A National Conversation About Food During World War II

Contact Information:
Lauren Handley
504-527-6012 ext. 229
kitchenmemories@nationalww2museum.org

NEW!!

Click here to view sample recipes

Click here to view sample stories

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

We are seeking to gather a nation’s individual and collective memories of shopping, rationing, growing, cooking, serving, and eating during the war from those who experienced these things first hand.

We are also encouraging people who did not experience the Home Front to gather stories from someone who did.  Talk to your mother, grandmother, a relative or friend in your community who has food stories to share.

To help us preserve these recollections, stories, and recipes, here are some questions to fire up your memories:

• What do you remember about food rationing during the war?
• Do you remember using substitutes for unavailable ingredients?
• Did you or anyone you know shop on the “black market”?
• Did you grow a Victory garden?
• What about holiday meals?
• What about working or eating in local restaurants?
• What was your greatest food challenge during the war?
• What was your favorite food during the war?
• What was your least favorite?
• Do you remember any unique recipes (triumphs or disasters) that came  out of your Home Front kitchen? 
   

CALL TO ACTION

Our goal is to produce a collection of stories, recipes and memories of WWII as a community kitchen project: a way to encourage oral history and talk across generations while these stories can still be collected first-hand.

Step by step instructions
Oral history guidelines
See what other cooks and collectors of memories are up to by clicking here
Submission Form

Step by Step Instructions

Step One: dig around.  Start asking questions.  Gather recipes and memories.  Talk to those who remember World War II.  Go beyond just the recipes and recall what life was like and what happened during those meals where the recipes were served up.  Write down these stories and recipes.

Step Two: spell check.  Read it to make sure your stories make sense to those who don’t know your family.   Try to keep your stories succinct so that we can post as many as possible online and in print.

Step Three: make the recipe if possible.  Adapt it for the 21st century, if necessary.  Share your recipes with local senior centers, younger children, and anyone else who is interested and would like to hear about what it was like during the war.

Step Four: find pictures, articles, and other WWII memorabilia.  Send us a copy.  Take a picture of your recreated World War II-era dish and the people you shared it with.  Send us that too!

Step Five: after you make a copy for yourself, submit a copy to The National World War II Museum.

Step Six: check The National WWII Museum’s Kitchen Memories website to look for your recipes and stories and to see others.  Share what you find with those of the World War II generation! 

 
Oral History Guidelines

Many people of the World War II generation often think that they do not need to provide an oral history because they did not serve in combat, or they do not feel that what they did was of great importance. That is not the case, because the history of World War II continues to be written today. In the coming decades, historians will be asking new and different questions about the Second World War. Many of those questions will probably relate to the contribution of those who did not directly participate in combat. So now, more than ever, it is of crucial importance to preserve the history of all who lived during the Second World War.

The following guideline questions will assist you in preparing your own oral history. You can also use the following guideline questions to conduct an interview.


• What is your full name?
• When & where were you born?
• What were you doing before the war?
• Were you married or single?
• Where were you when you found out about Pearl Harbor?
• What do you remember about food rationing during the war?
• Do you remember using substitutes for unavailable ingredients?
• Did you or anyone you know shop on the “black market”?
• Did you grow a Victory garden?
• What about holiday meals?
• What about working or eating in local restaurants?
• What was your greatest food challenge during the war?
• What was your favorite food during the war?
• What was your least favorite?
• Do you remember any unique recipes (triumphs or disasters) that came out of your Home Front kitchen? 
• Where were you on VE-Day?
• Where were you on VJ-Day?
• How did life change after the war?
• What things that you did in the kitchen during World War II stay with you after the war ended?



As you collect your oral history, remember that cassette tapes are inexpensive. Turn on your tape recorder, relax & start talking. Be sure to elaborate as much as you wish. It is especially helpful if you have someone to talk to like a friend, spouse, son, daughter or grandchild. A thorough oral history interview will probably take more than an hour to complete, so you will need to set aside a sufficient amount of time to get the job done. It may be necessary to complete the interview over the course of more than one interview session. It may be helpful to have old photos, recipes and artifacts that you’ve found close by during the interview.

Transcribe the highlights of the interview for submission to The National WWII Museum.

You can send submit your documents by using the submission form below or by emailing them at kitchenmemories@nationalww2.org

Submission Form

Questions? Email us at kitchenmemories@nationalww2museum.org

***Oral histories and artifacts collected for Kitchen Memories will be for the Museum’s Education Department special project, not part of the permanent collections.***