Food habits -- Social aspects

Abstract NA3728 Aniko Fulep, interviewed by Pauleena MacDougall, May 16, 2005, in Fulep’s home, Hampden, Maine. Fulep talks about being born in Hungary in 1971; coming to the United States in 1996; emigrating from Budapest, Hungary to Maine; benefits of rural Maine compared to life in Budapest; view of Maine people compared to most American people; learning English in Hungary; life during the fall of Communism in Hungary; adjusting to American culture; speaking English around children vs. speaking...

Abstract NA4205 Annia Warner, interviewed by Darlene Metcalf-Bergeron, February 22, 2008, in her house in Bangor, ME. Warner, age 48, talks about her early life in Costa Rica (CR); her family; moving to San José; meeting a Maine family; visiting ME on vacation; meeting her future husband and staying; the scarcity of Costa Rican immigrants; her parents’ reaction to her staying; becoming pregnant; getting married; her husband and two sons; learning English with Mr. Rogers; raising her sons bilingually;...

Scope and Contents From the Collection:

This collection contains interviews with people associated with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine. Themes include the process of beginning to farm organically, the early development of MOFGA and its growth; the Common Ground Fair and its expansion; marketing organic food; farming strategies; raising livestock; and MOFGA’s interactions with conventional farmers and the wider community.

Abstract NA3725 Delia Michaud, interviewed by Pauleena MacDougall, June 21, 2005, at Michaud’s home. Michaud talks about being born in San Juan, a province of Argentina; coming to the United States in 1970; living first in Houston, Texas and then moving to Maine; cultural differences between Argentina and the United States; struggle of switching over from speaking Spanish to speaking only English; first experiences with Maine winter; highlights of Argentinean culture; family life in San Juan;...

Abstract NA3724 Eric Li, interviewed by Elizabeth Hardink, June 5, 2005, at his home, Bangor, Maine. Li talks about bieng born in Hong Kong, China; living there until he was 8; comparison of Chinese and American cultures; favorite foods; came to the United States with his father around 1989; lived in New York; moved to Madawaska, Maine when he was in sixth grade; father owns Chinese restaurant in Madawaska named Tang’s Palace; comparison of city life in New York and Hong Kong; discrimination toward...

Abstract NA3729 Iolanta Biderman, interviewed by Pauleena MacDougall, February 14, 2005, Pauleena’s office at UMaine, Orono, Maine. Biderman talks about living in the U.S.S.R. until she was 4 years old; living in the Ukraine and Kazakhstan with relatives; Kazakhstan culture; moving to Moscow at 17 to go to college; Soviet turmoil and the effect on Russians in Latvia in 1989; working for a shipping company in Latvia; Russians being removed from Latvia; meeting her U. S. husband in Latvia through the...

Abstract NA3731 Katya Begitova, interviewed by Pauleena MacDougall, May 11, 2005, in her home, Trenton, Maine. Katya talks about being born in Moscow; moving to Bar Harbor, Maine in 2000; difficulty of working in Maine without being able to speak English; meeting her husband while working in Maine; being multicultural as a Russian in America; struggles and strategy to learning a new language; meeting other immigrants with similar backgrounds; Russian cooking compared to American; Russian crafts;...

Abstract NA3727 Lilian Lo, interviewed by Elizabeth Hardink, April 16, 2005. Lo talks about being born in Hong Kong; spending her first twenty four years there; coming to Maine in 1981; owing Oriental Jade, a Chinese restaurant in Bangor, Maine with her husband Victor; working for a real estate business in Hong Kong; Hong Kong becoming more liberal; cultural differences in China from the 70s to the 90s; Hong Kong’s shift toward international food in recent times; Hong Kong immigrants during the 90s...

Abstract NA3850 Maine's Immigrant Cultures, presented by the Maine Folklife Center at the American Folk Festival in Bangor, Maine, August 2005. Members of Maine’s immigrant communities were invited to the Maine Folklife Center Narrative Stage to talk about their culture and to demonstrate aspects of their culture such as food preparation, crafts, music, and dance. The event was sponsored by the Maine Arts Commission. Official program: "The American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront Official...

Abstract NA3719 Maria Baeza, interviewed by Pauleena MacDougall, March 28, 2005, in Baeza’s office, Bangor, Maine. Baeza talks about being born in Puerto Rico; growing up in Brooklyn, New York; coming to Maine over 30 years ago when she married a man from Maine; her first impression of Maine which was that there were so many white people; culture shock; rural setting after living in a large city; concern with safety; life in Puerto Rico before the age of 5 when she moved to the U. S.; difference...

Abstract NA3721 Maria Sandweiss, interviewed by Pauleena MacDougall, April 19, 2005, in the library at the Maine Folklife Center, UMaine, Orono, Maine. Sandweiss talks about being born in Peru; moving to Maine in 1993 with her husband; her first impressions of Maine; speaking English or Spanish with family; living in two cultures; maintaining culture of Peru; Peruvian foods; typical dinner; food cooked in the ground; pachamanca; special cultural objects from Peru; languages spoken in Peru; language...

Abstract NA3722 Maria Rave, interviewed by Pauleena MacDougall, April 1, 2005, at Thistles Restaurant, Bangor, Maine. Rave talks about being born in Colombia; coming to Ellsworth in 1985; moving to Bangor around 2001; being part owner of Thistles Restaurant; having two sons; language barrier at first in Maine; speaks Spanish and English; university education; difficult for younger son Santiago to adjust to school; sons graduating from Massachusetts College of Art; Santiago lives at home and manages...

Abstract NA3726 Mihail Margaronis, interviewed by Maria Sandweiss, May 31, 2005, at the Bangor House of Pizza (which is owned by Margaronis). Margaronis talks about being born in Greece on the island of Aegina; coming to Maine in 1976; adapting to Maine after growing up in Greece; cultural Greek items; being a citizen from multiple countries; Greek community in Bangor, Maine; Greek national identity compared to American; Greek opinion on American government and American people. Text: 10 pp....

Abstract NA3723 Norma Peters, interviewed by Pauleena MacDougall, May 12, 2005, at the home of Peters, Veazie, Maine. Peters talks about being born in Cartagena, Colombia; the differences between living in Panama and Colombia; differences in education; learning to speak English; marriage and children; first impressions of Maine; difficulty finding work; lived in Hampden and 6 years later moved to Bangor; teaching children Spanish; discrimination in Maine; making friends; teaching children to be proud...

Abstract NA3720 Olivia Saritvanich, interviewed by Katherine Durbin, February 18, 2005, at Saritvanich’s home, Orono, Maine. Saritvanich talks about being born in Thailand; emigrating to America with her husband; being the owner of Thai Orchid, a restaurant in Orono, Maine; immigration in the late 1970s; reasons immigrants can become citizens; immigrant-specific employment; early history of Thailand; European colonization of Southeast Asia; struggles of immigrating to America; American soldiers in...