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| Campus | Bryn Mawr |
| Semester | Spring 2025 |
| Registration ID | EALCB281001 |
| Course Title | Food in Translation |
| Credit | 1.00 |
| Department | East Asian Languages and Cultures |
| Instructor | Kwa,Shiamin |
| Times and Days | W 12:10pm-02:00pm
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| Room Location | |
| Additional Course Info | Class Number: 1928 This semester we will explore the connections between what we eat and how we define ourselves in the context of global culture. We will proceed from the assumption that food is an object of culture, and that our contemplation of its transformations and translations in production, preparation, consumption, and distribution will inform our notions of personal and group identity. This course takes Chinese food as a case study, and examines the way that Chinese food moves from its host country to diasporic communities all over the world, using theories of translation as our theoretical and empirical foundation. From analyzing menu and ingredient translations to producing a short film based on interviews, we will consider the relationship between food and communication in a multilingual and multicultural world. Readings include theoretical texts on translation (Apter), recipe books and menus, Chinese and Chinese-American literature (Classic of Poetry, Mo Yan, Hong Kingston). Films include Ian Cheney's "Searching for General Tso," Wayne Wang's "Soul of a Banquet" and "Eat a Bowl of Tea," Ang Li's "Eat Drink Man Woman," and Wong Karwai's "In the Mood for Love." Approach: Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC), Critical Interpretation (CI); Enrollment Cap: 15. This course is part of a 360 cluster and is only available to 360 students. "Taste" What are the stories behind the flavors that we taste? How much of taste is individual, and how much is social? Why do some flavors taste good to us, while others don't? Why do different people sometimes have very different reactions to the same foods? How do taste preferences change across space and over time? This course cluster invites students to explore the histories, cultural meanings, and politics surrounding taste. We will examine how our tastes are influenced by factors like nationality, cultural group, socioeconomic class, and public discourse. We will also consider how we use our own tastes to understand, and even transform, the world around us. Ultimately, this focus on taste will allow us to investigate fundamental questions of universality and difference in the human experience. Applications for this 360 are due November 6th at NOON at https://www.brynmawr.edu/inside/academic-information/special-academic-programs/360-program/apply/spring-2025-application-taste. Please contact Sarah Theobald with any questions about the Program. You must also take ANTH B213. |
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