Group presentation at the American University of Paris.

1. Food Cultures
March 26, 2012
Heather Blanchard
Matthew Bedard
Robert Barnes
1
Monday, March 26, 2012

2. What’s For Dinner?
2
Monday, March 26, 2012

3. Video
3
Monday, March 26, 2012

4. Food Culture
Readings
• Shields-Argeles: Mastering French Cuisine,
Espousing French Identity
• Lukacs: Iron Chef Around the World
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Monday, March 26, 2012

5. Shields-Argeles
Mastering French Cuisine,
Espousing French Identity
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Monday, March 26, 2012

6. Summary
• American women (Beth & Linda) married
to french men
• Linda: In Chicago, supportive husband
(food), extension of France/self, exotic
• Beth: In Paris, husband critical (food),
extension of America/refute, simplification
• Value of French food rituals and
assimilation to the cultural practice
• Selves defined through narrative
reconstruction, the act of eating:
presenting, preparation, discussion.
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Monday, March 26, 2012

7. Critical Evaluation
• Cultural other/superiority (Appadurai)
• Cosmopolitanism/expatriation (Beck)
• Cultural capital/construction of taste (Strauss/
Tomlinson)
• Self-reflexivity (Fouccalt)
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Monday, March 26, 2012

8. Gabriella Lukacs
Iron Chef Around the World
Japanese food television,
soft power and
cultural globalization
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Monday, March 26, 2012

9. Video
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Monday, March 26, 2012

10. Summary
• Japanese cooking show
• High drama, High cost ingredients
• Global audience
• Localization (Iron Chef America)
• Media may not act as soft power
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Monday, March 26, 2012

11. Critical Appraisal
• Westernization
• Cultural Globalization
• Cosmopolitan Media (?)
• Sense-making through an Oriental
framework
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Monday, March 26, 2012

12. Application
• Food as cultural capital (awareness,
preparation, exploration, access)
• Playing into/reinforcement of stereotypes
• Definition and role of “the other”
• Food as entertainment
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Monday, March 26, 2012

13. What’s For Dinner?
13
Monday, March 26, 2012

14. Discussion
• What is the role of food in
cosmopolitanism?
• Can food transcend class?
• How does taste help constitute the nation/
state?
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Monday, March 26, 2012

15. Bon Appetit!
Itadakimasu!
Happy Eating!
Heather Blanchard
Matthew Bedard
Robert Barnes
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Monday, March 26, 2012