Welcome
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In the summer of 2011, I embarked on a five day gastronomic journey through parts of the Jura region of France, right along the border of Switzerland. As part of the Master of Arts in Global Communications program at the American University of Paris, the Food, Culture, and Communication course, led by Christy Shields, offered a direct window into the process of Comté cheese, from raising cattle to selling at market. Cheese making served as an example to highlight the terroir products of France and the communal efforts that are involved in every step of the process.
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The full course intended for those enrolled to research, experience, and explore the origins of food, traditional production methods, and the attached cultural identities with three main goals. From the syllabus:
The class will explore the manner in which the French and Americans think about and interact with their foods. First, we will examine the historical development of gastronomic discourse in France and nutrition discourse in the United States…We will consider in particular the different forms of authority (i.e. chef vs. scientist) that form the core of each discourse and the means of communication that disseminate their knowledge (i.e. restaurant guides vs. nutritional guidelines).
The class will explore the manner in which the French and Americans think about and interact with their foods. First, we will examine the historical development of gastronomic discourse in France and nutrition discourse in the United States…We will consider in particular the different forms of authority (i.e. chef vs. scientist) that form the core of each discourse and the means of communication that disseminate their knowledge (i.e. restaurant guides vs. nutritional guidelines).
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Second, we will explore how these discourses act as powerful frames, shaping the manner in which individuals in both countries understand, relate to and eventually evaluate their own selves and others. Through analyses of the US media coverage of war against obesity or French artisanal chocolate window displays, we will consider how individuals negotiate these discourses, as well as the collective identities and ethical frames encoded in them.
Third, we will consider the move in both countries towards foods and foods systems that represent alternatives to the industrialized and homogenized foods of the current global era. We will travel to the Jura to better understand the notion of “terroir”, and the centrality of taste and place to this concept. |
The classroom teachings and course material provided a basis to understand the differences in the relationships that the French and Americans have about food in a historical context, prior to the field research in the Jura. The background helped in being alert in seeking questions to answers about the fine details in the communal environment Further, as the lone male member among the 13 students enrolled in the course, my perspective may provide something different of the experience from an ethnographic standpoint.
