Food Studies

Food has been part of the semiotic process of film-making since films began. Both food and film provide information about ourselves and our values. They both communicate information about our political and economic aspirations, ethnic and religious values, and even sexual and philosophical identities. Both enrich our minds with ideas about adventure and bravery, hope and despair, love and romance, and more. This course explores the representations of food in world cinema. We will pay special attention to the social, cultural and historical issues depicted in films from around the world. In addition to analyzing films as pieces of artist cinematic expression, we will also examine the multiple roles that “culinary images’ play in world cinema. We will also pay special attention to how food production and preparation, presentation and consumption can play an important role in film structure, character development and film themes.

The Middle East region, stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates and Tigress rivers, is not only the birthplace of the world's 3 monotheistic religions. It is also an ethnically and linguistically diverse area where many of the first civilizations started, and where many food items originated, and crops and animals were domesticated. The culinary culture of the Middle East is a "mélange of ingredients, recipes, and modes of consumption rooted in the Eastern Mediterranean." In this course, we will focus on food as a defining characteristic of culture, identity, and religious practices. In addition, we will explore the regions' culinary traditions, the history of various ingredients and dishes such as various spices, sugar, olive oil, hummus, falafel, kebabs, shakshuka, and shawarma (gyros or döner). In the kitchen, the students will also learn how to make various kinds of bread and prepare various dishes from the region. We will explore the similarities and differences of the various food cultures of Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. In addition, the course will explore the appropriation of the culinary dishes of marginalized minorities (Armenians, Curds, and Palestinians) by the dominant culture of the modern states (mainly Turkey, Syria, and Israel). However, any exploration of the foodways of any region is incomplete without the study of its history, geography, ethnic make-up, linguistic and religious traditions.

Eating: the consumption of nutrients is a biological imperative; but food is more than nutrition. This course therefore views food production, processing, distribution and consumption as social and cultural phenomena. It is through foodways that individual and cultural identity is expressed; struggles and aspirations of minority and immigrant communities; social class and culture are expressed. This course will enable students to develop a sociological framework for understanding the role of food in their own lives, that of the contemporary United States, as well as a broader perspective for engaging other cultures. Students will also be able to draw connections between the various issues on food: GMOs, obesity and hunger, food deserts, agricultural subsidies, federal food regulation and the global dimensions of agri-food networks.

Food is one of the most universally used themes in literary works since ancient times, from classical texts such as the Satyricon by Petronius with its famous Banquet of Trimalchio, to Like Water for Chocolate by Mexican writer, Laura Esquivel. Food, food production, food justice, and the food movement are key areas for literature study. Food is used in literature to present interpretations of culture, history, politics, ethnicity and gender issues. In this course, students will study the role of food in literature written by “global” authors and ethnic writers. Most of the texts read in the course, primarily written by women authors, include fiction and non-fiction: travel writing, memoirs, essays, cookbooks, and novels. The discussions will be augmented by food films based on some of the novels read in class.