Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Final Blog Post: Following the Food

For your final, I want you to write a blog post of 1,000 words describing what in your opinion are three most important characteristics of New Orleans that can be either be discerned entirely through a broad consideration of food or in which the dynamics of food can be understood as a metaphor for greater social, political, economic, or cultural factors that govern New Orleans. To wit, I am asking you how a thoughtful consideration of some aspect of food can lead us to broader conclusions about the city. For instance, you might consider the politics of hunger and its relationship to economics and social justice in New Orleans. You could consider the breadth and qualities of the restaurant scene across the city and also make an argument about economics or cultural preferences. You could take some aspect of the sort of (insert food purveyor here - restaurant, grocery, farmer's market) says about the city, its environment, its demographics, etc. You might explore food traditions and what they say about what New Orleanians want to preserve. You could consider a single important restaurant and what it means to a city. How does our food define our history and vice versa? Maybe an ingredient or set of ingredients can be a metaphor for life in the city? Think deeply about what we've seen this semester and consider the possibilities! Due on Monday (our Final Exam Day).