Smologies #18: FEASTS with Katherine Spiers

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: This Smologies episode explores the anthropology and history of feasting, especially winter and holiday meals. Food historian Catherine Spires explains that feasts signal abundance, wealth, preservation, and social status, while many “traditional” holiday dishes are relatively modern, regional, or even corporate inventions. The conversation traces Thanksgiving’s mythmaking, industrial food marketing, regional differences, and how culture, religion, and media shape what counts as special food.

Main Topics: Feasting as a marker of abundance and power (Priority: 5/5): The episode frames feasts as displays of scarcity overcome: foods with high-value ingredients, preserved foods, or rare items signal wealth, planning, and social status, often used to impress or influence others. The historical evolution of Thanksgiving (Priority: 5/5): Catherine Spires discusses how Thanksgiving developed from regional New England observances into a national holiday, including debates over its date and the role of Abraham Lincoln and later Franklin Roosevelt. Corporate influence on holiday food traditions (Priority: 5/5): Many now-canonical dishes, such as green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, are presented as food-industry creations designed to sell products rather than ancient customs. Regional and cultural differences in feast foods (Priority: 4/5): The discussion compares what counts as feast food across cultures and regions, emphasizing local scarcity, agricultural conditions, and dining customs like communal serving or long lunches. Media, presentation, and Instagram-era dining (Priority: 3/5): Social media has changed food aesthetics and restaurant design, making dishes and interiors more visually photogenic and influencing how meals are presented. Vegetarian, religious, and alternative feast traditions (Priority: 3/5): The episode covers tofu and shojin ryori, Da Vinci’s possible vegetarianism, and vegetarian main dishes like stuffed mushrooms, showing how feast traditions adapt across belief systems. Food insecurity and holiday generosity (Priority: 4/5): The episode ends by connecting holiday abundance to real-world need, highlighting donations to the LA Regional Food Bank and encouraging year-round support for food banks and soup kitchens.

Key Arguments: Feasts are less about celebration alone and more about demonstrating access to scarce resources, time, and planning. Winter feasting historically made sense because calories provided warmth and seasonal darkness encouraged eating and resting. The popular 1621 Thanksgiving narrative is heavily mythologized; the modern holiday was shaped by later political needs and national storytelling. Many Thanksgiving dishes people think of as ancient are actually products of 20th-century corporate marketing and recipe development. Food traditions vary because what is “special” depends on local abundance, climate, agriculture, religion, and class. Social media has influenced food presentation, restaurant design, and the visual identity of meals. Vegetarian feast dishes often rely on careful seasoning, texture, or symbolic imitation of meat rather than simple substitutes. Understanding food history builds empathy by showing why people and cultures eat differently.

Data Points: Patreon support threshold: $25 - Mentioned as the amount that gets supporters into the Patreon club for submitting questions. Food bank impact: 100 meals - The LA Regional Food Bank donation note says $25 provides the equivalent of 100 meals. Food insecurity rate: 1 in 5 - One in five people in Los Angeles County experiences food insecurity. LA Regional Food Bank operating since: 1973 - The organization has been fighting hunger since 1973. Thanksgiving holiday timing: 4th Thursday in November - Roosevelt’s preferred Thanksgiving date is referenced in the discussion of the national holiday debate. Alternative Thanksgiving timing: 3rd Thursday in November - Republican leaders and business interests pushed for an earlier date to extend Christmas shopping season. Thanksgiving held in one year: 2 Thanksgivings - The transcript notes a year when disagreement over the date led to two celebrations. Historical spread of Thanksgiving: After the Civil War - The holiday is said to have become widely adopted across the U.S. around this period. Food-company recipe era: Around 1900 to the 1980s - A long period when packaged-food companies created and circulated recipes to promote products. Green bean casserole ingredient: Cream of mushroom soup - Cited as the product the recipe was designed to use. Sweet potato casserole marketing: 1920s - A marshmallow company hired a magazine writer to promote marshmallow use through recipe invention. Da Vinci’s Last Supper food depictions: Oranges and eels - The painting’s table items are described as oranges and eels rather than bread and wine alone. Deep-fried turkey origin story: 1930s - The transcript attributes the popularization of deep-fried turkey to a Cajun chef seeing one in that era. Podcast cadence: Every other Sunday - The episode closes by noting the release schedule for Smologies.

Pivotal Quotes: "“Humans being what they are, historically, a lot of feasts are an opportunity to show off, basically, to stunt on your neighbors.”" — Catherine Spires: Explaining the social function of feasts as displays of wealth and status. "“It was made up.”" — Ramona Peters (quoted by host): Referring to the popular 1621 Thanksgiving story and its later political construction. "“When you’re shopping for holiday food and you have the option or ability to get a second can of whipped cream, get it.”" — Allie Ward: Closing advice framed as humorous holiday shopping guidance.

Implications: Listeners are encouraged to see holiday foods as historical, political, and commercial constructs rather than timeless traditions, and to extend generosity beyond holidays by supporting food banks year-round.