“At ‘Amen Meals’ It’s Me and God” Religion and Gender: A New Jewish Women’s Ritual

New ritual practices performed by Jewish women can serve as test cases for an examination of the phenomenon of the creation of religious rituals by women. These food-related rituals, which have been termed ‘‘amen meals’’ were developed in Israel beginning in the year 2000 and subsequently spread to Jewish women in Europe and the United States. This study employs a qualitative-ethnographic methodology grounded in participant-observation and in-depth interviews to describe these nonobligatory, extra-halakhic rituals. What makes these rituals stand out is the women’s sense that through these rituals they experience a direct con- nection to God and, thus, can change reality, i.e., bring about jobs, marriages, children, health, and salvation for friends and loved ones. The ‘‘amen’’ rituals also create an open, inclusive woman’s space imbued with strong spiritual–emotional energies that counter the women’s religious marginality. Finally, the purposes and functions of these rituals, including identity building and displays of cultural capital, are considered within a theoretical framework that views ‘‘doing gender’’ and ‘‘doing religion’’ as an integrated experience

Cheese To You: Redefining the Taste of Local

Cheese, in the context of the growing industrialization and homogenization of food production, evokes a strong sense of nostalgia and local identity. Meg Hall, owner of Cheese to You in Lexington, Virginia, feels deep, personal ties to “real” cheese, which she calls a “perfect food” – handmade, healthful, and inextricably tied to the place from which it comes. My poster shows how this perspective represents a new definition of local that encompasses not just any geographical local product, but selected quality products with unique local identities. By placing the emphasis on her cheeses’ terroir identity and narrative “stories,” rather than on geographically local products, Meg effectively redefines the value and taste of local cheese not only for herself, but also for the entire Lexington community. Her effective marketing of these characteristics to her loyal customer base gives her almost exclusive control over the local taste for artisan cheese. Therefore, the taste for cheese is not that of truly local Lexington production, but instead of Meg’s personally chosen tastes. This paper will explore Meg’s redefinition of local cheese further by explaining the deep importance of terroir, the significance of a cheese’s “story,” and the great diversity inherent amongst those stories, and briefly, the development of “gastronatinalism” as a way of understanding identity and control in Meg’s cheese shop. Finally, I will look at the potential implications of the shop’s monopoly over local tastes and consumption