UMAMI: A Yummy Tour of Little Tokyo
Taught by Sarah Lohman
Sarah Lohman is a culinary historian and the author of the bestselling books Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods and Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine. She focuses on the history of food as a way to access the stories of diverse Americans. Endangered Eating was a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and was named one of the Best Books of 2023 by Amazon’s Editors, Food & Wine, and Adam Gopnik on the Milk Street podcast. It was a finalist for the Nach Waxman Prize for Food & Drink Scholarship and winner of the Ohioana Library Book Prize for Nonfiction. Lohman’s work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and NPR. Lohman has lectured across the country, from the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC to The Culinary Historians of Southern California
In the past decade, the East Village has transformed from a post-punk wasteland to an east-coast outpost of Japanese culture. From Ramen to Squid, Bubble Tea to Curry, we'll explore all the internationally influenced food Little Tokyo has to offer.
Which fast food chains have their only American outposts in Little Tokyo? What's the difference between traditional and modern Japanese desserts? What are the three primary flavors of Japanese street food? The answers to these questions and more as you learn to eat in the neighborhood where New York and Tokyo meet.
We'll meet in Manhattan, in front of 101 Astor Place by the Keith Haring sculpture. The cost of this tour includes five tastings of sweet and savory snacks. Vegetarian options are available.