The Dominican Studies Institute- Dana Pena Sena Week 1

My very first day was kicked off with going through old newspapers in search of anything related to food like publications of recipes, restaurant ads, or even just casual mentions of local eateries that once operated in New York. I sifted through a bunch of old clippings, headlines, and even business cards from decades ago. Whenever I found something that fit the criteria especially something that mentioned a restaurant  I would make a tab for it and then scan it using the office scanner.

 (Both of these pictures I selected and scanned)

This was actually the first time I had ever used a scanner, and I even learned how to use a flash drive (a bit late, I know but better late than never!). As small as it sounds, this experience helped me develop some soft skills and gave me a hands-on feel for archival work and digital organization.

  ( I was taking out the pictures to be scanned)

What made the whole experience really cool was the time-travel feeling. These papers were from way before I was born, from a time when people actually read newspapers to stay informed. It felt like I was stepping into the past, connecting with the stories and lifestyles of people from another era.

After finding and scanning the restaurant mentions, I did a bit of research to see if any of them were still around. Honestly, almost all of them were long gone  but in most cases, newer restaurants had taken their place in the same locations. It was like uncovering a hidden food history of New York, one forgotten page at a time.

Logging off,

Dana