At Damburger in Redding, each burger patty is so thin, it gets crispy on the edges. It's never, ever served with a tomato. The Damburger original’s a signature item the burger joint's been making since the 1930s, when it helped fuel one of the most impactful engineering feats in the state’s history — the Shasta…
https://media.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/content.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/Shasta_Damburger.mp3
“Hard work, low pay, miserable conditions, and more!” That’s the actual motto for the California Conservation Corps, the state program that puts young adults to work outdoors. In Marin County, they have the tough job of building and maintaining world-class trails. I spent a rainy night with the "Cs" to learn about the role food…
https://media.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/content.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/marin_ccc.mp3
The coronavirus brings back memories of another public health crisis, where the federal government was slow to respond and communities had to take care of each other: the AIDS epidemic. One woman who became an unexpected caregiver is Meridy Volz. Starting in the 1970s, she ran a bakery called Sticky Fingers Brownies. "The business changed,"…
https://media.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/content.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/San_Francisco_Homebaked.mp3
So far this year, wildfires have burned more than 4 million acres in California. That’s more than double the previous record. I thought it might be a good time to hear a story I reported from Calaveras County. In 2015, after it was devastated by the Butte Fire, a group of farmers and ranchers worked…
https://media.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/content.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/calaveras_mp3.mp3
Last month a parade drew over 80,000 people to the Sacramento Valley. Before any floats passed, people in colorful clothing and turbans sprinkled water on the street and swept the concrete, cleansing the route. They were celebrating a holiday of the Sikh faith: the 500-year old religion from India's Punjab region. This gathering in Yuba…
https://media.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/content.blubrry.com/californiafoodways/sutter_county_nagar_kirtan.wav