The Evolving Immigrant Identity and the Changing American Table: Lessons from the Smithsonian (Part 1) When I first began to plan a potential MC-Smithsonian Fellowship project, the U.S. and other countries around the world were in the midst of COVID-19, and the realization was beginning to set in that the aftershocks of this global pandemic would likely be felt for a long time. Disruptions, for instance, have already been appearing in global, national, and local food systems.