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WINTER 2024-25: EAT UP! Welcome to your bi-weekly newsletter from Connecticut Explored with the latest stories, the newest Grating the Nutmeg podcast, programs and exhibitions from our partners.
What the Wangunk Drank
Did you know that water was a drink of choice for the Wangunk people? This most likely came as a surprise to Roger Williams, who wrote A Key into the Language of America, in 1643, as many Europeans viewed water as dangerous in its natural form. In the article, “What the Wangunk Drank,” authors Katherine Hermes and Alexandra Maravel touch on the effects of colonization and deforestation on the Indigenous people in the Northeast, while covering food staples, herbal medicinal drinks and practices, alcohol, and even love potions.
Hermes and Maravel write, “Colonial-era sources from colonists and Native people provide information about what Indigenous people drank; reexamining the record through a broader lens allows us a fuller picture of why they drank what they did.” From soup made from Blue Hubbard squash to eastern figwort tea used to treat tuberculosis, each recipe teaches us about the Wangunk people.
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The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Erector Sets, Trains and New Haven’s Toymaker A.C. Gilbert
We did it!! This is our 200th episode of Grating the Nutmeg! Thanks to our listeners!
Listen: Erector Sets, Trains and New Haven’s Toymaker A.C. Gilbert
More exciting news… The new season of Grating the Nutmeg launches January 15 with New York Times best seller, actor, director, and producer, Griffin Dunne! Stay tuned to listen to the interview on Dunne’s connection to Connecticut and his memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club.
Named a Best Book of the Year by TIME, NPR, People, Town & Country, and Air Mail
“Griffin Dunne knows how to tell a story.” —Washington Post
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
ART FILM AT THE KATE: The World is Not My Own
The Limitless Story of Nellie Mae Rowe
Saturday, January 18, 1:00-3:00PM (in-person)
Frames in Film: Presented by The Kate & Florence Griswold Museum Tickets $17 (Members $15)
Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street, Old Saybrook, Connecticut, https://www.thekate.org/
Thuan Vu: Kintsugi in the New World
Kintsugi in the New World is a dynamic new series of paintings from Thuan Vu, an artist and professor from New Haven, CT. The exhibition runs from January 18 - March 30, 2025.
Opening Reception: Friday, January 17, 5:00-7:00 PM Tickets $10 (Members Free)
Lyman Allyn Art Museum, 625 Williams Street. New London, Connecticut, https://www.lymanallyn.org/
2025 Adventure Series: Olympic Horizons
Thursday, January 16, 7:00PM Lecture (in-person)
Pushing the Limits: Dan Walsh’s Olympic Journey from Norwalk to Beijing Tickets $25 (Members $20)
Mystic Seaport Museum, 75 Greenmanville Ave, Mystic, Connecticut, https://mysticseaport.org/
Editor’s Picks
David J. Naumec, “Native American Oystering,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2017.
Melanie Anderson Bourbeau, “Can We See The Kitchen?” Connecticut Explored, Spring 2006.
Dale Carson, “Native American Cuisine Saves the Colonists,” Connecticut Explored, Spring 2006.
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