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LA Foodways

LA Foodways

“Foodways” was first coined in 1942 by anthropologists, folklorists and food scholars to describe the study of why we eat what we eat, and what it means: “Food at the intersection of culture, tradition and history.” Our attitudes, practices and rituals around food are a window onto our most basic beliefs about the world and ourselves.

In each episode, we use the past to frame where we are today, to understand the food we grow and the land beneath our feet. We span 150 years of change, from 1870 to the present, focusing on the land in and around Los Angeles, how it has been used and developed into either farms, freeways or front lawns. Over the course of these stories, with this historic view of the change that has come before us, we gain a greater understanding of what Los Angeles is today and invite viewers to consider the future.