Foreign food in late 1930s USA, and eating in college
A couple of food-related questions. The setting is a fictional college in Connecticut, in the late 1930s: not Ivy League, but old enough.
A) What sort of foreign food would excite comment when eaten in 1930s upper-middle-class America? I mean food, not cuisine - ordinary fare in its original culture, but not something most Americans would eat, even in a posh restaurant. "Why would you even eat that?" is the kind of reaction I'm looking for.
I found an article which looks like it might answer my question exactly (Appetites Without Prejudice: U.S. Foreign Restaurants and the Globalization of American Food Between the Wars) but unfortunately my university doesn't have access. This food timeline was also helpful (and is a great resource for food history) and suggests that ethnic food only became mainstream around the 50s.
B) Where did people eat when on-campus? Were dining halls or cafeterias typical in 1930s American colleges? If yes, would it be very unusual for faculty and students to eat in the same place? And would people pay for the food, would it be included in tuition, or could they simply bring their own?
(This bit's less restrictive. Any info on colleges in the 40s or 50s or hell, old-fashioned colleges in the present day, is very welcome.)
Google searches: foreign food america 1930s, ethnic cuisine america 1930s, history of ethnic food america
Thanks in advance! You're amazing. Yes, you.
A) What sort of foreign food would excite comment when eaten in 1930s upper-middle-class America? I mean food, not cuisine - ordinary fare in its original culture, but not something most Americans would eat, even in a posh restaurant. "Why would you even eat that?" is the kind of reaction I'm looking for.
I found an article which looks like it might answer my question exactly (Appetites Without Prejudice: U.S. Foreign Restaurants and the Globalization of American Food Between the Wars) but unfortunately my university doesn't have access. This food timeline was also helpful (and is a great resource for food history) and suggests that ethnic food only became mainstream around the 50s.
B) Where did people eat when on-campus? Were dining halls or cafeterias typical in 1930s American colleges? If yes, would it be very unusual for faculty and students to eat in the same place? And would people pay for the food, would it be included in tuition, or could they simply bring their own?
(This bit's less restrictive. Any info on colleges in the 40s or 50s or hell, old-fashioned colleges in the present day, is very welcome.)
Google searches: foreign food america 1930s, ethnic cuisine america 1930s, history of ethnic food america
Thanks in advance! You're amazing. Yes, you.