Arts and Entertainment

City Lights Q&A series: 'Foods of Philly'

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Alumni Association will talk with each of the City Lights speakers and share a Q&A for each event in the six-part series that visits major metro areas.Our last conversation is with Peter Bordi, associate professor in the School of Hospitality Management and director for the Center for Food Innovation. Bordi recently developed Dr. Pete's Recovery Drink, chocolate milk infused with an innovative research-based protein formula that's designed to expedite muscle recovery after workouts and prevent soft tissue injuries among athletes. Bordi will lead a presentation Saturday at the 9th Street Italian Market in Philadelphia. This event is sold out, and is the City Lights series finale this year. More information on the City Lights program is available on the Alumni Association’s website.Penn State Alumni Association: How does the historical significance of food shape the food conversation in Philadelphia, and what themes will you share during your event? Bordi: It’s about food, and the history of food products, and why they came to be. With the cheeses, the historical part was why they were hard: because Italians didn’t have refrigeration to preserve them, and that impacted the difference in taste and quality of the products. There’s an incredible difference in taste between one and three years with balsamic vinegar, how sweet the vinegars are. The quality and the history of food is so important; and with Philadelphia being a mainstay for a lot of Italians coming through in the 1920s, they brought a lot of tradition, and still have a lot of tradition.

Penn State Alumni Association: How did you become interested in the history of food? Bordi: I was born and raised in an Italian family. My grandparents came from Italy, and my grandfather always stressed history. You had to know all the presidents of the United States, and it’s also important to know the history of the U.S. The history of the U.S. and of Italy went together—he also stressed that Italian history was secondary to the history of America because that was our future. My grandfather really turned me onto history, and my father had a bar and restaurant. When I teach food, I teach the historical part of it, how it came to be.Penn State Alumni Association: How much are you looking forward to this event, and what are you expecting?Bordi: When you do these kinds of events, it’s like a family reunion. (Bordi said he's heard from former students who will attend the City Lights event). I get emails all the time from students, and it’s really neat to see them grown up and have children; and they have kids who go to Penn State. It’s real neat to see how successful they are in their lives—that’s the main thing—it’s so impressive to see them be adults and have their own families.

Penn State Alumni Association: The term “foodie” seemingly didn’t exist a decade ago, at least not in everyday conversation. Is there an overall trend for being more selective about your food, or is this really not anything new? And how does the history of food fit into this discussion? Bordi: That’s really important today. Even when you watch the Food Network, they always talk about the history of the food. If you look at Julia Childs and Abby Fisher, those two ladies really did a lot. We’ve always had foodies, but television and the Internet have made it so much more popular. Sixty years ago, we only had three channels, and now we have so many more options. It’s not new—it’s more publicized.

Penn State Alumni Association: So is it fair to call you a foodie?Bordi: Yeah, I guess. It’s sometimes a snobby term, so I don't go too far with it. I still enjoy a good, quality hot dog. As long as the food is good, that's all I care about.

Peter Bordi, associate professor in the School of Hospitality Management and director for the Center for Food Innovation Credit: Penn State / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated June 22, 2015

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