Dr. Kerri Lesh
Dr. Kerri Lesh holds a Ph.D. in Basque Studies / Anthropology. She teaches Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Kerri is also a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW). Her research interests include language, food & wine, culture, and value, and her dissertation examines the interplay between these in the Basque region.
How long have you been a member, and how did you come to join ASFS?
I joined ASFS in 2018 and met fellow food scholars while presenting at the conference in Madison, Wisconsin. I had originally joined since developing an increased focus on food paired with my linguistic studies and thought it might be nice to meet a broader range of folks in both the industry and academia there. I presented with an amazing panel of scholars (some from the Culinary Institute of America), received great advice on pursuing an academic career, and was kindly invited to a wonderful dinner out with some of the organizers and participants at a local Madison restaurant. It was an extremely well organized conference that was big enough to meet new people but small enough to make some great connections.
You recently received your PhD in Basque Studies & Anthropology (congrats!!) with a dissertation titled Through the Language of Food: Creating Linguistic and Cultural Value through Basque (Euskara) Semiotics to Market Local Gastronomic Products. Could you tell us about your dissertation?
Kerri at Txakolina Bodega
My dissertation makes a new contribution to the scholarship on linguistic commodification and materiality by looking at the Basque case and specifically the use of Euskara. I look at how the Basque language is used to market local gastronomic products such as wine, beer, cider, and milk to create value for the Basque language. The purpose of this was see how the increasing gastronomic fame of the Basque Country may affect the use of its minoritized language in this globalized setting. In the end, I found the Basque language to both increase and decrease in value in certain markets or situations, and I also argued that it affected the value of the culinary products themselves. In addition to looking at specific food products, my first chapter introduces Basque gastronomic societies (traditionally male-only eating clubs) as a place that helped preserve and maintain aspects of Basque culture and language. Most of my chapters start by highlighting the role that women played in the public domain of the culinary world that is typically dominated by men.
How did you get interested in Basque culture and foodways?
Kerri at Marques de Riscal in Rioja
I first became interested in Basque culture while studying abroad in Spain during my late teenage years to learn Spanish. I remember seeing graffiti in northern Spain about the Basque separatist group, ETA, and from then on, became fascinated with this autonomous region and the language spoken there. Having studied multiple languages in college, I was drawn to learning more about minoritized cultures, remembering my earlier days abroad in Spain. Eventually, after working in the service and wine industry, I was accepted to the doctoral program to study cultural and linguistic anthropology at the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Reno, Nevada. Along with support from a number of people, my advisor Jenanne Ferguson helped me to combine my love for wine, food, and language, by supplying me with comparative readings, which was timely as the Basque Country is now branded by the government as the “Culinary Nation.”
How do you think an anthropological focus enriches food studies?
Having an (cultural and linguistic) anthropological focus to food studies allows us to observe and analyze a mundane but necessary part of daily life, that also serves as a vessel for magnifying changes in how humans think and act, and what they prioritize. Without using an anthropological focus to look at craft beer, gastronomic societies, the beautiful Basque “txakolina” wine, or even milk, I could never have seen the respective values behind “authenticity,” changes in Basque gender roles, how globalization affects taste, or the prioritization of a minoritized language over a sense of local terroir in the way that I did.
You are currently working on transition your dissertation into a book – for those of us who don’t know the process, could you tell us your experience of this?
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Well, I am definitely at the beginning stages. I started with a list my advisor had prepared of publishers that might be interested, and decided to revisit this list while at the CASCA/AAA meeting in Vancouver this last year. I visited a couple that expressed interest, and am currently preparing the book proposals to send off to them soon! I am sure I have much more to learn ahead about this process.
You’re co-editing a special edition for a journal – could you tell us more about the special edition, and how you came to be a co-editor?
A few years ago I sent out a call for papers that was related to terroir for the AAA annual meeting. I heard back from some graduate student scholars and two established food experts on terroir. After surveying several journals, I contacted this particular food journal, who had some interest. It has been a long road, but we are very excited and hope to have the special edition published this September 2020.
Poster for Txak on the Block
Additionally, you’re helping to organize two events; one about the history and culture of Txakoli and a study abroad opportunity to the Basque Country [flyers to be included in online interview, with Kerri’s permission]. Could you tell us more about them, and how they might benefit food studies students/scholars who might be able to go?
Yes! I am very excited to offer these gastronomic opportunities for those who want to learn more about Basque wine and food, and how food and drink are connected to language and culture. The “Txak on the Block” event (referring to the Basque wine, “Txakoli”) will take place on the Basque Block of Boise, Idaho over April 24th-25th. It will entail an educational talk on the history and culture of Txakoli, followed by a tasting on Saturday, and is supported by the Basque Museum & Cultural Center, as well as the Basque Market in Boise. The second opportunity is open to anyone—student and non-students alike—wanting to spend 2 weeks learning about Basque culture by eating and drinking their way through places like Bilbao, San Sebastián, and Rioja. It will take place during the last two weeks of July, finishing just before Jaialdi starts, which is the biggest Basque celebration outside the Basque Country that takes over a week-long celebration in Boise, Idaho.
ACO Postcard Basque 2020
So busy! What’s next for you?
Aside from teaching anthropology courses in Reno this semester, I will be offering a wine and cider tasting class in March, teaching an anthropology of foods and Basque culture course this summer, all while continuing the search for a full-time position in academia. Most of us are familiar with that struggle in our current job market, but I am hopeful and persevering! The most recent new is that I was also just offered a job to write for a fairly well-known company, Wine Folly, about Basque and Spanish wines!
A lot of your work has centered around wine and viticulture – what’s your favorite wine and why?
Oh…I love so many wines for all of their interesting reasons! I have a favorite Pinot Noir from Casablanca, Chile, that is by far the best I’ve ever had. I love some of the new wines from Baja California, and I’m not sure there are too many things better than a pairing of Sherry with jamón…except my favorite of all, of course, would have to be Basque Txakoli!
Harvest for Txakolina