In the summer of 2001, when I was beginning to think about a Folklife Festival program devoted to food, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History added Julia Child's kitchen to its exhibits, alongside some of the country's icons such as Thomas Edison's light bulb and the first Teddy bear. At the opening reception for the exhibit, guests were served not the French dishes that Julia introduced to the United States, but a stunning menu of American food including seared bison filet with pepper relish and pappadam, purple Cherokee tomato tartlet with goat cheese and herbs, and a local organic sweet tomato tart with basil and ricotta ...