A food focus
Office of the Dean
October 25, 2018
UCI Humanities centers courses, events and fundraising efforts on food
By Annabel Adams
“Everyone eats” and “no students should go hungry.” These two beliefs are the driving force between both pedagogical and experiential innovation taking place in the School of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine.
Virtuous Table
This fall, a tried-and-true undergraduate course has been revamped to include an experiential element meant to inspire connection, empathy and tolerance—through food. Yong Chen, history professor and author of Chop Suey, USA: The Rise of Chinese Food in America, has taught the beloved course “What to Eat” (History 15) for several years. The course explores how the American palate and food landscape have been shaped by continuous waves of immigration. The syllabus offers students a buffet of food writing, from Donna Gabaccia’s We Are What We Eat: Ethnic Food and the Making of Americans to Gustavo Arellano’s Taco: USA, as well as the film “Big Night.” This fall, and for the first time, Chen has added a new dimension to the course. Instead of just reading about food, he’s partnered with Julia Reinhard Lupton, professor of English and director of UCI Illuminations, to provide students with seats—and meals—at the Virtuous Table.
Inspired by the symposia of ancient Greece, the Virtuous Table is a curated series of meals and conversations that combine philosophy, religious studies and world literature. Supported by a “UCI Confronting Extremism initiative” grant, the project is more than just academically enriching, it is also an adaptation of another ancient tradition: the table fellowship of the New Testament. Jesus was reported to sit with traitors and peasants, and Jews joined non-Jews for communal meals. The Virtuous Table is about not only ideas, but also the virtues that bring many different people together in one shared experience: tolerance, respect, hospitality, empathy and humility.
The Virtuous Table events this fall include a Greek Table, a Persian Table and a Buddhist Table. Speakers from the Humanities include Duncan Pritchard (Philosophy), Elizabeth Tinsley (East Asian Studies), and Touraj Daryaee (History). The series kicked off with a public event featuring celebrity chef Simon Majumdar who spoke about the international story behind fish and chips and his own journey as an immigrant and world food traveler.
To learn more about the Virtuous Table, please click here.
Arden Everywhere
A group of 13 UCI students from various majors recently had the opportunity to channel their real lives for a dramatic production called “Arden / Everywhere.” The event, organized by English professor Julia Lupton through UCI Illuminations and the UCI Shakespeare Center, brought Jessica Bauman—director of the Arden/Everywhere project—to campus for three days to work with UCI students to create a short play based on their experiences. In her productions, Bauman works with professional and non-professional actors to explore the hidden heart of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” creating an unforgettable and contemporary vision of humanity, resilience and love. In the UCI version, students shared their journeys to UCI from different parts of the world, the realities of food insecurity on campus, and the stories of love behind their names.
Performed to an intimate crowd at the UCI FRESH Basic Needs Hub, the production kicked off the UCI School of Humanities’ second-annual crowdfunding campaign to end student hunger on campus. The fundraiser is in response to a 2015 undergraduate survey that found 45 percent of Anteaters had endured food insecurity at some point in the prior year. UCI’s FRESH Basic Needs Hub is the largest food pantry of its kind within the UC system.
Fighting hunger on campus
While food is a great connector and medium from which to explore various cultures, it is also—pure and simple—a necessity. Last year, the UCI School of Humanities raised $15,000 in support of the FRESH Basic Needs Hub. This financial support translated into more than 4,000 meals to nearly 2,000 students during the summer. In addition, the gift purchased over 11,000 toiletries for students in need.
This year, the School of Humanities hopes to raise $20,000 by Thanksgiving (November 22, 2018). If the school meets its first goal of $5,000, a generous anonymous donor has pledged to match it with an additional $5,000.
To support the UCI Humanities’ fundraiser for UCI FRESH Basic Needs Hub, please click here.
With additional writing by Lilibeth Garcia