Yours truly in the Arabian Desert. Sunset camel ride via the beautiful Bab el Shams resort.
ep·i·cu·re·an \ adjective \ˌe-pi-kyu̇-ˈrē-ən, -ˈkyu̇r-ē-\ : involving an appreciation of fine food and drink.
sav·vy \adjective \ˈsa-vē\: having practical understanding or knowledge of something.
My name is Chrysoula Economopoulos and welcome to my blog, The Savvy Epicurean! Looking at the definitions above, this blog seeks to gain knowledge and appreciation not only of food and drink, but their powerful connection with culture.
Around the world, we see people tapping the earth’s products that were and are closest and easiest to find. The results are flavors, textures and, ultimately, highly developed cuisines which identify and oftentimes become trademarks of the place and its people.
Similarly, food is often a supporting actor in many cultural activities, from major rites of passage to the quintessential family meal: when is it eaten, how much, with who, what types of conversations it engenders, and much more. So we see how inextricably food and culture are linked today and throughout the history of mankind.
My Culture Background:
While I’m not a certified authority on the relationship between culture and food, I am passionate about learning about both and my graduate degree (see below) focused on the role of culture on communication. Having grown up with parents who immigrated to Chicago from Greece, I’ve always had one food in one culture at home, while outside, the other foot was in another culture.
This inspired my quest to learn not only about how culture impacted my upbringing, but also how it influenced the ways in which others communicate and interact with each other — hence a bachelor’s degree in French and political science, and a master’s degree in international communication. Beyond academia, my quest to learn about other cultures influenced my career choices. It also inspired me to intern in London for 3 months, quit my job and live in Paris for another 3 months, and hop around different places as much as possible throughout my life.
My Food Background:
On the food front, growing up in our family’s diner, working for over 8 years at restaurants, and being of Greek descent — a culture in which food plays quite the dominant role — is where I can attribute my experience and passion for food, food trends, and restaurants.
What better way to explore these two passions than by blogging at the intersection of food and culture?
I’d also love to hear from you, so submit your ideas to ChrysoulaE (at) Gmail (dot) com. You can also follow me on Twitter at @ChrysoulaE.