U of A 'One Book, One Community' Committee Calls for Family Recipes

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In an effort to create an immersive learning experience highlighting the connection between our multicultural society and the food we grow, prepare and eat, the University of Arkansas’s One Book, One Community committee is asking the public to submit a favorite family recipe and to try preparing those submitted by others.

The committee’s book selection this year, Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting Pot Cuisine, is written by award-winning chef Edward Lee and explores the intersection of food and culture as Lee takes a trip across America, experiencing exceptional food in unconventional places.

In his book, Lee describes the American cuisine as “a story of mash-ups.” 

“Recipes come to us from all parts of a culture, not just its cuisine,” Lee writes. “This is why your Polish grandmother’s cabbage rolls are the best – because they come with a story that often has nothing to do with the rolls themselves. Perhaps she got the recipe from her grandmother, so when you make them, you feel a connection going back five generations.”

The book has been named a Best Food Book of the Year by the Boston Globe, Smithsonian, BookRiot and Plate. It was also a semifinalist in the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards.

“Buttermilk Graffiti has given us an opportunity to make this year’s ‘One Book, One Community’ event a more immersive learning experience,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, chair of the One Book, One Community committee.

“Food brings people together, and that is what we always strive to do through our community reads. We hope that by submitting their own recipe and trying those submitted by others, community members will feel like they are being warmly welcomed to have a seat at someone else’s table,” said Fitzpatrick, who is also University Professor and Jones Chair in Community in the Department of Sociology and Criminology. 

All submitted recipes will be available for free to the community. To submit your recipe or see what others have submitted, please visit buttermilkgraffiti.uark.edu.

Lee will also visit campus for a public presentation and book signing Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Details on the event location and ticket access will be released soon. 

For more information, please visit onebook.uark.edu.

About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on the University of Arkansas campus, with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college also provides the majority of the core curriculum for all U of A students.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.