It is an increasingly established opinion that as a society we have moved from the cultural practice of gathering around the table for a family meal to munching on the go, in the car, on the hoof, even at the gym, and grazing all day instead of, well, eating. This cultural shift has been identified as damaging for both family dynamics and our waistlines. Does this opinion reflect actual historical and social developments?
Given the realities of modern life, we cannot return to the idealized, and largely imagined, family life depicted in the situation comedies of 1950s television. However, are family meals still important to society in general and the healthy functioning of individual families? Can food and its preparation, service, and consumption still be considered as a viable way not only of passing on family values and traditions but of communicating civilization as well?
This talk will be moderated by Elizabeth M. Williams, President of the SoFAB Institute with Ava Chin, a Queens native and author of Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love and the Perfect Meal; Krishnendu Ray, an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at NYU and author of The Migrant's Table: Meals and Memories in Bengali-America Households; and Meryl Rosofsky, a writer and teacher about food, with special expertise in the culture and food systems of New Orleans, the East End of Long Island, and Tuscany. Hosted by Fabio Parasecoli, Associate Professor and co-chair, Food Studies Program.
New York City, NY; NYC