Hi! I'm writing here with a request for food-loving Oklahomans - particularly those with a lifetime of experience eating good food. The Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans, which opened in 2008, has proven so popular they need to move to a new, larger location next year. A new permanent exhibit is planned for the new space that will focus on the food of each of the states of the South. I am proud to be serving as guest curator for the state of Oklahoma. Information about the new exhibit can be found here. (http://southernfood.org/sofab/?p=6453)

I am hoping that I might ask a favor of the folks who read here. I am looking for two things. The first is your memories. I would love to include short personal recollections of Oklahoma restaurants, foods, food traditions, all the things that are distinctive about eating in Oklahoma. Anyone who would like to share a recollection with me can email me at kjweldon@yahoo.com. The other request is for artifacts. When it comes to food history, the smallest things can be valuable to show people what things were like. I would be most grateful for any donation anyone would be willing to make - photos, menus, signs, matchbooks, a server name-tag, a blue ribbon for a prize-winning cake at a country fair, anything to do with the way people in Oklahoma eat and cook and share food. If you are interested in making a donation (the museum is a non-profit, so donations are tax-deductible), please contact me and I can give you more details.

Thank you so much for reading.

Kathleen Weldon