Savor history

If you’re the sort of person who wishes they could fly back in time and take advantage of Sacramento’s cheaper rent and simpler food scene, Maryellen Burns can help—conceptually, at least. The author of The Lost Restaurants of Sacramento—and Their Recipes will host a talk on Wednesday, April 20, at the Sacramento Medical Society Building (5380 Elvas Avenue), entitled “The Savory and Unsavory Bits Behind the History of Sacramento Food: 1839-Contemporary Times.” Sounds juicy, right? Burns, an avid collector of cookbooks and Sacramento food-related memorabilia, will not only show old recipes and newspaper clippings, but she’ll offer sample tastes from some of them. Indeed, you’ll basically be eating Sacramento history, while learning about how politics, agriculture and transportation issues influenced what Sacramentans cooked and ate over the years. Find $30 tickets at www.eventbrite.com.