Amy Rosenkrans and I stood outside of the Woman’s Industrial Exchange building at 333 North Charles, looking at the artwork in the window. In 2020, the iconic but neglected 200-year-old building had been given to the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. The inside was now filled with stories of Maryland suffragists, scientists, and leaders. The window…
A few weeks ago I came across a recipe for something called “Christmas Bell Salad.” The process entailed cooking canned pears in melted cinnamon candy until the pears were red and cinnamon-flavored, and then serving the pears with dyed-green cream-cheese piped at the top to make the pear look like a bell. I don’t usually…
Many home cooks dream of achieving what Emily Frances Kitching did. Kitching’s Smith Island boardinghouse was no restaurant. Guests ate at a set time. Meals were served at communal dinner tables. There wasn’t a menu to choose from – there was a smorgasbord of seafood soups or chowders; crab cakes; clam fritters; ham; hot rolls;…
“Western High May Become Coeducational Negro School,” the 1954 Baltimore Sun Headline read. Hand-wringing about school desegregation was splashed throughout the pages of the Sun that year. The issue that brought Western High to the front line of the fight was its status as an all-girls school. If the quality of education was unique in…
With parts of Scandinavia so far north that the dark days of winter are endless, its no wonder that the region has rich December holiday traditions. While some of the old Norse Yule symbology made its way into Christmas around the world, other customs remain specific and regional. St. Lucia Day is a particularly iconic…