Food and Music Synergy: Is there such a thing?

     I've recently been considering the food movement research I have been doing against musical ideals and preferences. Initially in the food research, I had basically compartmentalized my research interests, only joining the food research in a very vague way to other previous research interests in the way heritage is conceived. However, this year's Society for Ethnomusicology meetings spurred me on to explore food and music as possibly not so separate spheres of action and thought. I saw a call for papers by graduate student Andrew Mark asking panelists to consider "Sound Ecology?: Theories, Places and Parallels for Ecomusicology," and I decided to do a last minute proposal for a paper idea. Besides allowing me to explore my recent research interests in a different way, this panel has introduced me to "ecomusicology" as a concept.  Another provocative and entertaining connection between music and food that has come my way of late:  The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra.
      So my recent research has been pretty exploratory, involving my participation as fiddler with my friend Amy (guitar) at the All Local Farmer's Market in Columbia and interviews. Quoting my earlier paper abstract, I seek to understand the social and cultural relationships between these food and musical sensibilities. Are these intersections recognized? If so, how do these practitioners view such relationships—as spurious, as central, as metaphorical? Does their musical praxis reflect, refract or obscure their ideological stances regarding sustainability and ecological matters? Another way I have just started "collecting data" is through a survey instrument. If you are at anyway active in the local and/or slow foods movement in the Columbia region of South Carolina, please take the survey!  It should take you less than 10 minutes.  Here's the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9F7XTQY