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Let’s explore the world of Italian genealogy together, one person at a time.

Mary

Founder and Chair

...over the years we've had fieldtrips to museums, libraries, and even Roslyn's ethnic cemetery! I'm very proud that we have supported each other in our quest to find our Italian ancestors, sharing tips, resources, and celebrating successes.

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As many genealogists know, there are many talented and interesting speakers outside our Group. Unfortunately for us, these outside speakers typically require fees for their presentations (generally $75-$200). As our Group has no dues, we are dependent on webinar sponsors and talented IIG individuals for our meeting presentations. This page has been set up to provide information on making a tax-deductible donation toward securing professional speakers.
There are two ways to do this:
1) electronically from the EGS Special Interest Groups page
OR
 2) mailing a check payable to “Eastside Genealogical Society” with the notation “IIG donation” and sending it to Eastside Genealogical Society, PO Box 374, Bellevue, Washington 98009-0374.
PLEASE NOTE: The Paypal site can accept credit cards the same as most online sites; no Paypal account is needed. We also ask for a minimum donation of $5 as the Paypal utility charges IIG a small fee for each transaction.
Thank You very much for your support!

IIG Meeting – September-2025
***** Special Time *****

DATE:
TIME:
TOPIC:
PRESENTER:

20-Sep-2025 (Saturday)
10:00 am (PDT)
On Food and Fascism
Karima Moyer-Nocchi

Description: : Karima Moyer-Nocchi will give a lecture based on her book: Chewing the Fat – An Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vita. This highly engaging and visually driven presentation will examine the ways in which the politics of the fascist era (1922-1943) influenced the Italian culinary identity from a socio-cultural perspective and the role it played in the conceptual development of Italian cuisine as we know it today. The lecture will explore the tenets of Oral History in general and then looks specifically at how this method of data collection opens a unique window onto food history research. Moyer-Nocchi analyzes the notion of “authenticity” and reveals how some of the best-loved myths of Italian food are part of an invented set of traditions. That view is balanced through a closer look at how traditions, invented or otherwise, play an important part in societal healing and cultural progression in Italy. The presentation will conclude with a performance of selected excerpts from the book.

Speaker Bio: Karima Moyer-Nocchi is a noted culinary historian specializing in Italian cuisine. In her work, she reconstructs histories through a culinary lens, with an eye on myth busting, evident in her acclaimed publications “Chewing the Fat – An Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vita” and “The Eternal Table: A Cultural History of Food in Rome”. Her upcoming book is “An Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese from Ancient Rome to Modern America” for Columbia University Press for which she was an ICJS Fellow at the Jefferson Foundation in Monticello and a Smithsonian Fellow at the National Museum of American History. An advocate for experiential learning, she encourages “hands-on history” as reflected in her popular Instagram account: @historicalitalianfoodwebsite and website: theeternaltable.com.

Born and educated in the United States, Moyer-Nocchi has made Italy her home since 1990. She teaches in the Modern Languages department at the University of Siena and currently resides in Umbria. Link to “Chewing the Fat” book: this link.

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