Food: Culture, Science and Society

Description

This course aims to develop students' critical understanding of food. Food is not just what we eat, it also involves a culture which determines what we eat or not eat, how we eat and how much we eat, and shapes our general ways of life. While the Chinese cannot dispense with pork in their daily meals, the Muslims see pork as profaning and dirty. Food culture entails a feast of values and representations that signify a society's identity, and a plethora of taboos that draw boundaries. Food also entails power that assists both the spread and elimination of food and made certain food more available and valuable than the others. The course will strengthen students' understanding of food culture and food science in relations to food safety and health issues. It will bring them on a food journey that raises their awareness of problematic food production and consumption, and their impacts on human health and the environment.