahpeppler) #foodstudies20
{3} In the EU, vermouth must contain a 
from the Artemisia family, typically Wormwood, the absinthe ingredient with a bad rap which is not hallucinogenic but which is very, very, VERY bitter. In the US, vermouth makers often don’t include wormwood. #foodstudies20
from the Artemisia family, typically Wormwood, the absinthe ingredient with a bad rap which is not hallucinogenic but which is very, very, VERY bitter. In the US, vermouth makers often don’t include wormwood. #foodstudies20
{4} I argue that vermouth can tell stories. Made of alcohol + sweetener (preservatives) vermouth extends the ephemeral: 
’s sweetness, fresh 
. These are captured, bottled + become transportable & transferable. A maker may harness this to articulate a narrative. #foodstudies20
’s sweetness, fresh . These are captured, bottled + become transportable & transferable. A maker may harness this to articulate a narrative. #foodstudies20
{5} When considering storytell-ing and -ers, it’s important to remember which stories DON’T get told + why. Vermouth appeals to me: a white woman with the ability to smell, who consumes alcohol + has lived in Europe. For many, vermouth may be hostile territory #foodstudies20
{6} What kinds of stories can dwell in vermouth?
- Terroir (the taste of a place)
- Archival (a sensory snapshot of the moment)
- Memoir
- Fiction (read or written)
- Persuasive (inspiring action)
- History (see @h_spiegelman for ice cream examples!)
+ more! #foodstudies20
- Terroir (the taste of a place)
- Archival (a sensory snapshot of the moment)
- Memoir
- Fiction (read or written)
- Persuasive (inspiring action)
- History (see @h_spiegelman for ice cream examples!)
+ more! #foodstudies20
{7} Today I’ll share examples of vermouth bottling sensory stories that fall in the categories ^ of Terroir, Archival, and Memoir. I’ll also share vermouth recipes you can try for yourself, and a video of me making vermouth in my kitchen earlier today! #foodstudies20
{8} Terroir is the taste of a place, from the 
belief that land imparts flavor. I made a vermouth with my friend Sam using only 
from his family’s farm, both crops + ‘weeds’ from the margins to bottle the sense of this place + question land ‘productivity’ #foodstudies20
belief that land imparts flavor. I made a vermouth with my friend Sam using only from his family’s farm, both crops + ‘weeds’ from the margins to bottle the sense of this place + question land ‘productivity’ #foodstudies20
{9} What I call an ‘archival’ vermouth is a snapshot in time, a vermouth made with ingredients taken from a moment in your life. 2020 is a YEAR, and some of us may want to make a record of what this wild time felt like. Some folks journal, others make vermouth #foodstudies20
{10} I wrote a recipe for ‘Quarantine Vermouth,’ an archival vermouth made with ingredients you have already or that are characteristic of your life rn: https://arianagunderson.com/2020/05/04/quarantine-diary-in-a-bottle/
And some folks have made it! Here’s what they thought: #foodstudies20
And some folks have made it! Here’s what they thought: #foodstudies20
{11} @Jaredography is a food journalist and fellow alum of @GastronomyatBU. (Food Studies folks will gobble up his lunch-time newsletter Nosh Box: https://noshbox.substack.com/ ) and he made Quarantine Vermouth:
#foodstudies20
#foodstudies20
{12} “For my vermouth, I used ingredients I had on hand during quarantine. Cinnamon stick, anise, and lavender were prominent, plus Campari for bitterness — ingredients I was baking with and enjoying in other contexts, too.” @Jaredography #foodstudies20
{13} “My cooking projects have changed, but the vermouth has lasted a couple months, so I can sample the bottled memory repeatedly. It's like a phonograph or a Polaroid for taste memory - a moment physicalized, made tangible in an analog sort of way” @Jaredography #foodstudies20
{14} @h_spiegelman is a master of curating flavors to tell a story – most often in a frozen genre. In her ice cream concept ‘A Sweet History’ http://Asweethistory.com she crafts ice cream flavors to tell stories about people and places of the past. Her vermouth: #foodstudies20
{15} Earlier today I made a Memoir Vermouth (cheers!) Watch the video to learn how to make your own vermouth and hear the story behind this bottle (that is, mason jar) of ‘Nostalgia Vermouth’ #foodstudies20
{16} You may be asking: why does this matter? Isn’t alcohol just about having a good/irresponsible time?
I don’t believe that scholarship has to be ‘boring’ to be important or intellectually engaging. Vermouth can be fun AND spark something deeper in our bodymind #foodstudies20
I don’t believe that scholarship has to be ‘boring’ to be important or intellectually engaging. Vermouth can be fun AND spark something deeper in our bodymind #foodstudies20
{17} The process of using to tell a story is a sensory exercise. Scent+flavor are ephemeral. Making narrative vermouth challenges us to remember, articulate + (re)create sensory experience – heightening our attunement to our senses past, present, and future #foodstudies20
to tell a story is a sensory exercise. Scent+flavor are ephemeral. Making narrative vermouth challenges us to remember, articulate + (re)create sensory experience – heightening our attunement to our senses past, present, and future #foodstudies20
{18} If we are lucky enough to share our vermouth stories with others, we invite our liquid interlocutor into our own sensorial world. Rarely can one embody the sensory experience of another person – does this get us closer?
Can you taste my story in this bottle? #foodstudies20
Can you taste my story in this bottle? #foodstudies20
{19} Now it's your turn! Would you make a vermouth story? What story would you use vermouth to tell? What does your story taste like?
Vermouth Recipes: https://arianagunderson.com/vermouth/
#foodstudies20
Vermouth Recipes: https://arianagunderson.com/vermouth/
#foodstudies20
{20} Thank you so much for following along. Please let me know if you make vermouth! I’m eager to answer your questions, and appreciate any feedback or critique. #foodstudies20
(all photos by me)
I'll leave you with this visual reading list:
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(all photos by me)
I'll leave you with this visual reading list:
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Sorry! to clarify: all photos (not gifs) by me EXCEPT the posts quoting @jaredography and @h_spiegelman - which are by those two respective vermouth makers. Apologies for the misattribution!
