Food for Thought
Recently postgraduate students of the School of Languages and Cultures organised their first "Food for Thought" luncheon.
Students each brought dishes with an intriguing question, issue, or story behind its ingredients.
In one instance, PhD student Francesca Benocci brought individual servings of Pizza Muffin. Sharing food usually means to take portions from the same thing but these days most things are already conceived in individual portions. So by making individual servings of a "muffinised" traditional Italian dish she problematised the typical serving suggestion and asked "What does it really mean to share a meal?"
In another example, Master's student, Ya-Wen Ho, challenged herself at the local farmer's market "to let the ingredients speak to her." Keeping her wits about her among the in-season produce, a marrow eventually called her name. She presented the diners with a roasted Spanish-stuffed marrow.
Many other dishes were prepared: fried rice, spicy beef and cabbage, minced pork balls, Navajo tacos, Mapo Tofu, Ghanian jallof, and homemade spaghetti, to name a few.
The postgraduate students intend to continue holding regular "Food for Thought" luncheons throughout the year.