By BETSY ANDREWS
For the Express
On the frontier at the turn of the century, oysters were heading west. "They had to come by stagecoach," said noted historian and author Arthur Hart. "They were still alive." There was such a strong market for the well-traveled mollusks that they weren't even expensive.
Hart, who was director of the State Historical Society for 17 years, will share his knowledge of Idaho's surprising food history along with 80 historical photographs during a slideshow lecture, "From Camas and Cowboy Beans to Croissants and Curry: History of Food and Dining in Idaho and the Wood River Valley" at the Hailey Public Library next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The address, funded by the Idaho Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, will accompany the Hailey Public Library's current Smithsonian exhibit, "Key Ingredients: America by Food."
Hart described his talk as "a brief and hopefully somewhat humorous overview of food in Idaho." From the remarkable cuisine of Idaho's earliest inhabitants (which he wouldn't reveal prematurely), he will move into early Native American fare: game, berries, and roots.
Has Hart eaten camas root, the title food of his talk? "I haven't," he said. "I don't know anyone who prepares it. I guess you could dig your own...but Lewis and Clark got sick on it—that's a warning to me."
He described how the influx of Chinese immigrants in the 1860s influenced regional cookery. "Not only on Bonanza did they have a Chinese cook." Ranchers hired Chinese cooks; Chinese restaurants sprang up in frontier towns; Chinese farmers went door to door with their fresh picked vegetables. Many immigrants stayed only a few years, sending money back home and then returning to their native land to wed, but their comestibles remained in Idaho. From potatoes to predictions for the future "diversity," Hart will offer a smorgasbord of fun food facts.
"When he talks here, he always draws a big crowd, because people remember how great he was the last time," said Lisa Horton, Hailey Public Library Adult Program Director. "He's one of those guys who can talk on any historical subject."
And do it entertainingly. Since retiring 20 ago, Hart and his wife of 62 years, Dee, have lead tours around Idaho and the world, explaining social and natural history as they go. They recently led a week-long bus tour of Idaho. "We keep the guests entertained...learning all the way," explained Hart. "I'm an old professor," he added, by way of explaining the passion for sharing his passion.
"I've been eating for 85 years, and reading for 80. That's preparation," he quipped. His credentials also include a Masters of Fine Arts degree in painting with a history minor from the University of Washington. An art teaching position at the College of Idaho (now Albertson's College) brought the couple to Boise in 1948. He taught art history for many years, and became a leading scholar on the architecture of Idaho. In 1969, Hart compiled the State Historic Site Survey. "I had the pleasure of putting Sun Valley Lodge on the National Register," he said, "and Ezra Pound's birthplace, and the Episcopal church in Hailey."
Retired for 20 years, Hart remains prolific and fascinated by Idaho's past: vocation is avocation. His most recent book—number 18—"Echoes of the Ada County Courthouse, 1938-2001," was begun as part of an effort to persuade the Idaho legislature not to tear down the landmark Art Deco-style edifice. His books comprise an eclectic range of subject matter, from a history of baseball to the history of the Arid Club, Boise's oldest men's club. (Or it was a men's club, until the mid-`80s, when Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O'Connor ruled the exclusion of women unconstitutional, a ruling that was taken seriously only after she threatened to take away the liquor licenses of every men's club on the East coast). Such details stud Hart's conversation like, well, pearls, and they're as plentiful in his speech as oysters on the western frontier.
Lisa Horton will follow "From Camas to Cowboy Beans" with slides and notes on local food lore and historic dining institutions in Ketchum and Hailey. Admission will be free.
Free, fun, food!
· "Key Ingredients: America by Food" exhibit, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Idaho Humanities Council at Hailey Public Library. July 15-August 26.
• I Love Lucy (and Chocolate) Festival. Two of Lucy and Ethel's most famous TV episodes about food, plus chocolate truffle potato making. Hailey Public Library. July 22, 1-2:30 p.m.
• Movie showing, "Supersize Me," followed by a panel discussion at 8 p.m. of the movie and of "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. July 25, 6:30 p.m.
• Coffee talk and Hailey Coffee Company Roastery tour. Meet at the Hailey Public Library. Please pre-register. August 12, 3 p.m.
