Exploring Food And Culture In The South of France is a project designed to examine culinary tradition and culture in Provence and surrounding regions. The student will travel throughout said regions, study texts including MFK fisher’s The Gastronomical me, Savarin’s The Physiology Of Taste, Fernard Point’s Ma Gastronomie and Provence of Alain Ducasse. To further understand the regions culinary and cultural traditions the student will WWOOF with local artisans and farmers. The student will create a WordPress website and bi-weekly writings synthesizing texts read throughout the quarter as well as curating an Instagram and three video projects.
Learning Objective #1
To understand different cultural influences and contrast regional culinary traditions throughout the south of France.
Activities #1
I will travel through the south of France and conduct interviews with people involved in local culinary happenings as well as family to understand regional traditions and individual histories with food. I will also read literature on the subject including Accounting for Taste: The Triumph of French Cuisine, Provence of Alain Ducasse, Ma Gastronomie, and escoffiers Le Guide Culinaire.
What Sponsor Will Evaluate
For each region visited I will reflect upon and do a taste testing of at least one food that the region is associated with. I will conduct interviews that are to be incorporated into website posts and video projects as well as weekly written reflections.
Learning Objective #2
In what ways can we compare regional culinary traditions to other mediums like literature and visual arts and what do we find when we examine the woman’s place in each?
Activities #2
I will read novels and scholarly writings weekly and explore local arts when available in order to reflect upon potential similarities or differences. To answer this question I will read and refer to MFK Fisher’s The Gastronomical Me, Leon Rappoport’s How We Eat and Jean Anthelme Brillat- Savarin’s The Physiology of Taste and Caroline Korsmeyer’s Gender and Aesthetics: An Introduction.
What Sponsor Will Evaluate:
I will create weekly website posts that analyse and synthesize texts and relate them to my experiences in my exploration of the region and culinary practices. I will also create 3 video projects throughout the quarter that showcase my findings.
Learning Objective #3:
Does being directly involved with agricultural and artisan food systems change peoples emotional relationships to the food they, their associations with food and eating habits?
Activities #3:
I will immerse myself further in the regions culinary traditions by WWOOFING with local artisans and agriculteurs to learn and experience first hand the process involved in creating some of the regions most consumed products like wine, olive oil and bread. To further examine this question I will read writing that reflects on direct personal experiences with food including Anthony Bourdain’s Kithchen Confidential, Bill Buford’s Heat and Luke Barr’s Provence 1970.
What Sponsor Will Evaluate:
I will create website posts explaining process involved in making these items. I will also provide photographs, conduct interviews and create an instagram that will be updated throughout the quarter.