Unpacking Coca-Cola with Bart Elmore

In his new book, Citizen Coke: The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism, historian Bart Elmore complicates the narrative that Coca-Cola’s rise to global empire is one of inimitable marketing alone. His research shows how the company’s success has depended on an ever-expanding exploitation of natural resources and taking advantage of public works and government interventions. It's a very revealing look at how the environmental costs shed by Coke have fallen on the public at large.

He also stressed the importance of giving historical figures depth. If we are to learn from the past, we can’t simply explain it away as mistakes made by evil people.

Coke’s model is not unique as Bart reminded me with his comparison to Wall Street commodity trading. And both models have ecological consequences that we have to reckon as we think about designing sustainable businesses for the future. 

Authentic Cuisines with David Lebovitz

More than a decade ago David Lebovitz, a former pastry chef at Chez Panisse, moved to Paris and started writing about his life there on his blog and in many cookbooks. When I found out that he was coming to Charlottesville, I knew I had to find a way to talk to him. I have long read his blog as a voyeur on his life in Paris and for his excellent recipes (this orange-glazed polenta cake is killer). His latest book, My Paris Kitchen, is a nominee for a 2015 James Beard International Book Award. We spoke about why defining "authentic" cuisines is tricky business and why he embraces a more casual approach to cooking.

In our conversation, I mentioned how differently American-born chefs and immigrant chefs are portrayed on the scale of authenticity. Much of my thinking on this issue stems from a great exploration of the topic by Francis Lam and Eddie Huang. They hit on how standards of authenticity are related to power, class, media, and ultimately, why the representation of immigrant food matters so deeply.