n's book,hel lauda "cuisine and empire," they talk about how eating habits and culinary practices developedell as the evolution of modern processed food. the session took place at the american historical association. it is about 90 minutes. moniz.ame is amanda until very recently, i was director of the national history center, which is sponsor of this panel. this roundtable is on rachel "cuisine and, empire." why are we discussing this book? to bring the discussion into larger policy discussions. they are focusing on an issue that is of great public interest today. food is attracting attention in a variety of ways. people with disposable incomes eat not only for sustenance, but for cultural projects. they tried the latest restaurants, experiment with new ingredients and recipes, learn about new cuisine, and approach mealtime with a deliberate consideration. so much so, a new term has been coined for them, "foodies hugo ."