"Food traditions like snowballs and seafood connect New Orleans and Baltimore, two places with their own complex histories as major Southern port cities. But beyond the crabs and snowballs, our team-- Andy Dahl, Fernando Lopez, and I-- wanted to examine links between the two places through themes of migration and Mexican food. Thus, as part of the Homegrown Foodways Series: Baltimore and New Orleans, we introduce "El Camino del Pan y el Mole," which takes a visual ethnography approach to document these rich stories and relatively new Mexican foodways traditions in each city." (excerpt from Prof. Fouts LOC American Folklife Center Blog Post)

Behind the scenes selfie with Fernando Lopez, Andy Dahl, Sarah Fouts, and Jose Vargas lounging while his wife, Angela, is being interviewed at their house in Rosedale, Maryland. Photo by Fernando Lopez.

Press

Jose Vargas in front of his bakery on S. Highland Avenue, East Baltimore, Maryland. Photo by Andy Dahl.

El Camino del Pan a Baltimore

Gilberto (left) and Ivan, stars of El Camino del Mole a New Orleans, posing for Project Neutral Grounds in New Orleans's City Park. Photo courtesy of Fernando Lopez.

El Camino del Mole a New Orleans

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You're invited to El Camino del Pan y del Mole event on November 9 at the Creative Alliance from 6-8 PM Please reserve your spot here.

The event features programming and two short documentary films that chronicle the lives of Mexican restaurateurs living in Baltimore (Jose Vargas) and in New Orleans (Ivan Castillo). From their work as street vendors to building community through their food traditions, Jose and Ivan have each taken unique approaches to carve their own niches in these urban places. The programming will feature a panel discussion that links New Orleans, Baltimore, immigration, and foodways. Cash bar, light snacks, dance performances by Jovenes en Accion, and a drag show performance by Ivette Donnelly. Plus the event will feature zines researched and designed by UMBC PUBH200 students. The event will be bilingual.

Special thanks to the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress,  UMBC Public Humanities, UMBC Department of American Studies, Maryland State Arts Council, Whiting Foundation, and the Southeast Community Development Corporation.

Les invitamos al evento, El Camino del Pan y del Mole, el 9 de noviembre en el Creative Alliance desde las 6 hasta las 8 de la tarde. Favor de reservar su lugar aquí. 

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El evento cuenta con programación y dos cortometrajes documentales que narran la vida de restauranteros mexicanos que viven en Baltimore (José Vargas) y en Nueva Orleans (Iván Castillo). Desde su trabajo como vendedores ambulantes hasta la construcción de una comunidad a través de sus tradiciones gastronómicas, José e Iván han adoptado enfoques únicos para crear sus propios nichos en estos lugares urbanos. La programación incluirá un panel de discusión que vincula Nueva Orleans, Baltimore, la inmigración y las costumbres gastronómicas. Barra de efectivo, espectáculos de danza hecho por Jóvenes en Acción, y un show de drag con Ivette Donnelly. Será bilingüe.

Un agradecimiento especial al el American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, las Humanidades Públicas de la UMBC, el Departamento de Estudios Americanos de la UMBC, el Consejo de las Artes del Estado de Maryland, Whiting Foundation, y la Corporación de Desarrollo Comunitario del Sureste.

ISC facilitates three academic and cultural exchange programs organized by university students in the U.S., Japan, Korea, and China. Our conferences distinguish themselves from other programs in that they are entirely student-led: students manage the logistics and implementation of each annual gathering. At the end of each Conference, delegates elect an Elective Committee tasked with planning and executing the next conference. 

Our programs are premised on the belief that students are not passive observers of international diplomacy but rather are concerned citizens charged with the responsibility of guiding the direction of the world as leaders in U.S.-Asia relations.

Who Can Apply?

• Full-time undergraduate & graduate university students.

• Students graduating before the conference start date are eligible

• Students accepted to enter university/graduate school in the fall are eligible

• All majors of study are accepted.

• As the official language of the Conference is English, no prior experience in Japanese/Korean/Chinese language or studies is required.

The Japan-America Student Conference

The Japan-America Student Conference (JASC) is a student-led exchange program initiated in 1934 by university students concerned about the breakdown of bilateral relations before the Second World War. Today, an equal number of students from the U.S. and Japan are competitively selected each year to spend one summer month together, studying and analyzing Japan-U.S. relations while visiting three diverse regions in the host country. 

The 76th Japan-America Student Conference will occur from August 3rd to August 24th, 2024, in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Washington, DC. JASC 76 will convene with the theme: "Visions: Perspectives reflected from the past - together understanding, contributing for the future." Applications are OPEN until December 24, 2023. Apply here!

The Korea-America Student Conference

The Korea-America Student Conference (KASC) is a student-led academic conference that was established in 2008 with the goal of supporting the deep bilateral relationship between the U.S. and South Korea. This conference brings together up to 30 students studying in the United States and the Republic of Korea for an academically rigorous, three-week-long summer program, during which students live, travel, and conduct original, peer-reviewed research together. KASC is unique among ISC conferences in its two-country model, in which students travel to both the U.S. and South Korea each year. 

The 17th Korea-America Student Conference will travel to New York City, Washington, DC, and Seoul, South Korea, from June 23rd to July 11th, 2024! The KASC 17 Executive Committee chose the theme: "Embracing Complexity: Navigating the Intersections in Global Diplomacy for a Shared Tomorrow." Applications are OPEN! Apply by December 23, 2023 at this link!

The China-America Student Conference

The China-America Student Conference (ChASC) is a 2-week academic and cultural interchange program that brings together an equal number of students representing the United States of America and China for off-the-record discussions on the future of the bilateral relationship. ChASC was established in 2020, making it the newest of the ISC conferences. 

The 4th China-America Student Conference will convene from June 3rd to June 15th in Chicago and Washington, DC! ChASC 4 will focus on the theme, "From Reflection to Connection: Lessons from the Past, Visions For the Future" and welcomes American students, Chinese students, and Chinese students studying in the United States! Please apply by December 31, 2023, at this link!