Class Questions: ‘Are We Really What We Eat?’

Humans can eat almost anything, but why do different cultures eat what they do? Who finds eating locusts delicious? What is it about soul food, paella, apple pie, and other classic dishes and cuisines that give people a sense of community and belonging? UALR Sociology and Anthropology Professor Krista Lewis will examine these and other food-related questions in her ANTH 4398 Special Topics Class: Food, Culture, and Society. The class, which will be offered at 1:40 p.m. to 2:55 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, will also examine:

• Why do people who eat foods we don’t seem so different and foreign?
• Why have “organic” foods become popular?
• Where does the food you eat come from? Who grows it? Who prepares it?
• How much choice do we really have about what we eat?
• How does the food you eat connect you to people around the world?
• What is the relationship between food and politics, class, and status?

The class may also be able to answer an age-old food conundrum: With all those croissants and butter, why aren’t the French fat? For more information about the class, contact Lewis at 501.569.3173 or via e-mail at [email protected].