Washington College Professor Bill Schindler will present WC-ALL’s final spring term Learn at Lunch on Thursday, April 18. The catered buffet luncheon begins at 12 noon in Hynson Lounge of Hodson Hall on the Washington College campus. Following lunch, Dr. Schindler will present “Food Evolution Revolution: The Cutting Edge Fusion of Archaeology, Anthropology, and the Modern Kitchen.”
According to Schindler, understanding the role that technology played in our 3.4 million-year-old dietary past is essential in learning to rethink food and diet. Biologically speaking, humans and human nutritional needs remain relatively unchanged over the centuries; yet our cultural needs have seismically shifted and our expectations of taste, smell, texture, and presentation have significantly changed the way we think about food. By fusing lessons from our dietary past with modern culinary techniques, Schindler believes we can create a food system that is meaningful, accessible, relevant, and delectable.
Schindler is not a traditional anthropologist. Specializing in primitive technology and experimental archaeology at Washington College, he uses a teaching approach that he calls “soul authorship” to immerse students in experiences that teach them first-hand about primitive technologies and ways of life practiced by our prehistoric ancestors. Today he applies prehistoric-focused approaches in experimental archaeology to address a major issue facing humans right now: diet. By reconnecting with the food of our ancient ancestors,Schindler believes that we can find solutions to building a more sustainable, healthful food system. In this quest, Schindler, who holds a Ph.D. from Temple University, completed a year-long research endeavor called the Food Evolutions Project. He traveled the world working with indigenous groups, traditional societies, and Michelin star chefs. Most recently he launched the Eastern Shore Food Lab at Washington College, a center dedicated to empowering the public to reconnect with their food, take control of what they eat, and learn to eat like humans again!
Reservations for April’s Learn at Lunch are due by Friday, April 12. The cost is $20 for WC-ALL members and $25 for others. Please send a check to WC-ALL at 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620 with name, phone, and email for those attending. Payment must accompany the reservation and no phone or email reservations are accepted. For more information, call 410-778-7221.
Participants on the trip will have an hour-long guided introductory Highlights Tour of the Museum and will also have access to the nearby Rodin Museum, the Perelman Building, and the Sculpture Garden. The Rodin Museum houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Rodin’s work outside of Paris, and the Perelman Building features galleries dedicated to modern and contemporary design, prints, drawings, photographs, costumes, and textiles. Lunch is on your own to allow participants maximum flexibility in determining how they wish to spend time after the guided tour. Food is available in the Museum’s cafeteria, its restaurant, Stir, or at one of the eateries located along nearby Fairmount Avenue.
Bill Leary received his BA, MA, and ABD from the University of Virginia and taught American history at the College of William and Mary, the University of South Alabama, and the University of Virginia where he also taught the University’s first course in African American history. He then worked for 20 years at the National Archives, primarily in the Still Picture Branch. From 1992 until his retirement, he worked at the National Security Council as Special Advisor to the National Security Advisor and then as Senior Director of Records and Access Management. After Leary’s retirement, President Obama appointed him to the Public Interest Declassification Board. Since moving to Chestertown in 2012, he has served on the Boards of the Historical Society of Kent County and Sumner Hall.
Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning’s next Learn at Lunch will be on Tuesday, February 19, when Thomas G. West will present “Seeing What Others Cannot See…” West will discuss visual thinking, visual technologies, and the distinctive capabilities often seen among dyslexics and other different thinkers. The author of 3 books, his latest in 2017 is Seeing What Others Cannot See: The Hidden Advantages of Visual Thinkers and Differently Wired Brains. In it, West explores how different ways of thinking can help make discoveries and solve problems in innovative and unexpected ways. In his presentation, West will briefly profile some of the different thinkers he has encountered, including a prize-winning dyslexic paleontologist, a group of dyslexic master code-breakers in a British electronic intelligence organization, an expert livestock handler who has become a forceful advocate for those with autism, and a family of visual thinkers and dyslexics which includes 4 winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
WC-ALL’s first Learn at Lunch of the Spring 2019 semester will feature Sherwin Markman on Wednesday, January 23. Back by popular demand, and always an engaging speaker, Markman’s topic will be “The Resiliency of Our American Democracy”. The buffet luncheon will begin at noon in Hynson Lounge of Hodson Hall on the Washington College Campus. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.
WC-ALL will host the 3rd and final Learn at Lunch Program of the fall semester on Wednesday, November 14. Dr. Andrew Oros will present “Japan’s Changing Military Policy and the Balance of Power in East Asia”. Japan is currently the key U.S. ally in Asia in a new presidential era when the role of allies is being called into question. As the third largest economy in the world and one of the world’s largest military spenders, what role will Japan play in U.S./Asia policy and in regional affairs? Professor Oros will seek to answer these questions using ideas and information from his latest book, Japan’s Security Renaissance: New Policies and Politics for the 21st Century.
