Fieldwork Class Foodways Demo and Documentation Challenge (2007)
Dr. Antonsen's fieldwork class gets to experience a two-for-one foodways tradition demonstration (and sampling!) and field recording challenge. In Spring 2007, the class was told to meet at the WKU Pioneer Log Cabin (which has a kitchen and large parlor) but with no other instructions. Once there, Dr. A. and Nelda Ault (graduate assistant) explained the making and meaning of the German dish known as Spaetzle—little irregular homemade dumplings served with gravies, sauces, in soups, sauteed, or even with sugar and cinnamon. After the introduction, Dr. A. and Nelda demonstrated how Spaetzle are made. The "challenge" part involved handing one student a professional-grade digital audio recorder and gear and giving another a great digital camera with the direction "document this for us." The rest of the class asked questions about the preparation, consumption, and meaning of the dish. (By the way, Spaetzle means "baby sparrows" and the dish is so named because of the dumplings' resemblance to teeny hatchlings—yeah, it's kind of unfortunate).
