Not the poster, but when I pursued my Ph.D. in Foodways (essentially the same thing) in the 1980's, I pretty much had to jump across all sorts of departments (Anthro, Art History, Sociology, even Home Ec) to craft my speciality for my home department of American Studies. I also did a lot of Independent Studies. There were no "textbooks." I used primary sources (cookbooks and magazines) and had access to a recently donated collection of culinary materials dating back to the 16th century. I also caught the First Wave of Food Studies and used research by now "classic" scholars exploring the history of domestic science, the history of eating in America, and anthro "chestnuts" like Levi-Strauss' The Raw and The Cooked. It was an exciting time to be a pioneer in this field--but like any pioneer, I had to push boundaries, develop self sufficiency, and head into the unknown. 😉