Upcoming Culinary Lectures and Tastings
The Smithsonian Resident Associates program offers lectures and educational events on a range of topics, but for obvious reasons, I find their culinary arts programs the most interesting.
Here's a peek at what's coming up this summer, for those of you who live in the DC area or are planning a visit:
- Thursday, June 11th (tomorrow!) at 6:45 p.m. in the Ripley Center: Lecture and book signing by Richard Wrangham, author of "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human." (We're reading his book now and will blog about it soon, stay tuned...)
- Thursday, June 18th at 6:45 p.m. in the Museum of Natural History's Atrium cafe: Taste several summer wines (red, white and sparkling) and learn how to pair them with classic summer foods like barbecue.
- Tuesday, June 23rd at 6:45 p.m. in the Ripley Center: "Living Longer, Living Better," a lecture and book signing by Dan Buettner, author of "Blue Zones."
- Wednesday, June 24th at 6 p.m.: Evening Picnic at the National Zoo: This might be worth buying a membership for, since it's members-only!
- Friday, June 26th at 6:30 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Institute: "The Vanilla Route in Veracruz." Learn about the history and uses of vanilla while enjoying a full meal with cocktails, wine and live music.
- Saturday, July 11th at 2 p.m. in Adams Morgan: A guided tour of several local restaurants, with samples.
- Wednesday, July 15th at 6:45 p.m. in the National Museum of the American Indian: Learn about (and drink) some of the cocktails that the author Ernest Hemingway and his fictional characters enjoyed.
- Saturday, July 25th at 1 p.m. at the Brickskeller restaurant: Sample artisanal beers from Virginia breweries and learn how they were made.
Hope to see you at one of these events! (Keep in mind that these all require tickets, with prices ranging from $15 to $95 for members and $25 to $130 for non-members. But hey, it's a good cause.)