Based on interviews with Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans living in New York City, this talk reviews differences in how traditional Hispanic Caribbean cuisines (comidas criollas) are defined and experienced by these communities. These experiences are linked to the contrasting migratory experiences and relationships with communities back"home"in the Caribbean.
Dr. Melissa Fuster is an Assistant Professor in Public Health Nutrition at CUNY Brooklyn College and a Faculty Fellow at the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute. Dr. Fuster has over ten years of experience in community-based research, focused on minority and immigrant populations in the United States and, internationally, in Central America and the Hispanic Caribbean. Her research interests include food security and the sociopolitical and cultural factors affecting food practices and nutritional outcomes. She holds a Ph.D. in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University and a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Florida International University.