A cow stands in a field after being milked.

It is touchy, this calling one type of foodways traditional, and another, not. This approach tends to undervalue our own urban culinary practices.

The foodways I refer to in the pages posted here are generally those of people living in rural settings. As country life is changing rapidly in so many areas – this year, 2006, marks the first year that the majority of the world’s population will live in cities — this is largely a last-minute glimpse of lifestyles that are becoming extinct.