ANT 1932 - FOOD, A GLOBAL FEAST

credits: 3.0
Will examine the interrelationship between the biological role of food and its cultural elaboration as cuisine. How did cooking and processing of food make it more edible? How about more tradable? Should we really be “eating paleo?” Can you imagine Italian food without tomatoes? We will examine the ways that humans have used foods as a means of ritual, sacrament, trade, hegemony, and domination. Objectives: A) Describe the evolution of food preparation and cooking; B) Explain the development and growth of food storage and preservation; C) List the main staple foods among humans; D) Describe how foods intersected with the development of state societies; E) Describe the growth of the global food system. Method of Instruction: Lecture and discussion; reading; research; film; local field trips; participation in preparation and eating of different foods. Method of Evaluation: Short quizzes and papers on different readings and films (total 60%); a major project that can be a paper, a video, or a small field project (e.g., interviews of market vendors, etc.) (40%). Meets *GLP Distribution Requirements.