January/February 2004 Editor's Note A Cultural Feast The Traditions of the Table Chef Mario Batali speaks with NEH Chairman Bruce Cole about Italian cuisine and what food tells us about culture. The National Humanities Medal Making a Difference The White House recognizes Robert Ballard, Joan Ganz Cooney, Midge Decter, Joseph Epstein, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Jean Fritz, Hal Holbrook, Edith Kurzweil, Frank M. Snowden Jr., and John Updike. Remnants of the Past From the Rainforest An archaeologist on a dig in Guatemala helps recover an ancient Maya masterpiece. By Rachel Galvin How Our Great-Grandparents Saw the Movies From silent films to newsreels, a new grant is preserving early motion pictures. By Ronica Roth Mending a Wounded Nation Forty Acres and a Mule A new documentary examines America's struggle to establish racial equality after the Civil War. By Danielle Alexander Incidents in the Life of an Abolitionist The story of Harriet Jacobs, fugitive slave, author, and relief worker, unfolds in a new book. By Paulette W. Campbell Around the Nation In Focus Michael Gillette is preserving the past in Texas. By Amanda Sigler