How do human appetites shape plants and animals, land and water, the world’s present and its future? Because eating is one of the most direct ways that people interact with environments—locally and globally—by literally digesting them, fashions in food map not only changes in tastes, but also social and environmental transformations. In “Off the Menu: Appetites, Culture, and Environment” cultural historian L. Sasha Gora will present her current research project about culinary reactions to climate change. Reflecting on how humans know, endanger, and—perhaps—even conserve flora, fauna, and their habitats through culinary practices, her work seeks to further the dialogue between food cultural history and the environmental humanities. “Off the Menu” considers culinary extinction and how menus—as well as recipes—map how people eat and adapt to the worlds around them.

ABOUT THE COLLOKWIUM
The ColloKWIum provides a platform to present and discuss ongoing as well as emerging research projects. In addition to addressing projects within KWI – including the work of our new fellows – it is open to guest lectures that tie in with the institute’s research agenda.