8A
Friday, January 31, 1997
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Midwesterners favor meat and potatoes
KU geographers name regional dish after survey
By Tim Harrington Special to the Kansan
*New England has its chowder. The Southwest has its fajitas. The West Coast has its cappuccino and, according to a survey done by two KU geographers, the Midwest has its meat and potatoes.*
Barbara Shortridge, director of laboratories for geography, and her husband, James Shortridge, professor of geography, made a survey that aimed to find the most representative dish for a 12-state Midwestern region.
From the Dakotas in the north to Ohio in the east, that dish turns out to be good old-fashioned meat and potatoes with all the trimmings.
More specifically, a classic Midwestern meat includes: beef, usually
a steak or roast; potatoes, baked or mashed with gravy; green beans; corn on the cob; and pie, usually ample.
The idea for the survey came about in part from the couple's time spent cooking regional dishes while entertaining guests.
Although the Shortridges have yet to analyze the survey data, they were able to draw conclusions by simply reading the responses.
"It was overwhelming," Barbara Shortridge said. "I feel very confident in saying that this is the Midwestern food."
The two geographers sent 2,100 questionnaires to three target groups: food editors of the nearly 500 area daily newspapers, county extension offices and geographers, who presumably know about the areas in which they live.
The survey asked what meal, representative of their part of the state, the respondent would prepare for an out-of-state guest.
Along with completed questionnaires, the Shortridges received recipes, dates for food festivals and even dinner invitations.
"Any place with a plastic cow on the roof is going to have a pretty good steak."
Matt Tobin Dallas junior
"I've never received information back from a survey quite so personal," Barbara Shortridge said. "We obviously touched something in all these people."
She also said that although much was known about what people consumed nationally, little was known about what people ate in their homes.
"It's a secret. Your doors are closed," she said.
The Shortridges hope to open
They have been commissioned to write a book that will combine their findings with other information on regional food patterns. They also hope to extend their survey to the national level.
those doors.
Barbara Shortridge said the results of the survey may present opportunities to the advertising business. However, the two have more idealistic hopes for their research.
"As a nation, we've lost connection to a place," James Shortridge said. "We move around a lot more, and I think after a while of doing that, we realized we missed something."
He said that a sense of identity had been misplaced and that food could be a means of reestablishing that identity.
"It's like how Kansas basketball is a way for someone new to Lawrence to identify with something positive about the place," he said. "In that sense, what's the difference, really, between Kansas City ribs and Jay-hawk basketball?"
So where is the best place to get some good Midwestern grub in Lawrence?
From the Dakotas to Ohio, beef turns out to be the dish of choice for Midwest-ers. This steak and potato is from Don's Steak House, 2176 E. 23rd St.
Chris Hamilton / KANSAN
Given the menu, Matt Tobin, Dallas junior, made his decision quickly.
"Don's Steak House, no doubt. Any place with a plastic cow on the roof is going to have a pretty good steak," he said.
"The only thing that we really lack here is the vegetable," said Gary Bartz, owner of Don's Steak House.
Those looking for the full Midwestern dining experience may find at least one crucial menu item missing.
Language can be roommate barrier
By Harumi Kogarimal
Kansan staff writer
She realized that there was an invisible barrier separating her from her U.S. roommate, so Satomi Suzuki chose to move into a single room last semester.
"There was an uncomfortable silence between us," said Suzuki, Yamagata, Japan, junior. "I did not know what to do, and I decided to move out."
been used to living with anotherperson.
She also said she hadn't
Suzui said the problem may have come from her lack of English skills. When her roommate talked to her, Suzuki said she would be silent because she could not understand every word and couldn't talk back to her roommate.
Suzuki is one of many international students who once lived with U.S. students in the residence halls but chose to move into single rooms.
Slightly more international students in Lewis Hall chose to live in single rooms this year compared to last year, said Michelle Milburn, complex director of Lewis Hall.
"They usually request to live with American students in the beginning," Milburn said. "They want to live with American students to improve their English. But the longer they live in the dorm, the more likely they are to switch to single rooms."
Milburn said that in such cases, both sides were not
interested in learning about different cultures. The problem may be rooted in language barriers and cultural differences, she said.
But U.S. students often are puzzled when their international roommate decides to leave.
Molly Lamb, Eureka junior and Suzuki's former roommate, said she had been a bit surprised to hear that Suzuki was leaving.
"She told me on Friday morning and she was gone," Lamb said. "We were getting along with each other."
Unlike Suzuki, Lamb said she never had felt uncomfortable.
"I sometimes repeated what I said, and I sometimes got frustrated," Lamb said. "But it was not a big problem."
Philip Wymore, Lenexa senior, said he often had to explain what certain slang terms meant to his roommate from Costa Rica.
"It did not bother me very much," Wymore said. "I enjoyed exposing myself to a different culture."
Suzki said she realized that U.S. students sometimes had the same problems with other U.S. students. Whether she got along with a roommate would depend on common interests, she said.
"I decided to speak withwhomever I feelcomfortable talking to," she said. "I may have been speaking more Japanese after I left the room, butI am not forcing myselfto speak English."
Goal: high-quality teaching
Award winners help plan forum
By Mark McMaster
Kansan staff writer
When Provost David Shulenburger's office began planning a forum to discuss issues, perspectives and techniques in education, the group knew whom to ask for help.
Helping with the program are eight of the first recipients of the Kemper awards for teaching excellence. These instructors, selected last August to receive $5,000 for their excellence in education, will participate in the educational symposium March 11.
a fiveyear project designed to recognize outstanding teaching at the University of Kansas, said Marilyn Amy, associate professor of education policy and leadership.
Assistant Provost Sandra Gautt said, "This forum will bring increased visibility to those that educate well and allows a dialogue about effective strategies teachers use."
The program is financed in part by the Kemper Foundation,
The symposium's theme is the relationship between teaching and the world outside the classroom.
Professor of political science and Kemper fellow Burdett Loomis said the event was expected to draw about 100 people. He said that while the symposium would be geared toward instructors, anyone could attend.
Similar forums are planned
for the future, Amey said. Each semester, Kemper fellows will be hosts of symposiums on issues in higher education.
Amy said she hoped that the symposium, along with future Kemper teaching awards, would shift the faculty's focus to high-quality education.
"We talk about research activity more than teaching," she said. "We think that getting people involved in a conversation about education will help us improve teaching overall."
Sally Frost-Mason, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said the symposium would be a valuable source of information for the educational community.
"I suppose they will have a lot of very good information to offer the community at large," she said.
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