'It was just horrible': the food experience of immigrants in 1950s Australia

Abstract

This article investigates the impact of food adaptation on the initial settlement of post World War II immigrants in Australia. In particular, it analyses processes of food adjustment faced by British and Italian assisted immigrants in accommodation centres, and by unassisted Italian immigrants outside of hostels. The comparison of these three experiences offers evidence of how diverse food legacies and migration schemes affect the responses of different groups. At the same time, the article illustrates the generalised condition of cultural dispossession and discrimination that characterised the food experience of newcomers in postwar Australia.